Architecture and building technology of the 16th-century half-timbered church in Byków

An architectural survey of the former Evangelical church, now the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, in Byków (Długołęka municipality, Wrocław district) was conducted in 2022. Its erection dates back to 1574. The church underwent significant expansion and reconstruction in the following centuries, which dramatically changed its form. The purpose of this article is to present the results of this research with regard to the original form of the church, particularly the construction technique used in the 16th century, and to reconstruct its probable form when it was erected. The research covered the structural layout, the type of building material used and its fabrication, the timber framing sides and the system of carpentry assembly marks, the carpentry joints used, and the material used to fill the fields of the framework and its colours. Based on these, the authors were able to determine that the original church was erected in a timber-frame construction and consisted of a nave and an elongated, trilateral closed choir on the east and a tower on the west. The corpus and choir were covered with gabled roofs with king post trusses. Much of this structure has been preserved in the present church structure.