In 1691, the St. Peter and Paul church was heavily damaged by a fire. Starting in 1697, Eugenio Casparini and his son Adam Horatio began constructing a new organ. This organ featured 57 stops distributed across three manuals and a pedal. Its facade, designed by Johann Conrad Buchau, included 17 sunbursts behind which pipes of equal length were placed. Twelve of these pipes produced individual tones of the unique pedal mixture. The organ was inaugurated in 1703, and in 1704 Christian Ludwig Boxberg wrote an extensive description of the instrument.

The organ attracted significant attention. In 1715, Tsar Peter I of Russia was so impressed by the instrument that he commissioned Boxberg to design a “Monstre Orgue” for St. Petersburg. However, this organ was never built. Johann Sebastian Bach, on the other hand, referred to it as a “horse organ” due to its heavy touch. Similarly, Johann Andreas Silbermann criticized the instrument in 1741. Even in the late 19th century, the unusual construction of the wind chests continued to spark interest. These wind chests were divided into compartments with wind partitions and featured upward-opening valves on the sides, which contributed to the heavy playing resistance.

Between 1827 and 1828, Joseph Schinkel and Carl Friedrich Ferdinand Buckow made repairs and modifications, resulting in the organ having 55 stops.[3] From 1845 to 1847, Friedrich Nikolaus Jahn rebuilt and expanded the organ to include 64 stops.[4] In 1894, the firm Schlag & Söhne from Schweidnitz constructed a new instrument with 53 stops, preserving some of the original stops and the facade.

Between 1926 and 1928, the firm W. Sauer from Frankfurt (Oder) built a new instrument with 89 stops distributed across four manuals and a pedal, using electro-pneumatic action (taschenladen).[6] This organ once again became the largest in Silesia. In 1979, the organ was removed during an extensive restoration of the church, leaving only the historic facade, which was restored.

Plans for a new organ began in 1990, with the commission awarded to the Swiss company Mathis Orgelbau. The disposition was designed by organist Matthias Eisenberg and inspired by the Casparini organ.

The organ was inaugurated in 1997 during the first construction phase, featuring 64 stops spread across three manuals and a pedal. In 2002, the Sonnen-Mixtur pipes were restored by Mathis. During the second construction phase in 2004, a swell division with 23 stops was added. In 2021, the pedal division was expanded with three additional stops by Mathis. In 2024, the organ was further enhanced with a Chamade division featuring six horizontal reed stops (“Engelwerk”), donated by Matthias Eisenberg. The dedication took place during Pentecost 2024. Since then, the organ has had 96 stops.

Note: The Sonnen-Mixtur and Engelwerk were explicitly excluded from the Sweelinq sample set at the request of the church.

Source: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonnenorgel