Co-Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kołobrzeg

The Co-Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the main church of Kołobrzeg: a Gothic brick hall church with five aisles, and since 1972 the co-cathedral of the Koszalin-Kołobrzeg diocese. Among its furnishings, the Gothic seven-branched candelabrum of 1327, the font of 1355 and the chapter stalls of about 1340 stand out. In 1945 the church was destroyed in the fighting for the city and rebuilt after the war.

History of the church

The exact date when construction began is not known. Wikipedia assumes that the main town church was begun in the early 14th century on the site of the former St Nicholas' Church, and that the first mass was celebrated on the building site in 1321. The heritage register gives the 13th century, and other listings give 1251, so the dates are given in different ways. At the end of the 15th century the north and south towers were joined into one mass with a spire in the middle, which gave the church its present silhouette.

From the 16th century the church was Lutheran. In 1945, during the fighting for the Kołobrzeg Fortress, it was an important point in the defence of the city and was destroyed by Soviet artillery fire. In 1957 it was handed over to the Catholic Church and rebuilding began: in 1958 the chancel was consecrated, and in 1974 the whole church returned to worship. In the 1960s the Museum of Polish Arms operated in the part that had not been rebuilt. Pope John Paul II gave the church the title of minor basilica on 10 June 1986.

The most valuable monuments inside

Because of the wartime destruction the interior has not kept many historic elements, but several of them are of great value. The Gothic seven-branched candelabrum was cast in bronze in 1327 by Jan Apengeter and was funded by the dean of the chapter. According to Wikipedia it is 4 m high, has an arm span of 380 cm and weighs over 900 kg. It is the only one of its kind in Poland and one of five surviving in the world.

Wikipedia also describes its post-war fate. During the Second World War it was dismantled and hidden, in the 1950s it was found by workers who sold it for scrap, and it was saved by Jan Frankowski. After conservation in Warsaw the candelabrum was shown in the Central Pomerania Museum in Słupsk, and in 1981 it returned to the Kołobrzeg cathedral. For this reason the information about its stay in Słupsk does not contradict the fact that it stands in the basilica today.

Of at least 22 Gothic altars, four have survived. Three triptychs from about 1500 still stand in the cathedral, and the fourth is in the National Museum in Szczecin. The font of 1355 is the work of Jan Alart and, according to Wikipedia, is the oldest metal font in West Pomerania. The stalls from about 1340, from the workshop of Herman Walther, have been called the oldest objects of this kind in Poland. The brass hanging candelabrum of the Holken family from 1420 and the wooden Schlieffen Crown from 1523 have also survived.

Nearby

The basilica stands in the Old Town centre. Next to it is the town hall, and nearby is the Kołobrzeg Museum Patria Colbergiensis. Not far away stands the Match Tower (Baszta Lontowa).

Practical information

• Address: ul. Mariacka 5, Kołobrzeg.
• Visiting hours according to the parish website: on weekdays 9.00-16.30, on Fridays 9.00-14.30 and 15.45-16.30, on Sundays 14.00-15.30. Check the hours before your visit.
• The church is not open to visitors during services or during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, held daily after the 17.00 mass.
• The parish website asks visitors not to take photographs or film inside.