Church of the Transfiguration in Płoty

This neo-Gothic red-brick church, built in 1902-1903 as a Lutheran church, has a tower 50 metres high and furnishings from the time of construction that are almost entirely preserved. Today it is the parish church in Płoty.

Built on a new site

The first church in Płoty was built in 1277, when the town was founded under Lübeck law, in the market square. Its poor technical condition meant that it was pulled down in 1904. By then the Lutherans already had a new church in another place. Construction began on 17 March 1902, the foundation stone was laid on 8 June of the same year, and the consecration took place in November 1903. The money came from the will of Count Karl von der Osten, who died in 1895 and left 120 thousand marks for this purpose. Part of the land was donated by the owner of the palace in Płoty, Karl von Bismarck.

Form and interior

It is a hall church on the plan of a Latin cross, with three aisles, a transept and a chancel with a three-sided end. On the west side rises a three-storey, square tower with an octagonal, pointed helmet. The interior was kept in the neo-Gothic style and has hardly changed since construction. The high altar contains a painting of the Transfiguration with figures of Moses and Elijah.

In the chancel are three stained-glass windows made in Cologne. The central one, funded by Karl von Bismarck, shows the Crucifixion, and beneath it the Sacrifice of Abraham. In the transept the windows show Paul of Tarsus preaching and the reading of Martin Luther's 95 theses. In the sacristy hangs a pair of small stained-glass windows with images of Maria Teresa Ledóchowska and Maximilian Kolbe. On the gallery stands a 25-stop organ from the Grüneberg workshop of Szczecin, and in the tower hang three bells: one bronze bell of the 18th century from the pulled-down old church and two iron ones of 1910.

Nearby

The church is a short walk from the town castles: the New Castle in Płoty lies about 100 metres away, and the Old Castle about 300 metres. The Jewish cemetery is also not far.

Practical information

• Address: Wojska Polskiego 1 Street, Płoty (Gryfice County).
• Church entered in the heritage register, the parish is run by the Christ Fathers (Chrystusowcy).
• Check Mass times and the possibility of visiting the interior on the parish website (parafia-ploty.pl).