Church of St Nicholas in Kamień Pomorski

The Church of St Nicholas, known as the church on the hill (German: Bergkirche), stands on Żalnik Hill, among trees in the town park in Kamień Pomorski. It is a historic Gothic branch church, built of brick with a small proportion of erratic boulder stone.

From cemetery chapel to branch church

According to the entry on the church, the original church was built in the 14th century as a cemetery and hospital chapel, looked after by a vicar of the Cathedral of St John the Baptist. In the late Middle Ages it became a branch church for the inhabitants of the suburbs: fishermen, sailors and peasants. The heritage register dates the building to the 15th century, while an entry in another list says "before 1335", so the year of construction is uncertain. From the 16th century Lutheran services were held here, and the church was extended with a tower, a porch and a sacristy.

After the Second World War the church was closed. In 1960 it was renovated and adapted as a regional museum. It returned to worship as a Roman Catholic branch church of the cathedral parish in 1994.

Form and interior

The church is oriented, of hall type, on a rectangular plan, with an elliptical chancel and an apse on the east. On the west stands a tower with a spire covered in wooden shingles resembling fish scales. Its lower storey opens with four semicircular arcades. The interior is plain and modern, with a beamed ceiling. In the chancel hangs a painting of St Nicholas in bishop's vestments. The former furnishings from before 1945 were dispersed, and some of the figures can be seen in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Ludwika Solskiego 8, Kamień Pomorski.
• The church lies in the town park on the hill. Nearby also stands the Museum of the History of the Kamień Land.
• Service and opening hours are given by the cathedral parish.