Protestant Church and Tower in Ostróda

On a high escarpment above Ostróda's old town and Lake Drwęckie stands the Neo-Gothic Protestant church of 1907–1909, whose massive tower with a double cupola can be seen from afar. It was designed by Berlin architect Oskar Hossfeld, and today the church belongs to the Methodists and is shared with the Evangelical-Augsburg (Lutheran) parish. The tower holds a clock from 1908, bells from Bochum and a viewpoint.

History: the town's third Protestant church

After the secularisation of the Teutonic state in 1525, Ostróda's Gothic parish church (today the Catholic Church of St Dominic Savio) became Protestant. Behind it stood a separate, more modest church for Polish-speaking worshippers – in the 19th century its pastor was Gustaw Gizewiusz – so not in today's church, which was built decades later. By the early 20th century the fast-growing town needed a new church. It was built in 1907–1909 at a cost of 203,000 marks; Polish services then moved to the medieval church, and the old Polish church was demolished in 1910.

After the Second World War the Lutheran Church lacked clergy, so the Methodists took over pastoral care and became owners of the building (today the Parish of God's Grace). A few years later the Lutheran parish revived, and the two congregations still share the church.

What to see

• The building – a brick church in massive Early Gothic forms: a three-aisled pseudo-hall with a transept and a shallow polygonal chancel, covered by cross vaults. Hossfeld used the same layout for Christ Church in Poznań and the Protestant church in Szczecinek.
• The interior – wooden galleries on low round pillars, a combined altar and pulpit, and stained-glass windows. The woodcarving was done by the arts and crafts school in Cieplice, the organ by the Wittek firm of Elbląg and the paintwork by Blaue of Berlin. The church seats 1,420 people.
• The tower – a historic pendulum clock mechanism from 1908, and one floor up three bells from 1909 (the largest is 148 cm across), donated by the city of Bochum. 105 steps lead to the top, with a small display of everyday objects along the way.

Did you know

At noon church hymns are played from the tower – a good moment to pause in the old town or by the lake. Hossfeld deliberately chose the plainer forms of Early Gothic, but in practice only the brick links the church to the architecture of the Teutonic state. By way of contrast, the medieval church where Ostróda's Protestants worshipped for centuries was destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt as a Catholic church.

Tripto tips

• Address: ul. Sienkiewicza, a few minutes' walk from the centre and the Lake Drwęckie waterfront.
• Tower: the viewpoint is not open every time the church is – confirm current access rules and times with the parish or the tourist information office.
• Respect: this is an active church used by two congregations; visit the interior outside service times.
• Time needed: allow 45–90 minutes for the church and tower, then walk down the escarpment to Lake Drwęckie.