St Catherine's Church, Bytów

A tall tower with an arcaded gallery rises above the centre of Bytów and can be seen from the castle hill. The church was built in the mid-19th century for the Lutheran community, modelled on St Matthew's Church in Berlin, and after the war it was taken over by Catholics whose own church had been destroyed. That is why it has two patron saints: St Catherine of Alexandria and St John the Baptist.

History

The church was built in 1848–1854 to a design by Schindler, modelled on St Matthew's Church in Berlin. Until 1945 it was the Lutheran Church of St Elizabeth. When the Red Army entered the town, Soviet soldiers destroyed the Gothic Catholic Church of St Catherine, of which only the tower remains nearby. The Catholics therefore took over the Lutheran church and consecrated it on 24 June 1945, the feast of St John the Baptist – hence the two patrons.

What to look for

• The tower on the north side: a square shaft topped with an arcaded gallery, an octagonal upper stage and a conical spire.
• The three-aisled hall interior, bright and spacious, typical of 19th-century Protestant churches.
• The organ of 1907.
• Two bells cast in 1820–1821, donated by King Frederick William III of Prussia – older than the church itself.

Tripto tip

The church is on Jana Pawła II Street in the very centre, about 200 metres from the castle. Fifteen to twenty minutes is enough for a look outside and a short visit inside. The best view of the tower is from the fountain in front of the church. Combine it with the Gothic tower of the old St Catherine's Church, now a branch of the West Kashubian Museum, and with St George's Church on the hill.