Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Gdynia

In the Oksywie district, on Pułkownik Stanisław Dąbek Street, stands the church of St. Michael the Archangel — the oldest surviving building not only in Gdynia but in the whole Tricity. The original Romanesque church was a ducal foundation, and its west wall survives to this day. Around it spreads a cemetery written into the history of the Polish armed forces.

From a Romanesque wall to a Baroque spire

Of the original Romanesque structure, the west wall remains. In the 14th century the church was enlarged with the eastern presbytery and a side aisle. Damage from the Swedish wars was repaired in a rebuilding completed in 1687, when the timber tower with its Baroque spire was added. The Second World War brought destruction again, after which the church was restored.

The Oksywie cemetery

The old cemetery around the church held soldiers who came to Oksywie in 1921–1936 to defend Poland's maritime borders. Sailors who fell at sea rest here too, including crews of ORP Mazur and ORP Nurek. On the outer wall are plaques commemorating ships sunk during the Second World War.

In practice

The church sits on a rise a few kilometres from central Gdynia; the trip takes about quarter of an hour. The interior opens on selected weekday mornings and evenings — check the hours before you go. Afterwards, walk around the cemetery: the old gravestones and ship plaques make a history lesson of their own.