Church Ruins in Trzęsacz

When the brick Church of St Nicholas was built in Trzęsacz around 1400, it stood in the middle of the village, about 1.8–2 km from the sea. Over the following centuries the Baltic undercut the cliff and took the land metre by metre. Today all that remains is part of the south wall: 12 metres long and 6 metres high, right on the edge of the cliff. It is the best-known example in Poland of coastal erosion, or abrasion – the wearing away of the shore by the sea.

History: a race against the sea

According to tradition, the first wooden church was built here in 1124. The Gothic brick church measured 23 by 9 metres and was built of hand-made bricks on a foundation of field stones. It was one of the grandest village churches in Western Pomerania. After the Reformation reached Pomerania in 1534, it became Lutheran. In 1750 it stood 58 metres from the cliff edge, and the first attempt was made to protect the shore with fascine mats and piles.

The sea was faster. In the second half of the 18th century it began to expose the churchyard, which was closed in 1809. By 1820 the cliff was only 13 metres away, and in 1868 just one metre. Even so, services continued until 1874, when the church was closed for safety reasons. On the night of 8–9 March 1900 the north wall collapsed, and over the following decades the sea claimed the chancel, the façade and the corners. The last major piece, half of the south wall, fell on 1 February 1994.

What to see

• The surviving wall – the last piece of Gothic masonry in hand-made brick, visible from above and from the beach.
• The 2002 reinforcement – a new foundation, two vertical lime-cement columns and a diagonal ground anchor, each 15 metres long. The foot of the cliff is protected by an 80-metre strip of stone-filled gabions.
• The new church in Trzęsacz from 1880 – since 2003 it has housed an early Baroque altarpiece from 1673 by Joachim Sellin of Wolin.
• The church in Rewal – which received the central part of the Gothic triptych, with a Virgin and Child in the "Beautiful Madonna" style.

Interesting facts

The Renaissance choir stalls from 1583, painted with the coats of arms of the village's owners, are now in Kamień Pomorski Cathedral. A bell from 1679, weighing 419 kg, bore an inscription calling the faithful to the house of God as soon as they heard it from the tower. It was melted down for cannon in 1917. There were even plans to move the whole surviving wall inland, but strengthening the cliff was chosen instead. A local legend has its own explanation: fishermen caught Zielenica, daughter of the Baltic, and when she died of longing and was buried by the church, her father sent wave after wave to take her body back.

Tripto tip

The ruin stands in the centre of Trzęsacz, not far from the new church. From the top you get a good view of the wall and the cliff line, but the best perspective is from the beach below, where you can see how little land is left under the wall. The spot itself needs only 20–30 minutes, but it is worth adding a walk along the shore towards Rewal to see the triptych from the old church. Do not approach the cliff edge outside the marked areas, as the coast is still crumbling. The brick looks best in the late afternoon light and at sunset.