Gdansk Group Trip – Day 4 (Church of St. George in Sopot)

This rather beautiful church is located in the centre of Sopot on the city’s main street.

Sopot was a rapidly growing location at the end of the nineteenth century and the need for an additional church became more apparent. After years of fund raising, the foundation stone for the church was laid on 22 October 1899, designed by Louis von Tiedemann. The building design is in the Germanic style, with the tower being 47 metres in height.

When the church was constructed, Sopot was part of Prussia and was the favourite spa town of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany. It became part of the Free City of Danzig following the First World War at a time when the German population was growing, making the church popular and well used.

The interior is colourful and bright, originally built with 784 seats for worshippers.

The church was used for the Evangelical movement until 8 May 1945, when it was handed over to the Catholic Church when it was also rededicated to St. George. The interior was changed to suit the needs of the Catholic Church in 1970 and the stained glass was added between 1973 and 1976.