Chapel of St. Gertrude in Koszalin

Building erected in 1383 as a chapel for the hospital or cemetery of the Cistercian monastery. Located near the High Gate, outside the city's defensive walls, it underwent extensive renovation in 1662. In 1735, all windows were bricked up, leaving only a small opening to the east, when the building was converted into a powder and ammunition magazine. In the following years, it fell into ruin. Only in the early 20th century, thanks to renovation, the chapel regained its original beauty and was handed over to Lutherans, who used it until 1945. It represents a rare example of 14th-century sacred architecture in Pomerania. This small but tall (almost 24 m) building was centrally designed on an octagonal plan. Its corners are reinforced with buttresses, and pointed, three-part windows and two portals occupy a significant portion of one of the walls. At the top, they are surrounded by a relief frieze with a quatrefoil motif. The interior of this object, a single space with a diameter of 8 m and a height of 6 m, is closed with a star vault covered with plaster.