Church of St. Gertrude in Darłowo

At the cemetery in Darłowo, there is St. Gertrude's Church, which was likely built in the mid-15th century. The structure is constructed on a stone foundation with a dodecagonal plan, made of brick, plastered, and reinforced with stepped buttresses. It features a high shingle-covered roof, topped with a hexagonal turret with a spire, a cross, and a weather vane. In the Middle Ages, Saint Gertrude was considered the patroness of fishermen, sailors, pilgrims, travelers, and even beggars. That is why chapels and churches were often dedicated to her in coastal and port cities, including Darłowo.

The exact date of St. Gertrude's chapel construction remains unknown and is the subject of much controversy. Some researchers claim it was built in the second half of the 14th century, while others believe it took place in the second half of the 15th century. However, most tend to date it to the year 1457. If true, it might have been funded by Duke Eric I, the former ruler of the three crowns, who returned to Pomerania in May 1449 at nearly seventy. His tumultuous life, much of it spent at sea, may have justified choosing St. Gertrude as the chapel's patroness. He may have intended to make it a burial chapel, as he died two years later. However, he was ultimately not buried in the crypt under the chapel but rather in a tomb in the basement of Darłowo's parish church, where his coffin was discovered in 1724, after more than two and a half centuries.

The first mention of the chapel dates back to 1497. It is also mentioned in the description of the visitation by Duke Barnim XI of Pomerania in 1539. Its image appears on the edge of the famous Lubinus map from 1618, indicating its significance at the time.