The issues concerning the rebuilding of the St Nicholas’ church in Wolin between 1989–2000

Abstract

We can state with a high probability that on the grounds of what is now the Archdiocese of Szczecin-Kamień (former Szczecin Voivodeship) about 200 sacred buildings were turned to ruins during the Second World War. The rebuilding of the St Nicholas' church ruins in Wolin is one example of the longstanding and rightly taken the struggle to save and rebuild monuments of architecture of the past eras, mementoes that bear testimony of the Western Pomerania's artistic achievements, monuments representing the cultural heritage of humanity. The rebuilding (reconstruction) itself of the historic architecture is debatable, however, after the Second World War as a certain phenomenon it was justified. The former trends of conservation thought, which worked well in "normal times" couldn't withstand a clash with the conviction that we should not retain the ruins of war. In the case of sacred buildings an important factor influencing the state of their preservation and the process of rebuilding were the relations between the state and the Catholic Church, and the policy of the state authorities, including conservation services. After many years of efforts, in 1988 the ruins of St Nicholas' church were handed over to the Catholic Church. Preparing the rebuilding project, the team of architects was guided by the principle of the pre-war form reconstruction. The rebuilding work was completed in 2000.