Whole Poland was watching with emotions yesterday's breaking news about the fire of the oldest church of Gdansk's Old City - the Saint Catharine Church, reconstruction of which, after the fire set up by the Soviet Army in 1945, has ended only few years ago. Church contained among many other monuments the grave of Jan Hevelius and many paintings by Anton Moller. It was described by Daniel Chodowiecki in his diary of the trip to Gdansk in 1773.

Paradoxically the fire of 1945, or maybe more – the reconstruction after that, has saved the church from complete destruction yesterday - armoured concrete sealing did not let the fire from the burning roof inside the church. The causes of the fire are yet unknown. It's a miracle that most of the church's equipments was safely evacuated, they are only wet. Only the roof itself and its construction was burned, church's tower and the exhibits of the Museum of Clocks which had its seat there were saved. Even though the costs of the reconstruction of the church might reach over 4 million dollars. That is why the Public Committee for the Reconstruction of the Church of Saint Catharine in Gdansk was founded. Anyone can become its member by donating its attempts to rebuild the church. The committee owns yet a bank account to which donations can be made:

88 1160 2202 0000 0000 7530 0999

malarze.com staff supports this action with whole heart