The Reformed congregation was founded by settlers who came to Gumbinnen from France, Switzerland, Nassau and the Palatinate. At first services were held in a brewery. Then King Frederick William I ordered a church to be built. Construction began in 1736 and was completed in 1739 to a design by Schultheiss von Unfriedt. In plan the church is a cross. It was thoroughly restored in 1875. The church was of rendered brick and measured 29.35 x 14.65 m, with an unfinished tower standing in front, whose original form is unknown. The windows were set in rectangular recesses. The sacristy was to the east. The interior of the church was very simple. Four double pairs of columns separated the groin-vaulted central nave from the side aisles with flat ceilings.
The pulpit, as usual in Reformed churches, had a two-sided staircase. The organ of 1760 was the work of the master Casparini. It was renewed in 1905. The church had three bells cast in 1744.
Around the church there was a beautiful park with large trees and a churchyard. A gravestone of 1777–80 survived.
The Reformed Church was destroyed in January 1945 during the storming of the town. Its ruins stood until 1984–85. Then, at the request of the town administration, the military demolished it completely, for which they were paid 2,000 roubles.
Only the cellars of the church survived.
Photos: Bildarchiv Ostpreußen, bildarchiv-ostpreussen.de.
Translated from Russian with the help of AI (Claude, Anthropic), October 2026.
