At the end of the 17th century the Reformed believers (at first Scots, and later settlers from Neisse, the Palatinate and Switzerland) held their services in the town hall. In 1702 they did so in the long hall of the castle. In 1730 Frederick William I permitted the congregation to build a church and donated 1,500 thalers towards it. The church was consecrated on 14 August 1735. It was of brick with boulder facing, without a tower, and measured 25 x 12 m. As it threatened to collapse, it was demolished in 1835.
In 1886 the foundation stone of a new church was laid on a vacant plot between Albrechtstrasse and Wilhelmstrasse. On 24 April 1890 the church was consecrated. It is a majestic building in the Romanesque Revival style. It was built to plans by Friedrich Adler (Johannes Heinrich Friedrich Adler, 1827–1908). The church is notable for its three towers: the main one to the west and two to the east, on either side of the chancel.
After 1945 the church remained intact. It was used as a club with a dance floor. Later it housed a gymnasium.
It caught fire several times. There was no supervision. The spires of the small towers were partly destroyed by fire. Inside, the church looked very pitiful. The balconies on both sides were destroyed. The interior finish was charred. The roof leaked, and so on.
In 1989 the church was given over to the Orthodox Church of the Archangel Michael (St Michael's Church).
Photos: Bildarchiv Ostpreußen, bildarchiv-ostpreussen.de
Translated from Russian with the help of AI (Claude, Anthropic), October 2026.
