CODART, Dutch and Flemish art in museums worldwide

Fire in the Church of St. Catherine in GdańSk

The church of St. Catherine in Gdańsk, which was visited on the CODART ZEVEN study trip in April 2004, was badly damaged by fire this afternoon.

The roof collapsed, but fortunately did not break through the attic, which is cemented. One of the walls has given way as well. No one was hurt.

The works of art, including parts of the altar and a painting by Izaak van den Blocke were removed on time, but have probably suffered harm from water andother kinds of damage.

It is unclear whether the clock museum in the church tower, part of the historical museum, was affected. Adam Koperkiewicz, director of the historical museum, appeared on Polish national television to emphasize the importance of the works of art involved in the fire. The historian Andrzej Januszajtis has said that the fire is the worst disaster to the monuments of Gdańsk since the Second World War.

The church tower was also damaged by the fire. At the moment it is not clear whether the historical carillon has been hurt.