Church in Heringsdorf

The church stands in Heringsdorf, a seaside resort on the Baltic island of Usedom. It is an evangelical church built in the Historicist style, set among trees above the beach. A David star appears in the clock on the east gable, marking it out from other buildings. The church owes its existence to the rise of seaside tourism in the 19th century. Georg Bernhard von Bülow donated the site to the congregation, while King Friedrich Wilhelm IV encouraged collections. Wealthy guests, including Jewish families from Berlin, also gave money. Ludwig Persius designed the building, though Otto Baensch supervised its construction. The church was consecrated in 1848 as a simple hall with a porch. Inside, the altar, pulpit and font date from the original build, along with a wooden statue of Martin Luther from the 20th century. A copy of a van Dyck painting hangs on the left choir wall. The stained glass windows, added in 1914, were gifts from local groups and visitors. The organ, rebuilt in 1914 by Felix Grüneberg, has eleven stops across two manuals and a pedal. Two bronze bells cast in 1990 carry the words ‘Glory to God in the highest’ and ‘Peace on earth’.