The Holy Family Church in Szczecin is a modernist building originally built for the Protestant parish and bears the name of the Holy Cross (Kreuzkirche). The monumental church was built in the 1930s and, despite wartime damage, is still an important architectural and historical element of the city.
The church was designed by the Szczecin architect Adolf Thesmacher. It is characterised by dimensions of 34 m long, 18.5 m wide and a 21 m high tower. The interior of the church is single-nave, and a theatre hall was built alongside the church, which now serves as an additional chapel. This hall is 30 m long and 12 m wide, and the entire building can accommodate up to 2,000 people.
1930s, church and southern parish buildings. Photo: Mariusz Brzeziński/photopolska.eu
The foundation stone for the church was laid on 23 June 1929, and the building was consecrated by evangelicals on 23 November 1931. Initially, it was located on the grounds of the Catholic parish of Holy Family. In 1945, during the war effort, the church was bombed and burnt down. After the war, the building was rebuilt and adapted into a hospital, and the state authorities took part of the building from the parish. on 22 July 1945, the church was consecrated and given the name of Queen of the Polish Crown, and the new Catholic parish took the name of Holy Family. Since 1972, the parish premises have housed the Szczecin-Kamienna Bishop’s Curia, and in 1980 additional Curia premises, previously occupied by the state, were reclaimed.
The main nave of the church, 1960s and present day. Photo: Mariusz Brzezinski/photopolska.eu and ‘Churches of the Szczecińsko-Kamieńska Archdiocese’, Icon team Bydgoszcz 2014
The building’s exterior is finished in brick and its massive walls are adorned with rows of semi-circular, narrow windows. Above the main entrance, a huge arcade with arches was used and a clock was placed. A cross is placed at the top of the massive tower, and it is further decorated with a circular window with stained glass and a porch. Above the semi-circular apse is a circular skylight with a cross. The huge nave consists of arched girders made of reinforced concrete. The interior of the church is decorated with a rosette behind the organ with bright glazing that casts colourful reflections into the nave. The finish of the prayer hall is made of rough concrete and the floors are tiled with marble slabs. The main altar, designed by S. Raciborski of Szczecin, dates from the 1950s and takes the form of a marble obelisk with a sculpture of a pelican and an image of the Last Supper.
Apse of the Church of the Holy Family, 1932 and present. Photo: Mariusz Brzeziński/photopolska.eu
In the church porch is a sculpture of Christ that was originally part of the Dewitz family tombstone in Szczecin’s Central Cemetery. This sculpture is a copy of a work by Bertel Thorvaldsen from around 1910, while the original is in the Potocki Chapel at Wawel Castle. In front of the church is a decorative plaque with the Jasna Góra Pledge from 1956.

The Holy Family Church in Szczecin is a significant architectural and historical monument, bearing witness to the dynamic history of the city and the fate of its communities. Its modernist design, functionality and rich history have made it a place that has for years inspired admiration for the craftsmanship of the architects and builders of the time.
Source: kuria.pl, swrodzina.eparafia.pl
Read also: Sacral architecture | Szczecin | Modernism | Interesting facts | whiteMAD on Instagram