Initially, two separate settlements, Schoenewese and Friwalde, were established. Owing to the foundation privilege granted by the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, the new village of Kriwako (Krzywe Koło) was formed. The 19th Century was unfavourable to the place. It suffered from long periods of drought only to succumb to a great flood later. The surging waters of the Motława broke through the levees and flooded the village. In the mid-19th Century its population included 233 Catholics, 222 Evangelicals, 5 Mennonites, and 5 Jews.
On visiting Krzywe Koło it is worth going into the Church of the Invention of the Holy Cross. The temple was erected in the 14th Century, and thoroughly rebuilt in the 17th Century. It is a single-nave structure with a wooden tower topped with a tapering cupola added in the 18th Century, and a 19th-Century south chapel. Inside, there are stone cannonballs – a reminder of battles waged here during the Swedish Wars. Above the entrance to the porch there is a Gdańsk coat of arms placed on a shield draped with a wreath of leaves. The City of Gdańsk was the patron of the parish for several centuries.
The interior still features the original Baroque furnishings, its highlights being the main altar, pulpit, and organs, richly-decorated benches with kneelers and stalls for the wealthiest of the Dutch settlers. The backs of the benches feature paintings depicting Jesus with the 12 Apostles. Each painting features a special mark made with golden paint stating who the founder of the place is, and to whose household it belongs. There are similar marks on the gates to women’s benches, which are situated on the opposite side of the nave.
Galeria
