Green Velo

The EL Gallery Art Centre has been a permanent tourist destination for 50 years, not only because of its function, but also because of the unique 13^th century ex-Dominican church that was saved from demolition by Gerard Kwiatkowski. Exhibited on two floors of the matroneum, visitors can admire one of Poland’s largest collections of abstract art, donated by the Museum of Modern Art in Hünfeld, founded by Gerard Kwiatkowski.

The former BMV Church. The beginnings of the church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, date back to the mid-13^th century. The founding document, allowing the Dominican monks from Poland to settle in Elbląg, was issued in 1238 by the Landmeister of the Teutonic Order, Hermann Balk. The construction began after 1246 with the rise of the presbytery, sacristy and two small annexes adjacent to the sacristy from the west. The silhouette of the building, which was the effect of a reconstruction at the beginning of the 16^th century, has survived until today. Numerous repairs and renovations have not changed the shape of the church. The Reformation movement in Elbląg led to the end of the Dominican monastery. From 1542 to 1945, St. Mary’s Church was the main Protestant church in the city. Some epitaphs and tombstones were preserved from the rich and precious interior. Most of them, however, were destroyed during the war in 1945, and due to a lack of proper care in post-war years.