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Paper short abstract

The paper examines whether the “ghost” of a demolished Protestant church in Piła continues to influence urban space and its local perceptions. Drawing on archival and ethnographic research, it explores postwar religious transformation and spatial agency.

Paper long abstract

Can the site of a church shape residents’ views and urban space?

Piła, located in north-western Poland, belonged to Germany until 1945 and was inhabited predominantly by German-speaking Protestants. After the Second World War, as a result of the Yalta and Potsdam agreements, the city was incorporated into Poland and its former population was displaced. The new settlers, mostly Catholics, also took over the city’s sacred space—some Protestant churches were converted, while others were demolished. One such structure was the Protestant church that had stood on the former New Market Square.

Formerly, the first Protestant church in the city constituted the central point of the New Market Square in German Schneidemühl (Polish Piła), surrounded by market stalls. The church, together with nearby military symbols, such as cannons and a monument to Emperor Wilhelm I, was intended to manifest the strong presence of the German population. In contrast, today’s Victory Square in Piła, despite many projects over the years, is an almost entirely empty space, occupied only by the Monument to the Millennium of Poland and Liberation and a monument to John Paul II, linked to Polishness.

In this paper, I examine whether the site of a now-nonexistent church building—which I understand as a ghost drawing on Jacques Derrida’s hauntology—may still possess agency and influence contemporary residents, dividing their views on the appearance of this place. The analysis is based on archival and ethnographic research, including interviews with city residents and representatives of local religious communities.