Oliwa Cathedral Organ – Gdansk, Poland

I visited the Oliwa Cathedral in Gdansk Poland on Sunday June 11, 2017.  A short train hop from the main city, Oliwa Cathedral is located in a serene park like setting; very green with trees, shade, streams, flowers, and ducks.   On this Sunday, there were vendors outside the church selling Polish food – mushrooms, smoked meats and sausages, nalewkas (fruit based alcoholic concoctions).


Inside the church, it appears the walls at one point were painted white covering original frescos – apparently something that happened in the area at the time of the Protestant Reformation.  There are a lot of old paintings and many side altars throughout the church.  Midway in the church, above the main area, there is visible a smaller modest organ.  In the back of the church, a stunning large organ, one of the biggest I’ve seen.

We stayed for a short Organ recital that was offered at 4 pm along with many tourists.  During the time of the recital, the cathedral shuts the entrance so that the recital is not disturbed.   The recital began with an organ transcription of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus followed by Schubert’s Ave Maria.  A few more alternating pieces between allegros and andantes.  Then we got to an atonal modern piece which showcased various effects of the organ including a pitch bend effect.  The final selection which really let us hear the lungs of this organ was Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor.


A bit about the famous great Oliwa organ. It was designed and constructed between the years 1763 and 1788 by Johann Wilhelm Wulff (Brother Michael, a Cistercian Monk). The instrument contained 83 registers (5100 pipes), and 3 manuals.   Initially, the console was independently located in the central part of the matroneum, which was unusual in Northern Europe at that time. The organ front was decorated with Rococo sculptures and moveable angels holding bells, trumpets, stars and suns.  Seeing this movement was a unique site and will need to scope out YouTube to see if any close up view videos of this organ are available.  At that time it was the largest organ in Europe and probably also in the whole world

The console was moved from the middle to the north wing of the matroneum between 1790-1793.

Most significant changes in the structure of the instrument were made during the interwar period. Between 1934–1935, Gdańsk organ builder, Joseph Goebel extended the organ to 4 manuals and added a new electro-pneumatic tracker action with wind chests. He used 51 registers from those already existing, renewing some of them and adding some new ones. Moreover, he connected the choir organ to the main console. After completion of the work, the Oliwa organ had 82 standard registers and 5 transmitted ones.

After World War II, in 1955, the organ was thoroughly renovated by Wacław Biernacki from Cracow. The last overhaul of the instrument was so far done in 1966–1968, by the company of Zygmund Kamiński, from Warsaw. He introduced a new disposition, added several missing pipes and a newly built positive, placed in the third arc in west of the nave. Today the great Oliwa organ comprises 96 registers, 5 manuals, a pedal, an electro-pneumatic tracker action and also an electronic system recording up to 64 combinations (so called Setzer type). All the present front pipes are still those made by Johann Wilhelm Wulff. The great organ is connected with the choir organ and is one of the biggest ones in Poland.

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