Chopin's Piano Concert by Candle Glow, Gdańsk

St Catherine's Church is Gdańsk's oldest, a Gothic building with roots reaching back centuries before the current structure took shape, and it's the setting for a candlelit piano concert built around Chopin's music.

The venue

The church's tower, rebuilt with a Baroque cupola after the Teutonic Knights were driven from the city, still holds a working carillon, and the building has survived fire and rebuilding more than once over its long history – most recently after a serious roof fire in 2006. The 17th-century astronomer Johannes Hevelius, who once served as the church's administrator, is buried here, one more layer of history in a building that's outlived most of what was built around it. It's a genuinely atmospheric room to hear a piano in – Gothic vaults, candlelight, and none of the usual concert-hall formality.

What to expect

The programme runs through piano works by Chopin alongside Bach and Beethoven, performed live in around 50 minutes – long enough for a real evening out, short enough to fit around dinner or a walk along the nearby Motława waterfront afterward.

Booking

Tickets are worth booking ahead, since seating inside the church is limited and popular evening slots do sell out well before the day itself. It's an easy add-on to an evening that's already built around the Old Town, rather than something that needs a special trip of its own.