The cathedral's fourth organ
The present instrument is at least the fourth organ in the cathedral of Kamień Pomorski. The first mention of an organ here dates from 1433; the second was funded by Bishop Benedykt Wallenstein (1485–1498), and in 1580 it was decided to build a third.
A gift from the last bishop
Today's organ was funded in 1669 by the last Lutheran Bishop of Kamień, Duke Ernst Bogislaw von Croy, who devoted the equivalent of about 90 kg of silver to it. Construction was begun by Friedrich Breyer; in 1670, for unknown reasons, he was replaced by Michael Berigiel. The ornamented case was made by Martin Edelber and the sculptures by Johann Grundman.
The main work was completed in 1672, and the instrument was inspected by the renowned organ builder Balthasar Heldt, who rated it very highly — at that time it had 2,660 pipes. The first concert took place on the first Sunday of Advent 1672. Finishing work continued until 1683; the paintings and gilding were done by Jan Schmidt, a painter from Stargard.
The case and its sculptures
The case is adorned with eleven sculptures carved in the round: the Archangel Michael, King David with a harp, Saul with a lyre, St Otto of Bamberg, the founder Ernst Bogislaw von Croy, angels playing the violin and the viol, John the Baptist and three women making music. The panels of the balustrade are filled with ten paintings of women making music by an unknown artist.
From Baroque to Romantic and back
The instrument was repaired many times — in 1726, 1787, 1800, 1817, 1828 and 1830. In 1888 Barnim Grüneberg's firm rebuilt it and changed its sound from Baroque to Romantic, and in 1941 his son Felix Grüneberg restored the organ's Baroque character.
Destruction and rebuilding
Towards the end of the Second World War there were plans to move the organ deeper into the Reich, but there was no time. In 1945 the instrument was vandalised — during work in 1962 it was found that 88% of the pipes were missing. The first repairs were made by Kurt Berendt of Wałcz, and from 1964 the work was carried out by Zygmunt Kamiński's firm from Warsaw. A general overhaul begun in 1996 was completed in 2004 by Bronisław Cepka's workshop from Wronki.
Surviving parts of the 17th-century organ include the rebuilt case, carvings with their original polychromy and the front pipes. Today the instrument has about 3,300 pipes and 47 stops.
The organ festival
Since 1964 the organ has been played at the International Festival of Organ and Chamber Music, organised by the Henryk Wieniawski Szczecin Music Society — the oldest event of its kind in Western Pomerania. It runs through the summer months; concert dates for each year are announced by the organiser.