Every church in Gdansk's old town was destroyed or gutted in 1945 and painstakingly rebuilt afterwards — except St Nicholas. This Dominican church, the oldest in Gdansk (founded in the 13th century), survived through a combination of circumstance and Soviet occupation, emerging with its baroque interior largely intact. Walking in from the outside is a genuine shock: instead of the bare reconstructed Gothic of St Mary's, you find darkened altars, gilded pulpits, and centuries of devotional accumulation.
The church stands in the Old Town district, a few blocks north of the Long Market area, which puts it off the main tourist circuit — which is why it's easier to appreciate in peace. The Dominican monastery alongside it is still active.