Tom`s travels: Trip around Gdansk (29-31/08/2020)

After taking a flight from Italy to Poland to attend the wedding of Philip, Ania's cousin, I reached Gdansk the night of the 28th of August and met up with my girlfriend who was already there for a few hours with her flight from Berlin. We checked in our accommodation, Holiday Rooms Old Town, and then went out through the city center to look for a place to have dinner. We opted for a place called Pierogarnia Mandu, where you guessed it, we had some really tasty pierogi. Then after dinner, we decided to stroll around through the city center and admire the city by night. I had been here the last time a few years before; it was November, rainy, and cold, but now, end of August, it was nice and pleasant and many people were out enjoying it as well. We walked along the main canal which cuts through the city and is sided by beautiful old buildings. I notice here they had built a completely new pedestrian bridge, and on the other side, where once the panoramic wheel used to be, new buildings had been constructed. After the nice stroll, we headed back to our room to sleep ready for the next day's trip.

In the morning we woke up quite early and headed to the train station where we had arranged the pickup of our rental car for the next two days. After a bit of confusion as to where exactly we were supposed to meet we figured it out and a friendly guy came to us to leave us our car. From there we then drove southwards along the Vistula river and reached then the town of Chelmno a couple of hours later. We found a parking spot in the city center and then decided to explore on foot. We first entered the nice church of Saints James and Nicholas, built during the 14th century in a typical brick Gothic, as the city was once part of the Hanseatic League and of under Teutonic rule. Its interior though was mostly remade during the 19th century in a Neogothic style, with some traces of its ancient past still visible such as some frescos here and there. Next up was another Gothic church, that of Saints Peter and Paul. Built also in a typical brick Gothic during the 14th, like basically all the churches in town, it too was refurbished but in this case during the 18th century. Its interior features some nice Baroque additions from that period. From the church, we then reached the nice and large main square, the Rynek. At its center stands the beautiful town hall, which competes as one of the most beautiful in Poland. It was built between 1567 and 1572 in place of the earlier Gothic city hall that had been built around 1298. The tower was then added between 1584 and 1596 with the clock dating to the year 1590 by a certain Georg Wilhelm from Toruń. It is one of the most valuable examples of Renaissance and Mannerist municipal architecture in the whole country, and a rarity in Northern Poland as most of that type of architecture is found to the south or west. Not far from the town hall we then visited the main church, that dedicated to St Mary. Built during the 13th century in a brick Gothic it still holds its original look from the exterior and features a beautiful bell tower with a height of 60m and the highest point in town. The architecture inside is also Gothic though several additions were made during the 17th and 18th centuries when some Baroque and Rococò altars were added. The church is also known for holding a relic of Saint Valentine, and that is why I then realized I had seen some benches around town promoting Chelmno as the city of lovers. From the main church, we then walked along the town's main street and exited the medieval walls through the Grudziądz Gate, a nice Baroque city gate. Chełmno is one of the few Polish cities which can boast an almost fully preserved circumference of the medieval defensive walls. It is currently 80% of its original length with 23 towers preserved. Just outside town we then found a nice place to have lunch called Chlebem I Solą where we had a pleasant meal. After eating we headed back into town and in the car, heading to our next destination: Radzyn Chełmiński. The drive there took about 40 minutes over some really terrible roads; some had huge holes and another was only half lane constructed meaning that whenever another came from the opposite direction we were supposed to drive offroad. Nevertheless, we managed to arrive without any problems and decided to park just next to the town's main attraction, the Radzyń Chełmiński Castle. Originally built during the 13th century as the seat of the Teutonic Knights' Commandry, it was then transformed into a fully functional brick Gothic fortress the following century. During the Swedish Deluge, in 1628, the castle was heavily damaged by the invading Swedish forces and slowly left to ruin thereinafter. When the Prussian authorities took over control, during the 18th century, further demolishing took place when the bricks were used to build buildings in the nearby town. Only in 1838 were the ruins secured and preserved for posterity, eventually being partially reconstructed during the 1960s. Nowadays, the castle, despite partly in ruin, features beautiful architecture, typical of the Gothic found in Northern Poland. Once we parked we then headed in and paid the small ticket price to visit its interior. We went through what was once the castle church, then underground where the kitchens, cellars, and prisons were located. And then finally to the top of the two remaining towers of the once four that marked the corners of the square-shaped castle. From there we enjoyed the beautiful view of the surrounding countryside and the sun which had decided to finally shine through the clouds. Once our visit to the castle was over we headed then back to the car and drove towards the next town, Grudziądz. Before reaching the city proper we decided to cross the Vistula river and from a small beach along the riverside admire the beautiful old town of Grudziądz. It is here in fact, that one has the best sight of the old architecture of the city, consisting of the impressive granaries, built right at the edge of the city, sloping down towards the river and several meters high. These 14th-century granaries had both a storage function as well as a fortification function, creating a walled feature to cover the city from the riverside; they were really an impressive sight. From there we then drove towards the city center and after finding a parking spot continued on foot. As we walked through the old town we admired the nice architecture, most of which reconstructed after the damaged of World War 2. It was interesting to see that from this perspective, up at the top of the sloping hill, the city is built on, the granaries from this side looked like plain one or two-story houses, compared to the several stories high we saw from the other side of the river. We then quickly visited the church of St Nicholas, built during the 14th century in a brick Gothic with a nice Baroque altar. Then as we passed through the Rynek Glowny, the main square, we walked downhill to the nice promenade set between the old town and the river. From here we could see the impressive height of the granaries from up close. Then as we walked further, we headed back up the hill and reached the northern end of town where once the castle used to stand. Built around the 14th century over a previous Slavic fort, the castle withstood time and war until it was mostly demolished under Prussian rule in the 18th century. Only the keep's tower survived, but that was also unfortunately destroyed during WWII. As is common in Poland, the tower was recently reconstructed and nowadays visitors can see the ruins of the rest of the castle and climb the top of the tower. That's what we did and from there had a beautiful view over the old town and the Vistula river flowing by. After enjoying the view for a while we headed back down into town and to our car, driving then to the next town, Gniew. The drive took little less than an hour, and as we approached the town, we had a beautiful view of the old town and the large castle beside it. Once there, we parked and continued on foot. The town is very small but rather picturesque. We walked through its medieval streets, passing by the main church, St Nicholas, which was already closed, and then through the main square with the nice gothic town hall. All around are simple yet picturesque burgher houses which make the place very quaint. We then reached the town's main attraction, the castle, considered as one of the nicest in the region. The building is in fact huge and consists of a rectangular structure with four towers at its corners. The castle was originally built during the 13th and 14th centuries but, as in many other cases, fell into ruin and was almost completely demolished during the 18th and 19th centuries. Only at the end of the 20th century was it restored to full glory with a near full reconstruction which can be seen today; only the main keep and outer bailey were not rebuilt. We walked around the castle grounds but found out it was not possible to enter the building proper as a wedding was taking place. Usually, though it can be visited as it is open to the public, and contains a four-star hotel and a restaurant. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the view from the outside and the sight of the Vistula river, just a few hundred meters away. Then, it was time to head back to the car and drive to our final destination for the day, the town of Kwidzyn. We arrived just as the sun was setting and then found a parking spot just in front of our accommodation, Hotel Maxim. We checked in and left our stuff, heading then out again to look for a place to have dinner. We came upon the Staromiejska Restaurant where we had some really tasty food, and as usual in Poland, for a bargain of a price. Then we were off to bed, ready for the next day,

In the morning, after breakfast in the hotel, we decided to explore Kwidzyn, as we had arrived late the day before. We first headed to see the town's main attraction, the beautiful castle located on the edge of the old town, overlooking the Vistula river far in the distance. Built during the 14th century as one of the large strongholds of the Teutonic order along the river, it now holds a museum inside. After buying the ticket we explored the interior which held several objects, from paintings to archaeological remains, as well as 18th and 19th-century work tools. One interesting feature of the castle is the north tower which is connected to the main part through a five arched bridge and contains a Dansker, an overhanging toilet facility for the inhabitants of the castle. Right next to the castle, and connected to it, is the beautiful Cathedral dedicated to St John the Evangelist. Built shortly after the castle in the same century, it features a clear Gothic style and measures about 63m in length. There was a mass going on inside so we just managed to have a quick look so as not to disturb too much. Once back outside we then headed around the castle and to the northern side from where we had a beautiful view of the castle and cathedral joined together as an impressive fortress. From there we then headed back to the car and decided to drive on towards the next town. We reached the small town of Pelplin about half an hour later and parked the car right in front of the town's main attraction, the Pelplin Abbey. Built during the 13th century as a daughter house of the Doberan Abbey, it grew in importance, wealth, and power and became a self-sustaining monastery. The Abbey was dissolved by the Prussian authorities during the 19th century, as it happened with most religious buildings in the area, but was later reinstated once in Polish hands. Nowadays, part of the complex is occupied by a religious school, and part by the museum which holds one of the finest collections of medieval art in the country. The Cathedral church though is still used and that was what we visited next. A large flock of people was entering just as we were, and it seemed like a mass was going to take place soon. So we decided to walk around exploring the huge 83m long Gothic Basilica, one of the largest in the country, before the mass would start. The interior features a nice typical Gothic vaulted structure with baroque additions added a few centuries after its construction. Particularly impressive are the baroque pipe organ and the Mannerist early 17th-century main altar, Poland’s largest and the largest timber altar in Central Europe. Once our visit was over we headed out to get in the car but to our dismay found that it had been blocked by cars on all sides from those who had come to mass. Luckily the owners of the car to the side had just gotten out so we managed to ask if they could move it and let us exit. They didn't seem very happy to oblige, probably annoyed they would miss their favorites seats inside, but nonetheless accepted and moved it. As the car was to the side it took incredible skill and luck on my part, which I thought not to have either, to manage to pull the car out of that narrow space. Finally, after a few maneuvers, we got out and drove to the nearby town of Starogard Gdański. Here we parked our car, this time in an actual parking spot next to the street, and then continued on foot to explore the city center. We walked through the pretty main square, the Rynek, and passed by the church of St Catherine which was closed. The other main church in town, the church of St Matthew, was instead open and inside featured a nice Gothic structure with baroque fittings and altars and a nice 15th-century fresco depicting the Last Judgment on the main nave arch. After the visit to the church we then headed back to the main square where we looked for a place to have lunch, we eventually chose the Bar Mleczny Junior, the typical polish milk bar where you can have a quick meal for very cheap prices. We had soup and pierogi and a side salad and then were off to our car to drive to the next town. Less than half-hour later we reached the town of Tczew, built right by the Vistula river. We parked the car and continued on foot visiting its pretty old town. We walked through the Rynek, the main square, and past the Gothic church of Saint Stanislaus Kostka, which was closed at the time. Nearby the main church, that of the Holy Cross, was open and so we headed inside to visit it. Featuring a typical Gothic structure and appearance dating from the 14th century, its interior has some beautiful baroque fittings including the nice main altar. After walking around the rest of the town we went back to the car and took it to drive to the next and last city for the day, Elbląg. We crossed the Vistula river and drove past the famous town of Malbork, with its impressive castle, and then reached Elbląg a while later. Here we parked the car and headed through the city center on foot. Like many other Polish cities. Elbląg was heavily bombed during WWII and nearly completely destroyed. In recent years, extensive renovations and constructions have been carried out to try to restore some parts of the old town with the original foundations of the buildings. The look of the city is then a complete mix of new and old buildings. As we walked through the city center we first approached the large church of St Nicholas, the city's main religious building. Built between the 13th and 14th centuries in a brick Gotic style it features a three-nave main building and a tall thick bell tower in front of the facade. The interior, mostly modern-looking, had some nice gothic wooden altars which were either saved during the war or coming from other churches in the area. In front of the church, a nice square opens up reaching the Elbląg river, which gave the name to the city. From the river, we then walked back through the old town admiring the nice reconstruction effort carried out in the main street where the burgher houses were remade to look how they once were. At the end of the street the nice medieval gate, the Brama Targowa, was rebuilt as a tower with the old clock that it once had. It was then time for us to head back to the car and drive back to Gdansk. In just less than an hour we reached the train station where we gave in the rental car and from there headed on foot to our accommodation for the night, the Willa Litarion, on the eastern end of the old town. Once there we left our luggage and then decided to take a stroll around town before dinner. After a bit of walking, we then reached the restaurant, Manna 68, where we had a really tasty vegetarian dinner. Then we were off back to our accommodation tired after the nice trip.

The following morning we woke up rather early and decided to explore Gdansk one last time before leaving in the late afternoon. We touched the main attractions, walking first through the Długi Targ, the city's main square, surrounded by beautiful buildings including the Gothic-Renaissance town hall with its slender tower. At the center of the square is the beautiful Neptune's fountain, an early 17th-century Mannerist creation, which gives the square an even more elegant look. We then walked along the main canal, with its pretty canalside made up of some of the most beautiful buildings in the city, including the interesting and picturesque 15th medieval crane which also functioned as a city gate. It is the city's most known landmarks and rightly so due to its rarity and beauty. From the old town, we then headed north and reached the European Solidarity Centre, a modern building from 2014 which serves as a museum and library of Solidarnosc, the Polish trade union and civil resistance movement, and other opposition movements of Communist Eastern Europe. The place was packed with people, and several news media outlets and important figured were there present as well. I seemed to understand because the building was opened on that specific day six years before and there was now a large conference planned. We headed inside and visited its very interesting exhibitions relating to the Solidarnosc movement and I definitely learned a lot of stuff that I had not known before about it. After the visit to the building, we headed back into town and looked for a place to have lunch. We found the closed market, which was newly built on the other side of the canal from the medieval Crane, and here were able to pick from a few small restaurants. I had a burger while Ania had ramen, all very tasty. After lunch, we had one last stroll and then headed back to our accommodation to pick up our stuff and then head to the train station. From here we bought a ticket to reach the beach town of Łeba where we would spend the night. After arriving there, we went to check in the small accommodation, Oaza Łeba. We left our stuff and then headed back into town just in time to admire the sunset. We then looked for a place for dinner, and after a bit of searching, we eventually picked the restaurant, Koga. Here I had a tasty dinner consisting of fish and a nice red sauce. After dinner, we headed back through the town but noticed how it felt and looked quite dead. Being it at the end of August the place was void of nearly all the tourists that usually come here between July and August for the summer holidays. So we then decided to just head back to the accommodation and sleep early.

The next day, Ania's sister, Monika, and her boyfriend came to pick us up with their car and together head to the nearby Słowiński National Park. We reached the parking lot in front of the park's entrance, and after paying an entry ticket, followed the nice trail winding its way through the typical coastal forest found in northern Poland. After a bit of walking, we finally reached the main part of the National Park, where the beautiful sand dunes are located. This large stretch of the coast, being a national park, is protected and surrounded by pure wilderness. The dunes themselves are quite tall, reaching up to 30m in height, reaching the highest spot at about 115m above sea level. From here we could see the sea not far below us and enjoyed the nice soft feeling under our feet and the nice sunny weather. Due to the wind from the Baltic sea, the dunes move about 3 to 10 meters per year, so many people coming here after some time have always a different view. From the dunes, we then decided to walk down and reach the sea and from there walk along the beach back to our car. Despite the sunshine, the wind was quite strong and made the temperature relatively cold. However, I still wished to test the water and thus decided to quickly dive inside the cold waters of the Baltic Sea. At first impact, the water was quite cold, but eventually, I got used to it, and it actually felt quite nice. The problem arose when I came out and felt the cold wind on me, making me shiver. I dried up as we walked back along the beach thanks to the still warm rays of sunshine on my back. Along the way, we even picked up some really nice-looking colorful stones which we decided to take back home with us after a careful selection of the best ones to keep. Once we reached the car a couple of hours later we got in and finally drove all together back to Kościerzyna, to attend the wedding of Ania's cousin the following day.