Tom`s travels: March 2023

We left Berlin late on a Wednesday afternoon after our friends Margo and Denisz arrived from Hamburg. We had rented a car, and after picking it up we drove out of Berlin, heading southeast. After reaching Frankfurt an der Oder, and crossing into Poland, we then reached the city of Zielona Góra, our first stop on this trip. Here we had booked a really nice apartment, which we reached late that night, and after parking the car and getting ready we were off to bed. The next morning, after a relatively early rise, we decided to explore the city center. We reached the Stary Rynek, the main square, where the nice Ratusz, town hall, is located and dating to the 15th century. Continuing onwards through the old town we passed a fountain known as the Bacchus fountain, not far from which we then reached the town's cathedral. Built in a gothic hall church style with a baroque bell tower its interior featured a modern triptych main altar and a baroque organ. Continuing on our walk we then passed by the Wieża Łaziebna, a 35m high tower from 1487 and a remnant of the medieval fortifications. After the walk around the city center, we went back to our accommodation, grabbed our stuff, and after getting in the car drove for around 40 minutes to reach the next town, Żary. After finding a parking spot, we hopped off the car and explore the city center on foot. We first passed by the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, built in a brick gothic style in the 15th century, which we found open and so decided to enter. Inside a kind lady told us we could go behind the main altar to see the Promnitz Chapel, a baroque chapel added around 1672. Once we had seen it though the priest came yelling at us to get out and reprimanded the old lady for having allowed us to go there. He was very rude and full of himself and we felt bad for the lady who had been so kind to us. Next to the church we then passed a medieval tower, once part of the city's fortifications. Continuing onwards we then arrived at the Rynek, the town's main square, with the 14th-century town hall in the middle that featured a really nice renaissance portal. After having admired the nice tenement houses surrounding the square, the oldest of which dates to the 17th century, we then reached some buildings partly in ruins. Here stood once proudly two of the jewels of the city, the Dewins-Packs-Bibersteins' Castle, a gothic castle turned into renaissance style, and the Promnitzs' Palace, a baroque palace. These two connecting buildings are now in ruins and look abandoned and it doesn't look like they will be refurbished anytime soon. From there we then had one more stroll around town before getting back in the car and driving to nearby Żagań. After parking the car there we then headed into the city center. Our first stop was the Augustinian Monastery Complex, a large group of buildings with, at its center, the church of the Assumption. The door to the building was open but there was an iron fence blocking the way so we could only peek at the large interior. The monastery complex also featured a renowned library however visits were only allowed with a guided tour so we decided to skip it and continued the visit to the city. We passed then through the Rynek, which featured a 19th-century town hall at its center, and around it, typical ugly block buildings, built after the devastation the town suffered during WWII. From the square, we continued along the main street and then reached a small square where we then stopped at a mleczny bar, Ale Pycha, where we had lunch; I took Placki ziemniaczane with a surowka. Not far from where we ate we then passed by the Lobkowitz Palace, a large baroque palace built during the 17th century. From the palace, we then headed back to the car and drove on to the last city of the day, Bolesławiec. Once there we parked the car and then headed on to visit the city center. We reached the Rynek, the main square, with beautiful tenement houses all around, and at its center, the town hall originally dating to the 16th century but rebuilt in a baroque style during the 18th century. To the east of the square we then reached the Basilica of the Assumption of Mary, a nice gothic building from the 15th century with a baroque interior. The door was open but again an iron fence only allowed us to see the interior from the doorframe. From the church, we then had a stroll through the rest of the old town and then back in our car drove just outside the city center where we stopped at some shops to buy pottery. In fact, Bolesławiec is known for its beautiful pottery. We ended up buying some mugs and plates and then left the city to reach the village of Lubomierz. Here we visited the small yet nice and well-preserved old town, which consisted of a main square surrounded by nice tenement houses and a baroque town hall. Behind the town hall was another small square with a baroque fountain topped by a statue of Saint Maternus, patron of Lubomierz. Further uphill we then reached the large church of St Maternus built in a baroque style during the 18th century and with a nice interior. After the short visit to the village we got back in the car and finally drove to our accommodation: Czocha castle. This fortress, located on gneiss rock over Lake Lesnia was first constructed during the 13th century. Its current appearance is from the early 20th century, when the then owner, a cigar manufacturer from Dresden, had it restored based on a 1703 painting of the castle. Nowadays it is used as a hotel and convention center and this is why we decided to spend the night there. After checking in we were shown to our rooms on the upper levels and after showering headed downstairs to eat dinner at the local restaurant. The rooms were rather simple but the ambiance of the rest of the castle was really nice. For dinner, I had a kotlet schabowy with mashed potatoes and a local beer.

After getting up a little later the next morning we had breakfast in the castle and then got ready to leave. We first drove to the city of Jelenia Góra which we reached shortly after and proceeded to visit on foot after parking the car. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't good and it was raining quite a bit. We reached the Rynek with the nice tenement houses all around and the large baroque town hall at its center. From the main square, we then walked along the main street and reached the eastern part of the old town where the Wojanowska Tower is located, once part of the medieval walls that surrounded the town. Nearby we then also reached and visited the Basilica of St. Erasmus and St. Pancras, built between the 14th and 15th centuries in a Gothic style and featuring a 52m high renaissance tower. From there we then headed on to visit the rest of the city center, passing by again through the main square and seeing then the Grodzka Tower and the Castle Gate, also once part of the city's fortifications. After the visit to the city, we then drove south to see Chojnik Castle. Once there, we had to park in a paid parking spot and from there walk quite a bit to reach the castle on top of a hill. At one point right after the parking lot, a signboard told us we were entering the Karkonosze National Park, and we had to pay a small fee to continue onwards. From the ticket booth, a hike uphill finally brought us to the top of the hill at 627m above sea level where Chojnik Castle was located. Originally built during the mid-14th century, and expanded in the following centuries. After surviving several events and wars, in 1675 the castle burnt down completely after being struck by lightning. It was then partially restored in recent times, and now in ruins serves as a major attraction. After paying for the entrance ticket we entered the castle grounds, visiting the main parts of the ruins, including the main keep which still featured the central tower from the top of which, despite the rain, we had a great view of the castle from above and the surrounding landscape with the mountains nearby. After the visit to the ruins, we walked back down the way we came and reached the car. We then drove to the nearby town of Karpacz where we decided to stop to have lunch. We chose a place called Pierogi i Naleśniki Karpacz, where we had some of the best pierogi ever. After lunch we drove a little further, heading uphill until we reached the famous Vang Stave Church at 885m. Here there was paid parking, which was quite expensive, but we managed to find a spot along the road behind some trees. From the car, a short walk took us to the church, a medieval stave church that was transferred from Vang in the Valdres region of Norway and re-erected in 1842 in Karpacz. In fact, back in Norway at the time, the local council had decided to pull down the stave church because it was too small and had become structurally unsafe over the years. The painter Johan Christian Dahl who heard about it made the first attempt to save it urging the council to repair it. However, the local council decided not to and wished to proceed with its demolition after having built a larger church next to it. So then Dahl decided to purchase the church and persuaded King Frederick William IV of Prussia, whom Dahl knew personally, to take over responsibility for the church and cover the costs of re-erecting it in Potsdam. After a final change of plans, where the dismantled church was located in Berlin for a while, it was then finally transferred to Karpacz and re-erected there where it now stands. The sun was finally out again, and once we had reached the church, a ticket was required to visit its interior, which between the four of us only I ended up visiting. The wooden building was really interesting and despite not all being original it was really nice, as the workers who had re-erected it had never seen such a church before and couldn't rebuild it completely as it was. Inside some of the wooden parts still featured the original scenes and old Norse motifs and decorations. After visiting the church I rejoined the other and from there we then drove to the town of Bolków. Here again, we found parking and then visited the old town. We passed by the main square, with the town hall at its center and colorful townhouses all around. To the south, we passed the church of St Hedwig which had mass going on, and then slightly uphill we then reached the town's main attraction: Bolków Castle. This 13th-century fortification sits on the highest part of town, over a precipice overlooking the Nysa Szalona river. Unfortunately, the place was already closed as it was late afternoon so we could only admire it from the outside. After getting back to the car we then drove to our destination for the day the town of Wałbrzych. Here we first reached our accommodation and then decided to head out for dinner. We picked a place located on a forested hill overlooking the town but found out that to get from it from the northern side, where our accommodation was located, was much harder than expected. What looked like a trail on the map turned out to be a walk through bushes and a thick forest. After some struggle, we eventually managed to reach an actual trail which we then followed taking us to Harcówka, the mountain hut restaurant. The place was really nice and the food was really good; there was even added a beautiful sunset view of the town below and the surrounding hills. After dinner we then walked back to the accommodation, this time taking the longer yet sure way around.

The morning after, we got up early and drove to nearby Książ Castle, one of the most famous in the country. To visit it we had to book a slot online, which was quite expensive for polish prices at nearly 11 euros each, so after reaching the location, we parked the car right outside the entrance and headed inside for our time slot. The visit was self-guided, with the help of an audioguide, and covered most of the rooms inside. The castle is surrounded by forest and overlooks the gorge of the Pełcznica river. It was originally built during the 13th century it was then rebuilt after the 16th century in a Renaissance style. During WWII, the castle was seized by the Nazi regime which had a whole underground network of tunnels built below it part of what was known as the Project Riese complex, presumably a projected Führer Headquarters and a future abode for Hitler. After entering the castle premises we followed the tour which led us through many different rooms of all sizes and decorations. Most of them had the typical baroque and neoclassical style, including the large main room on the ground floor which occupied the whole eastern section of the castle. After the visit to the interior, we then also walked around the small gardens to the south and west overlooking the gorge below. Going back out from where we came we admired the beautiful castle from across the large garden to the east closed by the baroque main gate. We were also very lucky that day because the weather was fine and a nice sun was shining throughout. After getting back to the car we then drove on to our next destination, the town of Świdnica. As we got there a sudden rain shower passed over us, so we waited a few minutes in the car before getting out. Our first monument in the city was the Church of Peace, a Unesco world heritage site. There used to be three such Churches of Peace, one in Świdnica, one in Jawor which we visited later, and one in Głogów which burned down in 1675. The churches were named so after the Peace of Westphalia of 1648, which permitted the Lutherans of Silesia to build three churches from wood, loam, and straw outside the city walls, without steeples and church bells. The construction time was limited to one year yet they still became the biggest timber-framed religious buildings in Europe due to the pioneering construction and architectural solutions employed. Construction of the church in Świdnica was completed in 1657 and took only ten months and measures 44 m long and 30.5 m wide. The interior features a beautiful baroque interior with a main altar from 1752, a pulpit from 1729, an organ from 1669, and all around wooden balusters decorated with biblical verses. We marveled at the beautiful interior for quite a bit and then later made a round of the building to see it from the outside as well. The sun was out again and we continued our visit to the rest of the city center. We reached the Cathedral, built in the 14th century in a gothic style and expanded in the following two centuries, with the interior featuring the decorations added in the baroque style during the 17th century. Continuing onwards we then reached the main square with at its center the town hall, once a gothic building, rebuilt after a fire during the 16th century. It was then time for lunch so we ended up splitting, Ania preferred to have some food at the No Sugar Organic Cafe, while the three of us went to a mleczny bar called Obiadek where I had a zupa pomidorowa and pierogi. After lunch, we got back to the car and then drove on to the next town, Jawor. Here we first visited the second Church of Peace, which was constructed in about a year in 1655 and is 43.5m long and 14m wide. The decorations in this one seemed less lavish than in the other one, true to its Protestant belief, but the wooden balusters had a more complete look. I was the only one of the four to visit as this one too involved the purchase of a ticket and they felt one was enough. After visiting the nice church, we continued the walk through the rest of the city, passing then by the church of St Martin an interesting gothic church with an impressive facade and mannerist portal from the early 17th century, which was unfortunately closed. Further on we then walked through the pretty main square, with the nice town hall originally gothic but rebuilt in a dutch renaissance style at the end of the 19th century. Only the 65m high central tower survives from the previous building. Walking onwards we passed one tower, Strzegomska, once part of the medieval fortifications which surrounded the old town. Then we passed the regional museum, hosted inside the former Bernardine monastery, St Adalbert Chapel, and the large Piast Castle on the western edge of town. Originally a 13th-century defensive structure it was slightly modified and renovated during the following centuries until it was then highly altered in the 18th century when it was turned into a prison, a role which it would keep until 1956. As we passed by it we noticed that unfortunately it looked quite run down and abandoned. After getting back to the car we then drove off and stopped for a quick visit to the nearby Basilica of Legnickie Pole. This large basilica, which is surrounded by a monastery, was built at the beginning of the 18th century in a rather remote area south of the city of Legnica. The interior features a large central nave that resembles a cupola with baroque frescoes as well as baroque side altars and the main altar too. After the visit to the church, we then drove to nearby Legnica, the last stop for the day and the place where we were going to sleep that night. After having located our accommodation, we checked in, relaxed for a little while, and then headed out to explore the city. Our first monument was the Cathedral, built during the 14th century in a Gothic style it features a large interior with some baroque elements. Just north of the Cathedral, was the Rynek, the large central square with a nice baroque 18th-century town hall and some nice tenement houses. There were also typical soviet block buildings, as the city of Legnica had suffered damage during WWII and subsequent soviet demolitions. Continuing onwards we then passed the former Liegnitz Ritter-Akademie, a school for the sons of the Silesian aristocracy and landed gentry hosted inside a large and nice baroque building from the 18th century. In the street next to the academy was another baroque 18th-century building, the Church of St. John the Baptist which was unfortunately closed. Moving on we then reached the Piast Castle, this was the former seat of the local dukes of the Piast dynasty which originated as a medieval castrum. It was then rebuilt and expanded first in the 15th and 16th centuries in a gothic and renaissance style and then again in a baroque style between the 17th and 18th centuries. Finally, at the end of the 19th century, it received its current neogothic style. As we approached it we admire the large central building sided by two surviving towers, the tower of St Peter and the tower of St Hedwig. In front of the former is also the Głogów Gate Tower, once part of the medieval fortifications of the town. From there we then headed back into the core of town, passing by the large St Mary's Church, originally from the 13th and 14th centuries but rebuilt during the 19th century, which features a tall imposing facade flanked by two towers. After reaching the main square we decided to look for a place to have dinner, and ended up choosing a place called Junior burger where we had some really tasty burgers. After dinner, we then closed our last night in Poland with some shots at the bar on the main square Ministerstwo Śledzia i Wódki, where we even got one with the Ukrainian flag called Jebać Putina which I will not translate.

The morning after, our last day, we woke up a little later and after breakfast in the accommodation, left to visit the first spot of the day, Lubiąż Abbey, located northeast of Legnica. The monastery complex is considered the second-largest religious building after the Escorial in Spain, yet its main facade which has a length of 223m is longer than that of the Escorial and the longest baroque facade ever. The monastery was founded in the 12th century and after several centuries of growth and refurbishments, it took its present baroque form after the Thirty Years' War, between the 17th and 18th centuries. Once we reached it we bought the entrance ticket and joined a mandatory tour, in polish. Nevertheless, it was worth it and Ania translated the main highlights for us. We first admired the beautiful and large Prince's Hall with a length of 28.5 meters, a width of 14.8 meters, and a height of 13.9 meters. The ceiling painting extends over 360 square meters, and around the room are statues, stuccoes, and paintings representing the Silesian Piasts, who founded the monastery, the Habsburg Monarchy, to which Lubiąż owed its heyday, and the Catholic Church. Then we moved on to the main church building, which featured a gothic appearance as the baroque decorations were either stripped or destroyed when the abbey was left to its own demise after WWII and the occupation of the Soviet army. We then concluded the visit with the summer refectory, located in the northern wing of the prelature. It was decorated at the end of the 17th century with frescoes representing mythological themes. After that, we had one last walk around the premise of the monastery and then drove on to the town of Złotoryja. The town is famous, as the name suggests, as a center of gold and copper mining, and as it was granted town privileges in 1211, Złotoryja is also the oldest town in Poland. After parking the car we then headed on foot to visit its old town. We first passed by and stopped to visit the church of St. Hedwig originally from the 15th century but rebuilt in a baroque style in the 18th century. Then we walked through the nice main square, with a neoclassical town hall at its center and colorful tenement houses around the perimeter. To the south of the square we then visited St Mary's church, featuring a mix of styles, the two portals are Romanesque the south one, and Gothic the western one, while the interior has a renaissance pulpit and baroque fittings, while the towers are gothic with baroque tips. From the church, we continued on through some nice streets sided by old buildings and ended up at the southern end of town where the Kowalska Tower and part of the old town walls were located. Just outside the walls we then decided to stop for lunch at the restaurant of the Gold Hotel. After lunch we had one last walk around town and then back in the car we drove all the way back to Berlin, leaving our friends at the train station to take their ride back to Hamburg, and Ania and I to drop back the car at the car rental.