Poland – Great Poland, Kuyavia, Lubusz (Poznań, Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Zielona Góra) August 21, 2019
RZDZYNA. A NM “small town”,
Rydztba Castle (Zamek Rydzyna). This moated square manor house is now a two-star hotel with conference rooms and a restaurant. I wandered around and saw nothing worth noting. A courtyard is in the center.
The traffic to Poznan was a nightmare of construction, narrow 2-lane road, tons of traffic especially trucks, small towns and pedestrians.
POZNAN
Bałtyk tower. In the NM “Modern Architecture Buildings”,
Okrąglak. In the NM “Modern Architecture Buildings”
9-story perfectly round high-rise, it is an office building with a bank on the bottom floor.
Centrum Kultury Zamek. In a completely renovated stone castle, this building has the Art Theatre Arimaiji, the New Theatre and an art exhibit on the lower floor.
Dzialynski Palace.
St. Martin’s Croissant Museum (Rogalowe Museum). In the NM “Bizzariium” series (that I try to never miss), it was closed by the time I got to Poznan.
Poznań Collegiate Church (Parish Church). Another Baroque masterpiece: great red/brown marble columns with very ornate white/gilt capitals, angels on everything, marble/gilt side altars, huge spiral marble columns in the two main side altars. Ancient carved wood pews. The ceiling may be the highlight with many paintings surrounded by gilt and stucco.
It sits on a very narrow cobble street in the old part of town.
Poznan Cathedral. Its origins date to the second half of the Xth century, the oldest church in Poland. With 3 naves and brick walls, arches, columns and ribs of the vaults. The highlight is all the ornate side chapels with painted ceilings, altars, sarcophagi (all the statues are lying on their side) and the penultimate the Golden Chapel directly behind the apse – all black with gilt accents. The church closes at 7pm, he rang the bell and I had to have him unlock the door to let me out (could you imagine having to spend a night here with no bathroom).
After an initial fast expressway, the road to Bydogoscz degenerated into the same construction mess as south of Poznan. The entire expressway was being rebuilt.
I slept here at a McDonalds and got caught up on my web site.
BYDGOSCZ
Bydgoszcz Cathedral. Wow, everything is painted – red walls, purple columns, blue ceiling and all the ribs and window cases floral/geometrics. Add the gilt pulpit and altar and it is aspectacular church insidel
Bizzarium: Museum of Soap and History of Dirt
TORUN (pop 202,000)
In northern-central Poland on the Vistula River, Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland, with the first settlement dated back to the 8th century and later having been expanded in 1233 by the Teutonic Knights. Over centuries, it was the home for people of diverse backgrounds and religions. From 1264 until 1411 Toruń was part of the Hanseatic League and by the 17th century it was one of the elite trading points, which greatly affected the city’s architecture ranging from Brick Gothic to Mannerism and Baroque. In the early-modern age, Toruń was a royal city of Poland and it was one of the four largest cities in the county at the time. After the partitions of Poland it was part of Prussia and later the German Empire. After Poland regained independence in 1918, Toruń was reincorporated into Polish territory, and during World War II was spared from bombing and destruction. This allowed the Old Town to be fully preserved with its iconic central marketplace.
Believed to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Toruń is renowned for the Museum of Gingerbread, whose baking tradition dates back nearly a millennium, and its large Cathedral. Toruń is noted for its very high standard of living and quality of life. In 1997 the medieval part of the city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2007 the Old Town in Toruń was added to the list of Seven Wonders of Poland.
Toruń is the birthplace of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
History. The first settlement in the vicinity of Toruń is dated by archaeologists to 1100 BC (Lusatian culture). During early medieval times, in the 7th through 13th centuries, it was the location of an old Slavonic settlement, at a ford in the Vistula river.
The Gothic Old Town Hall dates back to the 13th century.
In spring 1231 the Teutonic Knights crossed the river Vistula at the height of Nessau and established a fortress. In 1236, due to frequent flooding, it was relocated to the present site of the Old Town. In 1239 Franciscan friars settled in the city, followed in 1263 by Dominicans. In 1264 the adjacent New Town was founded predominantly to house Torun’s growing population of craftsmen and artisans. In 1280, the city joined the mercantile Hanseatic League, and thus became an important medieval trade centre.
The First Peace of Thorn ending the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War was signed in the city in February 1411 leaving the town in the hands of the Order. The Confederation rose against the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights in 1454 and its delegation submitted a petition to Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon asking him to regain power over Prussia as the rightful ruler. These events led to the Thirteen Years’ War. The New and the Old Towns amalgamated in 1454. The citizens of Thorn enraged by the Order’s ruthless exploitation, conquered the Teutonic castle, and dismantled the fortifications brick by brick, except for the Gdanisko tower, which was used until the 18th century for the gunpowder storage. During the war, Toruń financially supported the Polish Army. The Thirteen Years’ War ended in 1466 with the Second Peace of Thorn, in which the Teutonic Order ceded their control over the city to Poland. The Polish King granted the town great privileges, similar to those of Gdańsk.
Throughout history, the city was home to notable personas, scholars and statesmen. In 1473 Nicolaus Copernicus was born and in 1501 Polish King John I Albert died in Toruń; his heart was buried inside St. John’s Cathedral. In 1506 Toruń became a royal city of Poland. In 1528, the royal mint started operating in Toruń. A city of great wealth and influence.
In 1557, during the Protestant Reformation, the city adopted Protestantism. In 1595 Jesuits arrived to promote the Counter-Reformation, taking control of St. John’s Church. The Protestant city officials tried to limit the influx of Catholics into the city, as Catholics (Jesuits and Dominican friars) already controlled most of the churches, leaving only St. Mary’s to Protestant citizens.
During the Great Northern War (1700–21), the city was besieged by Swedish troops. The restoration of Augustus the Strong as King of Poland was prepared in the town in the Treaty of Thorn (1709) by Russian Tsar Peter the Great. In the second half of the 17th century, tensions between Catholics and Protestants grew, similarly to religious wars throughout Europe. In the early 18th century about 50 percent of the populace, especially the gentry and middle class, were German-speaking Protestants, while the other 50 percent were Polish-speaking Roman Catholics. Protestant influence was subsequently pushed back after the Tumult of Thorn of 1724.
After the Second Partition of Poland in 1793, the city was annexed by Prussia. In 1809 Toruń was successfully defended by the Poles against the Austrians. After World War I, Poland declared independence and regained control over the city. In interwar Poland Toruń was capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
Sights. The Medieval Town of Toruń was listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since 1997, Toruń has many monuments of architecture dating back to the Middle Ages. The city is famous for having preserved almost intact its medieval spatial layout and many Gothic buildings, all built from brick, including monumental churches, the Town Hall and many burgher houses. The most interesting monuments are:
Gothic architecture. Toruń has the largest number of preserved Gothic houses in Poland, many with Gothic wall paintings or wood-beam ceilings from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
The Cathedral of SS. John the Evangelist and John the Baptist, an aisled hall church built in the 14th century and extended in the 15th century; outstanding Gothic sculptures and paintings inside (Moses, St. Mary Magdalene, gravestone of Johann von Soest), Renaissance and Baroque epitaphs and altars (among them the epitaph of Copernicus from 1580), as well as the Tuba Dei, the largest medieval church bell in Poland and one of the largest in Europe
St. Mary’s church, a formerly Franciscan aisled hall built in the 14th century
St. James’s church (often mistakenly called St Jacob’s), a basilica from the 14th century, with monumental wall paintings and Gothic stalls
The Old Town Hall was inaugurated in 1274, than extended and rebuilt between 1391 and 1399, and extended again at the end of the 16th century; considered one of the most monumental town halls in Central Europe (Toruń Regional Museum or Muzeum Okręgowe in Polish).
City fortifications, begun in the 13th century, extended between the 14th and 15th centuries, mostly demolished in the 19th century, but partially preserved with a few city gates and watchtowers (among them the so-called Leaning Tower) from the Vistula side.
A 15th-century Gothic house (now a museum) where Copernicus was reputedly born
Ruins of 13th-century Teutonic Knights’ castle
House at the sign of the Star, previously Gothic, briefly owned by Filip Callimachus, then rebuilt in the 16th century and in 1697, with a richly decorated stucco façade and wooden spiral stairs.
Toruń, unlike many other historic cities in Poland, escaped substantial destruction in World War II. Particularly left intact was the Old Town, all of whose important architectural monuments are originals, not reconstructions.
Major renovation projects have been undertaken in recent years to improve the condition and external presentation of the Old Town. Besides the renovation of various buildings, projects such as the reconstruction of the pavement of the streets and squares (reversing them to their historical appearance). Numerous buildings and other constructions, including the city walls along the boulevard, are illuminated at night, creating an impressive effect – probably unique among Polish cities with respect to the size of Toruń’s Old Town and the scale of the illumination project itself.
Toruń is also home to the Zoo and Botanical Garden opened in 1965 and 1797 respectively and is one of the city’s popular tourist attractions.
NOMAD MANIA Poland – Great Poland, Kuyavia, Lubusz (Poznań, Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Zielona Góra)
World Heritage Sites
Medieval Town of Toruń
xMuskauer Park / Park Mużakowski (in Germany)
Borders: Germany-Poland
XL
Bad Muskau/Leknica (in Germany)
Forst (Lausitz)/Zasieki
Frankfurt an der Oder/Slubice
Guben/Gubin
Küstrin/Kostryn nad Odra
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars
Poland Intercity Railway Experience
Museums: Drzonów: Lubusz Military Museum
Castles, Palaces, Forts
Golub-Dobrzyń: Golub-Dobrzyń castle
Gołuchów: Gołuchów Castle
Kórnik: Kórnik Castle
Religious Temples
Ląd: Ląd Abbey
Lichen Stary: Basilica of Our Lady of Lichen
Festivals
Juwenalia
Woodstock Festival Poland
Entertainment/Things to do: Gotchaspielfeld Nord, Brozek
Zoos: Witnica: Zoo Safari Park
Botanical Gardens: Zielona Gora Botanical Garden
Theme Parks: Trzebaw: Deli Park
Windmills: Bierzgłowo: Bierzgłowo Windmill (marked Bierzglowo)
Markets: Czacz Flea Market
Open-Air Museums: Biskupin Archaeological Museum
European Cities
INOWROCLAW
KALISZ
KONIN
OSTRÔW WIELKOPOLSKI
PILA
ZIELONA GORA
Museums: Lubuska Land Museum
GNIEZNO
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Grudziądz Trams
Religious Temples: Gniezno Cathedral (Bazylika Prymasowska Sanktuarium sw. Wojciecha)
GRUDZIADZ
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Grudziądz Trams
Planetariums: Grudziądz Planetarium
BYDGOSCZ
Airports: Bydgoszcz (BZG)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Bydgoszcz Trams
Museums
BWA – Municipal Art Gallery of Bydgoszcz
District Museum. Leona Wyczółkowskiego
Religious Temples: Bydgoszcz Cathedral
Bizzarium: Museum of Soap and History of Dirt
GORZÓW WIELKOPOLSKI
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Gorzów Wielkopolski Trams
Museums: Muzeum Lubuskie im. J. Dekerta
POZNAN World Cities and Popular Towns
Airports: Poznan (POZ)
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Poznan Trams
Museums
Dalineum (permanently closed)
Ethnographic Museum
Museum of Poznan Uprising 1956
Musical Instrument Museum
National Museum
Castles, Palaces, Forts
Dzialynski Palace
Weapons Museum
Religious Temples
Poznan Cathedral
Poznań Collegiate Church (Parish Church)
Modern Architecture Buildings
Bałtyk tower
Okrąglak
Entertainment/Things to do: Centrum Kultury Zamek, Poznan
Zoos: Nowe Zoo
Botanical Gardens: UAM Botanical Garden
Bizzarium: St. Martin’s Croissant Museum (Rogalowe Museum)
TORUN World Cities and Popular Towns
World Heritage Sites: Medieval Town of Toruń
Railway, Metro, Funiculars, Cable Cars: Toruń Trams
Museums: Muzeum Piernika
House Museums/Plantations: Torun: Nicolaus Copernicus House
WLOCLAWEK
Museums: Muzeum Ziemi Kujawskiej i Dobrzyńskiej
Villages and Small Towns
CHELMNO
RZDZYNA
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Rydzyna Castle