Stop 14: Bydgoszcz
Unfortunately, Emily still had to work on Monday, so I dropped her off at a coffee shop in downtown Bydgoszcz, a bustling medium-sized university city bisected by canals that feed into a major bend in the Vistula River. More on Bydgoszcz later, though, because my castle tour continued solo at...
Stop 15: Bierzgłowo and the Teutonic Castle at Zamek Bierzgłowski
Bierzgłowo was a small village about 30 km east of Bydgoszcz. Driving through, I stopped to take in the beautiful brick gothic church surrounded by a dense cemetery, as well as the picturesque wooden windmill capping the ridge on the other side of a swiftly-moving stream.
Continuing 3 km south from the village I came upon the Castle, once home to a Teutonic Komtur, or regional commander. In this part of Poland, the edge of a high plateau runs parallel to the Vistula River about 10 km north of its banks. Surrounded by trees on its other three sides, the Bierzgłowo Castle sat on this ridge, overlooking the wide plain below and commanding one of the main roads ascending the ridge. The castle was a low L-shaped building with two high walls completing a square courtyard. Several outer buildings masked the main entrance, concealed the deep moat, and made the high castle seem much more extensive than it actually was. Now the building serves as a Diocese Center for Culture and is well maintained. I walked around for a bit and then proceeded up the road to...
Stop 16: Chełmża
The small town of Chełmża, located on the western end of the long, narrow Chełmżyńskie Lake, was one of the administrative seats of the Bishop of Chełmno, as role filled by Dantiscus from 1530 until 1537. It doesn't boast a castle, but it still contains a lively and extensive Old Town, a brick gothic plain church, and a brick gothic cathedral, where Dantiscus himself would have said Mass. It also had a beautiful wooden causeway extending out over the lake. I was amazed at the activity I found in Chełmża on this Monday morning. So many people were out shopping, eating, and loitering on the main market square. It seemed like a very fun place to live, especially for kids, even given its small size. It also provided a decent glimpse into how a small but bustling medieval city would have appeared on a typical week day...so fun!
Stop 17: Teutonic Castle site in Kowalewo Pomorskie
The sizable town of Kowalewo Pomorskie wasn't particularly appealing, but the site of the former castle was impressive. A tall, single, round hill stuck up out of the surrounding plain right in the center of town. While there is very little left of the original castle, a neo-gothic radio tower was built on top of the hill to replace the former castle tower. A few undulations in the terrain revealed the locations of former structures and a single bastion at the base of the hill gave away the former castle's grand size. From Kowalewo I wound my way through open farmland to one of the most impressive castles of the entire trip:
Stop 18: Teutonic Castle in Golub-Dobrzyń
Golub Castle was similar in construction to the Gniew Castle - square pattern, high walls, corner towers, spacious interior courtyard. Golub, however, had been partially rebuilt during the Renaissance with a new stone flourish around its top and a squat tower at the base of one corner. It was an impressive and regal sight, even before taking in the location. But when considering its solitary perch on a high, open promontory overlooking a bend in the Drwęca River and the cozy Old Town hundreds of feet below, Golub Castle was majestic and breathtaking. It commanded steep hills on three sides and was protected by a deep trench on the fourth side. It had 360-degree unimpeded views and was intimidating from any angle. It was glorious to see and was a perfect example of how castles were built to physically and psychologically dominate the landscape and population.
Stop 19: Teutonic Castle Ruins in Wąbrzeźno
This small town on the flat Polish plain was squashed between the end of two lakes. It's castle is only low ruins now, buried in dense woods where the lakes almost meet. Unfortunately, I was running short on time and could not stop, but it was interesting to see from the car how well the Teutonic Knights could take advantage of landscape - building a fortress with two sides naturally defended and squeezing any overland approach into two narrow roadways. Maybe next trip we'll get a closer look! ;)
Stop 20: Teutonic Castle Ruins at Radzyń Chełmiński
Amazingly, the ruins in the next small town were some of the most intact, the most impressive, the most accessible, and seemingly the most forgotten ruins that we encountered on our trip. I was astounded! The former castle sat on an artificial hill surrounded by an artificial moat, rising out of the swampy flood plain formed by several winding streams. The huge, square castle has an intact southern facade, fronted by a wide field that was partially enclosed by a 10-foot tall defensive wall. That field now contains a soccer pitch. While the castle interior was closed, one could walk freely all along the grounds, right up to the walls. The main road encircled the site on three sides, yet no one was walking around enjoying the views! The open expanse surrounding the ruins made their height so much more impressive. If only the interiors had been accessible as well!
Stop 22: Chełmno
The riverside town of Chełmno was another seat of Dantiscus when he served as bishop. It also sits atop a high ridge on the eastern bank of the Vistula River with commanding views of the river, the surrounding territory, and the overland roads. This is one of the most intact medieval towns in Poland, with the entire city wall remaining, 5 different medieval churches inside the walls, an unbelievably beautiful Renaissance Town Hall, an expansive main market square, and quaint cobble-stoned streets. The main church, the brick gothic St. Mary's, was the focal point of the skyline and occupied 4 city blocks. It was gorgeous inside, with brightly-colored arches, frescoes, tall stained glass windows, and ornate Baroque altars. The other medieval churches were also significantly larger than those of other Polish towns owing to the heavy presence of monastic order in Chełmno and its role as a popular stop along the river. In fact, the four main spires of the Old Town could be seen atop the ridge up and down the river for almost 15 km! The huge square was bustling with activity, but most intriguing aspect was the white and blue, square Renaissance Town Hall in its center. This adorable, relatively small-looking structure looked like a royal cupcake rising up out of the stone square, with a tall tower in its center, conservative entrance ways, and just the right amount of delicate decoration around the top - a perfect centerpiece for this beautiful and surprising town. I took off down the hill to cross the Vistula one last time on my way to the last stop of our castle tour...
Stop 23: Teutonic Castle in świecie
świecie lay low on the western bank of the Vistula, directly across from Chełmno, such that the towns spires were still impressive, even from across the wide river. świecie had a large brich gothic church surrounded by a high wall, and a winding Old Town set at the base of a rising ridge. Its castle sat on a former low island, now cut off from the river by shifting banks over the last 700 years. At one point it was the only Teutonic castle completely surrounded by water. A long raised causeway led from the Old Town to the drawbridge that fronted the castle gate. The current structure is a tall rectangular building with an even taller frontal tower, surrounded by a walled courtyard that filled the surface of the low hill. When it was an island, the castle certainly would have been unassailable. It was fascinating to see how in this instance the lower terrain was a distinct advantage, compared to the higher terrain chosen as the site for most of the other castles we visited.
From świecie I drove southward along the river, back to Bydgoszcz to collect Emily after her long day's work. We got dinner at a great Indian restaurant/brew pub on one of the city's developing canals, walked around Old Town for a bit, and then headed back to Warsaw. In a year full of amazing weekends, sights, and experiences, this one certainly stood out. Thanks so much to my incredible wife for one of the best birthday presents I have ever or could ever receive!
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