Article Cultural routes through Poland

I am #HistoricallyCurious

Poland has a history of over one thousand years, rich traditions, and great cultural heritage. The country’s location in the center of Europe has put it always at the intersection of different cultures. As a result, multicultural traditions and regionally characteristic monuments have developed in abundance. Meet Poland’s rich history and cultural heritage through a variety of cultural routes and trails.  

Nicolaus Copernicus

2023 was the Year of Nicolaus Copernicus, to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the great Polish astronomer’s birth. Among many interesting cultural routes in Poland, the Nicolaus Copernicus Memorial Road Tourist Trail in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship is of timely interest! It runs through the voivodeships, or provinces, of Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Pomorskie, and Warmińsko-Mazurskie). Warmia and Mazury are the best detailed and marked.     

Copernicus spent most of his life in Warmia. He is commemorated in one way with a trail that leads through towns connected with his life. Along over 300 km in Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship, you will visit several interesting towns: 

Nowe Miasto Lubawskie is located in the historical Chełmno land. Its greatest monument is the Gothic collegiate basilica of St. Thomas the Apostle.  

Next is Lubawa,  once seat of the Chełmno bishops. Fragments of perimeter walls and a round corner tower are the only remnants of their castle; an interpretive path encircles them. 

In Olsztynek you will find a Teutonic Knights’ castle, a Gothic church from the 14th century and the Museum of Folk Architecture-Ethnographic Park. 

In the regional capital, Olsztyn, visit the castle where Copernicus served as the administrator of the Chapter of Warmia. Today it houses the Museum of Warmia and Mazury, including a permanent exhibition dedicated to the astronomer. 

Although the next town on the trail closely related to the life of Copernicus is Lidzbark Warmiński, it’s a great idea to stop in Dobre Miasto on the way, if only to see the second largest Gothic church in Warmia and the Stork Tower. 

Moving on to Lidzbark Warmiński, you can visit the castle where Copernicus lived with his uncle Lucas Watzenrode, the Bishop of Warmia. It is now a museum full of interesting exhibitions. 

On the way to another city connected with Copernicus – Frombork – you will pass Orneta, Pieniężno, and Braniewo, which the astronomer visited occasionally. 

Finally, you will reach Frombork, where Nicolaus Copernicus spent nearly 30 years of his life. Make sure to see Cathedral Hill – and the cathedral – the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum, the planetarium, and Radziejowski Tower. From the observation deck of the Water Tower, you can admire the Vistula Lagoon.