Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Olsztyn

  • Olsztyn – Olsztyn Castle

    The castle was the first structure to be built in the city, an important part of the defensive network that aimed to protect it. Work started on the building in the middle fourteenth century and it was called into action to defend Allenstein (the old name for Olsztyn) throughout the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

    Today, since 1945, the castle and its buildings are used as the area’s regional museum, with the above gateway now being the entrance into the museum. The access across into the museum is now built up, but visitors would once go across a bridge to secure entry into the castle complex.

    The ticket office is separate to the main museum itself, something that seems common in eastern Europe and Russia, although it’s all clearly signed. The main castle building looks impressive after entering the courtyard of the castle complex. This also contains the refectory room which was used by Nicolaus Copernicus when he was the administrator here.

    The well in the courtyard which is 14.5 metres deep, although it’s covered with wire to prevent some idiot falling into it.

    Baba Pruskie, originally created by the Teutonic Knights, with their history being a little unclear, but they are now a symbol of the region. There is a display in the main town square which marks 100 years since the independence of Poland and this features more modern versions of the Baba Pruskie.

    The castle has been much changed over the centuries, both externally and internally. The main tower was reconstructed in the sixteenth century and now stands over 40 metres high.

    The two photos above show what the roof looks like from underneath, and then from above. It looks like a complex structure that’s about to fall down from above, but much more spectacular from underneath. Apparently the style is called crystal vaulting, a Gothic style mostly limited to Polish territories.

    A recreated room showing what village life was once like in the region.

    It looks older, but this wooden sculpture dates from the nineteenth century.

    Scarily real when standing up close. I quite like the idea of getting a few of these done of me and then giving them to friends to put on their walls.

    Always nice to see old books on display.

    This is the experimental table of Nicolaus Copernicus, perhaps the most treasured artefact that the museum owns. It was created by Copernicus himself in around 1516, when he was the keeper of the castle, and it enabled him to experiment with the equinox and its impact on the calendar. It’s slightly remarkable that it has survived at all, the lines running across are where partitions have been added to the walls over the centuries.

    After visiting the main part of the museum the staff member guided me over to the tower area across the courtyard.

    Oh good, steps.

    And more steps. But safety first, properly protect the gas and electricity lines that someone has built across the staircase.

    And more steps to get to the top. This are as steep as they look, and to be honest, they reminded me of what Striding Edge looked like when I gazed down onto it. They weren’t the easiest to ascend in size 12 shoes either.

    This is the roof section within the tower building, but fortunately visitors don’t have to clamber across this.

    This is the area at the top of the tower where visitors can enter.

    Nice views from the top of the tower. Although the next problem then presented itself to me, which is just one of those very British problems. Someone said to me, in Polish, that it was a difficult climb to the top. I agreed, using my vast knowledge of Polish to say “yes”. Anyway, enthused by my conversational ability the visitor then talked for ages in Polish, by which time it’s too late to admit that I haven’t got a clue what he’s now talking about. So I say yes a lot, which appears to be the correct answer. Or at least a suitable answer, so crisis averted.

    Overall, this is a well presented and clearly laid out museum, although a visit isn’t likely to take much more than an hour. The staff are helpful and the majority of the displays are in English, although a few haven’t been translated. I’d have ideally though liked to have seen more on the history of the building itself, as it’s a complex structure which has been much changed and it’s hard to establish when various reconstruction works have taken place.

  • Olsztyn – St. James’s Monument

    St. James is the patron saint of the city and this sculpture was originally designed to fit in a niche at the Upper Gate. For whatever reason, that didn’t happen, so instead it’s centrally located now in the city’s fish market area.

    The statue is made out of sandstone, with the base made of a different type of the same rock. St James is seen with his pilgrim stick, with Olsztyn being located on a pilgrimage route.

  • Olsztyn – Upper Gate

    The city’s Upper Gate, which is the only gateway which remains from the old city wall network which Olsztyn once had.

    The portcullis, with the remains of ‘the neck’ brickwork also visible, which was a defensive measure to ensure that any attacker would have to funnel in towards the gate.

    The inside of the city gate. The building was used as a prison in the nineteenth century and it was nearly demolished when it was no longer needed for that purpose. It was saved though by using it as a fire station and it has since been used as offices and now is in use as a hotel.

    Excavations have taken place in front of the gate to show some of the former defensive works, which included a bridge over a moated area. The gate and the surrounding fortifications date from the fourteenth century, although the building itself was much modified in the nineteenth century.

    Wojciech Kętrzyński was an historian who specialised on Polish studies, at a time when it wasn’t seen as politically appropriate to do so. He is now seen as a national Polish hero and this plaque marks the time when he was imprisoned in the gate for his role in the 1863 January Uprising against Russia.

  • Olsztyn – Nicolaus Copernicus Bench

    At the entrance to the city’s castle is this bench in honour of Nicolaus Copernicus, the mathematician, astronomer and diplomat. Between 1516 and 1521 Copernicus lived at the castle and was instrumental in defending it from attack.

    It’s a common location for visitors to have their photo taken, sitting next to Copernicus. The sculpture was designed by Urszula Szmyt and the positioning allows Copernicus to look up at the night sky.

    The bench and bronze statue were commissioned in 2003 to mark the city’s 650th anniversary.

  • Olsztyn – Garrison Church of Our Lady Queen of Poland

    This imposing building is located on a small hill and is formally known as the garrison church. Work started on the church in 1909 and it was completed in 1913, being at the time of Lutheran denomination.

    When the city became part of Poland in 1945 this church was given to the Catholic denomination, which it remains part of today. One of the first actions undertaken was to destroy the galleries in the church, which was seen as being Lutheran, which seems rather a shame solely from an architectural view.

    There were once two memorials at the front of the church to mark the loss of German lives during the First World War, although these were later removed. Also removed were the internal paintings of Germany, East Prussia and President Hindenburg, which obviously were rather out of place by 1945.

    Unfortunately the church was closed when I visited, although I could peer in through the glass door. And take a photo which doesn’t really show the beauty of the interior….

  • Olsztyn – 1918-2018

    This temporary art installation marks one hundred years since Poland regained its independence. In the case of Olsztyn, under the East Prussian plebiscite, it remained part of Germany after the First World War.

    The red and white are the colours of the Polish flag and they have a deep national symbolism. The sculptures are baby pruskie, a recreation of local stone sculptures.

    The figures had t-shirts added to them in the summer of 2018 in a peaceful and non-destructive action, with the phrase “Konstytucja Jędrek”. As I understand it, this was a protest against what is perceived to be a violation of the country’s constitution by the current President. It was seen as serious enough though for the police to launch an investigation into the actions.

    The installation is remaining in situ until late November 2018.

  • Olsztyn – Bobby Burger

    Bobby Burgers is now a large chain in Poland with nearly one hundred outlets, but I remember visiting them in Warsaw when they just had one or two locations. I was inquisitive to see how the expansion and franchising plan is rolling out, as their growth has been pretty dramatic in the last couple of years.

    There are numerous different design elements in the restaurant, with this section overlooking the courtyard at the rear. It’s all modern and on-trend, some thought has clearly gone into this.

    The promotional poster on the door.

    The rear half of the dining area, all clean and well maintained. The restaurant was moderately busy during my visit, although it isn’t particularly evident from these photos. The reason for that is solely because I felt it might be just a little rude to take photos of people sitting there eating burgers….

    The front part of the restaurant, although there’s also an external dining area outside. Customers order at the counter (well I think they do, I certainly did, although they might just have been humouring me) and the service was engaging and helpful. Although I keep putting that it probably isn’t necessary, as service in Poland that isn’t engaging and helpful is incredibly rare in my experience.

    There were a few beer options, but I went with the generic Perła and it tastes fine. It was served nice and cool, which I needed given how irritatingly hot it currently is in Poland. It shouldn’t be this hot in September….

    The mango and onion burger, with bacon, cheese and lettuce. The burgers are cooked to be well done, but it was still juicy with a meaty flavour. The other ingredients added some texture, and the bacon was especially tasty. They go with the option of chips rather than fries, and they had a nice and crispy exterior.

    The burger, chips and beer costs just over the equivalent of £5, which is competitive given that the restaurant is centrally located and is in a modern venue. Growing pains must be a problem for this chain given how many outlets are opening in such a short period of time, but I think it’s remaining true to its roots.

  • Olsztyn – Signage

    I haven’t worked out why they picked the places that they did for this sign, perhaps they’re twin towns or something similar. But it reminded me that I must go back to Perugia, it’s seven years since I last went. I’m not sure that I’ve heard of the other places.

    I haven’t been to any of these places either, but I’m sure that Richard has spoken about Rovaniemi. That’s a real bird sitting on top of the sign as well, it’s not a decorative element that they’ve added.

  • Olsztyn – House Cafe

    House Cafe is a modern style coffee shop which is located on the main market square, and is particularly well reviewed. So it seemed worth just having a visit for research purposes.

    I never have a clue whether a cafe is table service or order at the counter, but I think I guessed correctly with this one. I ordered at the counter, and I liked the very clear signage so that it wasn’t a guessing game of the options that were available. The service was efficient and friendly and I liked the relaxed atmosphere that the cafe had.

    The cakes looked rather appetising. I went for the chocolate cake with raspberries, although it was a close call as the meringue at the top looked equally appealing. I realised later that the meringue is the cafe’s speciality, so on reflection I should have ordered slices of both cakes. Sometimes research is onerous by its very nature….

    The coffee had a rich and pleasant taste, whilst the cake portion was generous and it was moist and full of flavour. The coffee and cake was part of an offer which was around £3, very reasonable value given the quality and how pleasant the surroundings were.

    The interior was warm and cosy, with a few people dotted around with laptops and seeming to use the cafe as their temporary working environment. They had made a good choice. The outside seating area at the front of the cafe was also modern looking and welcoming, but I wasn’t going to contend with wasps or other autumnal insects.

    These chairs were inside the entrance door area of the cafe and I wasn’t quite sure whether they were decorative or whether customers were allowed to sit in them.

  • Olsztyn – City Model

    In the city’s market square there is a 3D plan of how Olsztyn used to look, and it was created in 2013 to mark 660 years since the settlement was founded. Olsztyn was initially known as Allenstein when it was founded in 1353 by the Teutonic Knights.