Mazovia, East Poland, and the Swietokrzyskie Mountains

Pomerania - North West

Introduction

We would like to invite you to visit northwest Poland (historic Pomerania), lands with a beautiful and variegated landscape, with long sandy beaches along the Baltic coast, colourful lakes, forests and charming inland rivers, precious relics of architecture, historic places telling of man's long efforts through the centuries to develop this land. Pomerania is like an open door to the world mounted on strong hinges of the ports - Szczecin in the west and Gdansk in the east. There is a possibility to organise excursions to national parks and nature reservations and also to the most interesting spots of this region such as: Gdansk and Szczecin. Relaxation and treatment can be arranged for you in renowned vacation and health centres. You are invited to cultural entertainment, theatres, organ concerts in the Cathedral in Oliwa and Kamien Pomorski, to folklore and sports events, and to many opportunities to engage in sports of all kinds, like horseback-riding, hunting, fishing. So for anyone who likes holidays vacation at the seashore there are 524 km of coastline. The fisherman will find something for himself, the hunter will also have many opportunities for thrills. For someone who likes canoeing best it would be hard to find better opportunities than those offered by the rapid rivers flowing right into the sea such as the Rega, Parseta, Wieprza, Slupia, Lupawa, Leba or flowing through meadows, forests, ranges to the Notec and Vistula, Drawa, Gwda, Brda, Wda; rivers famous among expert canoeists. The summer has its charms, the winter too. So anyone who has not experienced the pleasure of Kashubian sledging cavalcades, who has not watched with bated breath ice boats racing faster than the wind on Vistula Bay, Puck Gulf or Charzykowskie Lake, who has not roamed on skis through immense white spaces and lake district forests and has not experienced the thrills of winter canoeing rallies will find the way to these attractions by consulting one of Polish travel agencies. Each of them has something to offer in Pomeranian region. All the hotels in Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia, Kolobrzeg and Szczecin will provide you with excellent and courteous service, comfort, and also delicious Polish and international cuisine.

Geography Northwest Poland includes the Baltic Coast and the Pomeranian Lake District. The coast is a belt of seaside lowlands. In the western part they are variegated with moraine elevations rising to a height of 115 m on the island of Wolin and to 147 m in the Bukowe Hills near Szczecin. Many tourist and sightseeing thrills can be experienced in the large areas of the Wkrzanska, Goleniowska, and Bukowa Forests, the islands of Uznam (partially) and Wolin with the naturalistically very attractive Wolinski National Park, Szczecin Bay, the great Lake Dabie, around which there are numerous recreational centres,. Further to the east, the coast is mostly flat with the highest dunes and fragments of coastal cliffs on the Baltic in Trzesacz (where on the very edge of the high coast there are ruins of a church that was once about 2 km from the sea), near Jaroslawiec, in Orlowo and in Jastrzebia Gora. Cape Rozewie sticking out in the coastline is the northernmost part of Poland. There is a Lighthouse Museum in the local lighthouse. The wonders of nature of this part of the coast are wandering dunes (vicinity of Leba) in the Slowinski National Park (name of an ancient local people - the Slowinians), and the coastal lakes separated by sandbars, e.g. Jamno, Bukowo, Gardno, and Lebsko. The flat coast has broad beaches with white and clean sand. So in the northern part of this region we have a long belt of coastline with outstanding beaches, and in the southern part the charming Pomeranian Lake District, divided into several smaller regions, the most beautiful of which are: Mysliborz with the Gorzow Forest and the Drawsko Forest (with remnants of magnificent oak and beech forests), extending to the Drawsko Lake District, with the largest collection of lakes in the Pomeranian Lake District, often arranging themselves in long chains, Waleckie Lake with forest complexes on the Drawa and Gwda rivers, finally the Kashubian Lake District with exceptionally colourful landscapes; with a beautiful water route leading the River Radunia through 10 lakes; with numerous reservations, among which the most noteworthy is "stone circles" in the village Odry (on the Wda), one of the largest collections of Neolithic relics - an agglomeration of regularly arranged boulders that were used to tell time and also as a burial site. The Pomeranian Lake District is a land of a thousand lakes scattered among forests and fields. It is a paradise for fans of sailing, windsurfing, water-skiing and canoeing. The lakes and rivers contain numerous fish: bass, ruff, lavaret, roach, bull-trout, trout, grayling, and others. The forests are rich with all kinds of mushrooms, berries, wild strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. In the middle of the Lake District from the Odra to the Bay of Gdansk runs a belt of moraine elevations rising gradually toward the east, reaching a height of 329 m in the vicinity of Kartuzy - Wiezyca. The above-mentioned rivers flow from these elevations to the north and south are in deep and colourful valleys. The Baltic Coast and Pomeranian Lake District is closed from the east by the valley of the lower Vistula, whose greatest pride are the historic towns of Chelmno, Grudziadz, Gniew and Tczew, and its delta region called Zulawy Wislane. This depression - to about 2 m b.s.l. - has fertile soil (slit). The land is used mainly for growing wheat, sugar beet and fodder crops, raising cattle. The landscape is melancholy with a unique atmosphere. Further to the southwest are the Tucholskie Bory with the reservation "L.Wyczolkowski Yew Forest" (Cisy Staropolskie). Among old pines, oaks, lindens, hornbeams, and beeches there are about 4000 yews. Obviously there are no longer any aurochs or wild ponies in the forests, but there are roe deer, hares, wild boars, stags and fowl, much fowl. There is even black goose in the Tuchola Forest and in the region of Szczecinek, Lebork and Bialogard. A hunter is a hunter, but anyone who hunts with a tape recorder may hear the trot of a stag and perhaps the song of the most charming forest singer - the thrush. There are more than 300 sunny days and the most fair days in Poland - on the Baltic, in the section between Darlowo and Rozewie. Summer on the coast is not too hot, the winter light, the autumn beautiful. The greatest insolation is from May to August. A sunny but not too hot summer, clean and invigorating water and iodised air create excellent conditions for rest, with a beneficial influence on health. About 5 million people inhabit Pomerania. The greatest population density is around Gdansk. Though the Sea Coast and Lake District are mainly agricultural-forestry lands, there are also some large industrial centres here - Gdansk, Gdynia, Szczecin, Szczecinek, Koszalin, Slupsk, Pila, Bydgoszcz, Grudziadz. The marine economy is of particular importance. Sightseeing tourism is developing in this region both in view of the charms of the landscape as well as the marvellous complexes of architectural relics (Gdansk, Malbork, Szczecin, Stargard Szczecinski, Kamien Pomorski, Slupsk, Pelplin, Pyrzyce, and others). It is worth visiting the ethnographic parks, e.g. in Kluki and Wdzydze Kiszewskie and numerous specialist or regional museums. In the large urban centres, there are dramatical and musical theatres, operas and philharmonic orchestras. Numerous entertainment events are also held here . Northwest Poland is well-developed, with railways and roads as well as air and ferry links. Planes fly between Warsaw and Gdansk, Slupsk, Szczecin and Koszalin, and ferry lines connect the coast with Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Denmark. They have brought the Coast and all of Poland closer to foreign tourists, who more and more willingly spend their holidays here. Historical Sketch The history of Pomerania is complicated and diversified. In the 10th century, the first Polish rulers of the Piast dynasty: Mieszko I and Boleslaw the Brave accomplished the political unification of this land that had been divided among local dukes. At the beginning of the second millennium Poland's ties with Western Pomerania loosened, since she was unable to maintain her rule there. The destiny of Eastern Pomerania (Gdansk) followed another path; the local ducal dynasty related to the Piasts stayed in power in its capitals in Slawno, Swiecie and Gdansk and recognised Polish hegemony. Another attempt to unite all of the Pomeranian lands was made by Boleslaw the Wrymouth at the beginning of the 12th century, making the entire Pomeranian region between the Vistula, Odra and Notec into one politically and territorially integrated unit. There were considerable differences in terms of its integration with Poland, however. While Eastern Pomerania became one of the provinces of the Polish State, in Western Pomerania the local dynasty remained in power with Duke Warcislaw residing in Kamien Pomorski. The latter, however, obligated himself to accept baptism and military assistance and recognised Polish hegemony. From the times of the testament of Boleslaw the Wrymouth (1138) Poland entered into a two- century period of feudal disintegration, which resulted in painful territorial losses mainly to the German feudal lords. The margraves of Brandenburg launched a frontal attack on Pomerania, destroying the former territorial and political, administrative and church structures and leading to the formation of the predatory New March, while in the eastern part of Pomerania a similar role began to be played by the Order of the Teutonic Knights, which had unfortunately been brought here by Konrad Mazowiecki. As a result of consistent colonisation of Western Pomerania and the germanization of the ducal dynasties, Brandenburg established strong influences over this region. The expansion towards linking up the Teutonic areas with those occupied by Brandenburg was halted by the great battle at Grunwald (1410) and later by the 13-year war that ended with the peace of Torun (1466), in which Kazimierz the Jagiellon regained Gdansk Pomerania and subordinated the rest of the lands taken by the Teutonic Knights as a fief. In Western Pomerania the local dukes continued to rule until 1637, when the last duke, Boguslaw XIV, died. Still during his reign, the Swedes took the district of Szczecin. As a result of the Peace of Westphalia (1648), which ended the Thirty Years War, Western Pomerania was divided between Sweden and Brandenburg, which at the beginning of the 18th century transformed itself into the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1720 the Prussians occupied all of Western Pomerania. A period of intensive germanization of these lands began, which lasted until the end of World War II. Gdansk Pomerania and Gdansk found themselves within the boundaries of Prussia as a result of the partitions of Poland between 1772 and 1793. This situation lasted until the end of World War I and the rise of Reborn Poland (1918). The 20-year Polish rule of this part of Pomerania was interrupted by a new German attack on September 1, 1939. After Germany's defeat in 1945, Poland returned to the Piast trails, taking over as a result of historical justice the entire region of Pomerania from Gdansk to Szczecin and beginning a new period of reconstruction and expansion of industry in towns and agriculture in villages. Through great translocations of population after World War II, a new society began to form in all of Pomerania, recovering the trails of its ancestors of more than a thousand years ago. This society, through heavy industry, developed agriculture, fishing and forestry, has been able to transform its land and raise it to a level that meets its high aspirations. Visiting Pomerania today, a land with a stormy history, irresistible charms of nature and a variety of tourist and recreation attractions, we hear the present-day voice of this land that more and more drowns out the tumult of the former wars brought here by the Danes and Brandenburgians, Teutonic Knights and Swedes, Prussians and French. This is the voice of sons who have returned to a peaceful home.

Pomerania Introduces Itself Now we will try to give you a picture of this land. To tell about the beauty of Polish islands at the mouth of the Odra and the bewitching lakes by which castle ruins whisper about the past. Wolin, an island separating the Bay of Szczecin from the Gulf of Pomerania, separated from the island of Uznam by the Swina straits. On the island, you can visit the town of Wolin, which developed from an ancient Slavic settlement. This place is said to have been the site of the legendary town of Wineta, which was drowned by the gods for its licentiousness. This place is also the seat of a Polish bishopric of 1140 and historic ruins of churches and remnants of defensive walls and an archaeological museum. In ancient Drawsko - Drahim - there are the ruins of a castle by a lake, which was a former defensive point on the lake isthmus, alongside the beautiful road from Czaplinek to Polczyn Zdroj (130 curves amid wooded hills). And here is Bialy Bor - a horse-riding centre and developing recreation spot between Miastko and Szczecinek. Here skimming through the vistas of the Szymbarskie Hills at the base of Wiezyca Hill a sledging cavalcade scatters snow from bearded spruces and lights the trail to a skiing inn. The region is alive with cultural events such as the Festival of Soldiers' Songs in Kolobrzeg. In Wdzydze Kiszewskie, we hear a different song, one with a regional Kashubian strain, and see a folk dance they perform to the sounds of a Kashubian instrument (burczybas). You can visit the Kashubian Ethnographic Park and the charming lakes of the Kashubian Lake District. Kartuzy, surrounded by lakes, a centre of regional culture, famous for its 14th century monastery; nearby is Kashubian Koscierzyna in Bedomin the Museum of the National Anthem, in the birthplace of its author, gen. Jozef Wybicki. Bytow with the Teutonic Knights' castle and a regional song and dance group. There is Cedynia, a former Piast town in the Odra valley, with ruins of a Cistercian monastery, a soldiers' monument, a battle site where the warriors of Mieszko I and Czcibor, Polish dukes, defeated the Margrave of Brandenburg Hodon in 972. In Czaplinek the historic relics seem to be an integral part of a large tourist and recreation centre. Gniew is associated with the victor at Vienna, John Sobieski, worth visiting are defensive walls, a castle, a palace, a charming market square with arcaded burghers' houses. On the sandy Hel Peninsula there are seaside resorts - Kuznica, Jurata, Jastarnia and Hel, a well-know fishing port, seat of a fishing museum as well as a reminder of the last Polish bastion in the September, 1939 fight with the Nazi invader. Kluki - a Skansen of Slovenian architecture. Rowokol, the "holy mountain of Pomeranians", towers over the former land of the Slowinians, full of legends and the mysteries that seen to envelop it. Nearby are the Smoldzino and Slowinski National Park, covering more than 18 thousand ha of dune, forest, water and peat environment and sandbars separating Lakes Lebsko and Gardno from the sea. Here wandering dunes (up to 50 m high) leave wilderness behind them, here one can feel as though on a real desert, with sand all the way to the horizon. Naklo, here is the beginning of the Bydgoszcz Canal that links the Odra (through the Warta, Notec, Brda) with the Vistula. Pila, an ancient forest settlement, today an important node of transportation. Within the limits of the town is a landscape reservation "Kuznik". And Miedwie, a large lake with recreational centres all around it, which is the source of drinking water for the city of Szczecin. Puck - associated with the beginnings of the Polish fleet after World War I. Wherever one looks on the map of northwest Poland - there is something tempting. For how can one omit Szczecinek with its numerous relics, which form an old fishing settlement developed into an important town? How can one leave out a pilgrimage to Sztutowo, where in the gloomy seaside landscape a Nazi concentration camp was concealed, the place of execution of 65 thousand people? How can one skip Swidwin and Swiecie, the health resort of Swinoujscie with ferry connections to Sweden, how can one fail to visit Tuchola which gave its name to famous forests? How can one by-pass the Pomeranian Bulwark, fragment of the famous Pommernstellung, where in 1945 hard battles were fought for the road to Berlin? Wiele, with an interesting Way of the Cross, an embroidery and lace-making centre, rings out with the speech and song of famous Kashubians who were born here - the poet and publicist H. Derdowski (1852-1902) and the story-teller and song-writer W. Rogala (1871-1958). And lost in the forests in Polczyn Zdroj with its sources of mineral waters. A vast diversity of landscapes. And how many famous people have linked their destiny with this land! Michal Mostnik (Pontanus) of Smoldzino, guardian of the speech of the Slovenians in the 18th century. The Pomeranian Erik, who in the first half of the 15th century held in one hand the sceptres of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, and later as the "last Viking of the Baltic" drank from the bitter cup of an exile on the island of Gotland to finally settle toward the end of his life in Darlowo and there rest for ever. Here also duke Boguslaw X the Great, husband of Anna the Jagiellon, daughter of the Polish King Kazimierz the Jagiellon, transferred the ducal seat from Kamien Pomorski to the flourishing 15th century Szczecin. Here also in 1729 in Szczecin was born duchess Sophia Augusta Anhalt-Zerbst, later Empress Catherine the Great. And at the other end of the coast in Gdansk, Constancia Kershenstein nee Czirenberg, who for her singing and painting talent was admired by 17th century Italian and French poets. There lived Joanna Schopenhauer nee Trosiner, mother of the famous philosopher Arthur, authoress of the charming "Recollections of Gdansk" and friend of the great Goethe. This list of famous people from Gdansk could be long extended. It would include the 17th century engraver Jeremiah Falck, who was famous in Paris, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Amsterdam, the great astronomer, creator of modern selenography, Jan Heweliusz (also 17th century), the Baroque sculptor and architect Andreas Schluter, the famous physicist Daniel Fahrenheit who lived on the turn of the 17th century, and the famous painter and illustrator Daniel Chodowiecki. Anyone who collects interesting bits of information and looks for exceptional moods may recall a prince of Gdansk (given this title after taking the city in 1807), Napoleon's marshal Joseph Leferve, who with his career brought glory to his carpenter father and his wife, the most famous washerwoman in the world - Madame Sans-Gene. North-west Poland, on whose landscape Man has written a rich and stormy history, therefore has something attractive for everyone throughout the entire year. For connoisseurs of architecture it is a rich treasure house. For lovers of seaside beaches and vacations by the sea is has long belts of white sands. For seekers of fishing and canoeing thrills there are rivers and rivers and lakes and lakes. For hunting enthusiasts - forests and forests. For lovers of folklore there is the bewitching beauty of Kashubian customs. Besides this, the region pulsates with the modernity of agricultural, industrial, and maritime activity, colouring its daily life with famous cultural events - from organ concerts in Kamien Pomorski and Oliwa to the piano competition in Slupsk and the song festival in Sopot. Of course, everyone will discover the charms and qualities of the Pomeranian land for himself.

Most important places of Pomerania And here are the most important places not only with respect to the wealth of relics that have collected in them throughout the centuries, but also with respect to their location, convenient for making excursions into interesting and beautiful surroundings.

Bydgoszcz. in the 13th century, was a fortified town and castellan's seat. Bydgoszcz was granted its town charter in 1346.Today, it is a provincial capital and an important bus and railway transportation junction. A canal between the Notec and Brda that links the Vistula with the Odra runs through this town. Bydgoszcz is a large industrial centre (chemical, machine, rubber, paper, radio, bicycle industries), scientific and cultural centre (Technical and Agricultural Academy, Higher Pedagogical School, National Music College, Medical Academy, scientific institutes, a philharmonic orchestra, opera, operetta, 2 theatres). Annual Festivals of Polish Music, every 3 years the international congresses Musica Antiqua Europae Orientalis. Among the relics, there is a late-Gothic 15th century parish church, church of the Clarists of the end of the 16th century, remnants of defensive walls, and riverside granaries. Tourists can admire The Leon Wyczolkowski Museum with the richest collection of the works of this great graphic artist and painter. In the Old Market Square, there is a huge monument to the victims of Nazism, an artificial ice-skating rink, and a rowing racecourse.

Chojnice. is a town near the large Lake Charzykowskie, it was a former frontier town of the Pomeranian dukes, captured in 1310 by the Teutonic Knights, yet regained in 1466. Today it is a sailing centre and a starting point for excursions to the Tucholskie Forests and the Krajenskie Lakeland Belt. Tourists can visit a regional museum, a 14th century Gothic parish church, a late 18th century Baroque church in the Jesuit College complex; the fragments of 14th century defensive walls with the Czluchowska Gate, and admire the performances of a local folk band.

Darlowo. is a town at the mouth of the Wieprza River, An ancient Slavic fishing settlement. From 1361 it belonged to the Hansa. A Pomeranian Dukes castle from the end of the 14th century. a fishing port, seaside resort, tourist centre. Town walls with a 14th century defensive gate. In the 14th century Gothic Marian church the sarcophagus of duke Erik (d. 1459), great grandson of the Polish King Kazimierz the Great. The Church of St. George (15th-16th century), late Gothic chapel of St. Gertrude. Seaside resort of the district of Darlowko.

Gdansk. is a provincial capital at the mouth of the Stagnant Vistula and Motlawa to the Baltic. The origins of Gdansk go back to the 10th century. The port of Gdansk is mentioned in 1148. It was deceitfully captured by the Teutonic Knights in 1308, yet regained in 1454. At the beginning of the second partition of Poland (1793), it was seized by Prussia to become a free city during the Napoleonic period (1807-1815). After the Congress of Vienna it was again taken by Prussia. In the years 1919-1939, it was a free city to be liberated in 1945 in battles that resulted in great destruction. Today it is a great commercial and ferry port (ferry connections to the FRG, Sweden, and Finland), an industrial (petrochemicals, chemicals, shipbuilding, metallurgy, electrotechnics, textiles), cultural (opera, philharmonic orchestra, theatres, numerous museums with the Central Marine Museum and National Museum), and scientific centre (university and 5 higher schools, scientific institutes, library of the Polish Academy of Sciences, scientific and cultural societies, seat of the Kashubian-Pomeranian Association), and a large tourist centre. The historic part of the town was rebuilt with great reverence, so now it is one of the richest and most lavish complexes of architectonic relics in Poland. Tourists should not miss the largest Gothic church (brick) in Poland of the Holy Virgin Mary (15th-16th century), the Church of St. Nicholas (14th century), a Baroque royal chapel (1678), the complex of defensive walls and towers, the Town Hall of the Main Town (rebuilt 15th century late Gothic), the Armoury (1602-05), Artus' Court (late Gothic interior with vaults on the columns), the Church of St. Catherine (14th century), the Preachers' House (15th-17th century), the Church of St. Brigida (14th-15th century), the Church of St. James (1432), St. Elizabeth (c. 1400), the Old Town Hall (1586-95), the Home of the Pelplin Abbots (1612), and the Franciscan monastery complex (15th-16th century), now a national museum, and the complex of defensive earthworks with towers. In the district of Oliwa, there is a late 13th century church (rebuilt many times), with the famous organ (annual Festival of Organ Music). Tourist can visit the palace of the Cistercian abbots (15th and 18th centuries) and walk in a landscape park that once belonged to the Cistercians. On the peninsula of Westerplatte, where the first shots of World War II were fired, there is a monument to the Defenders of the Coast; before the Gdansk Shipyard, a monument to the dockyard workers who fell in 1970..

Gdynia. is a town on the Bay of Gdansk. It had been a village till the 20th century. In 1922, the Parliament passed a law to build a port there and the town got its charter in 1926. Its inhabitants were famous for their heroic defence in September 1939. Together with Gdansk and Sopot it makes up an urban-port complex, the so-called Tri-City. Today it is a centre of the shipbuilding industry and the seat of the Higher Maritime School, Naval Academy, Marine Fishing Institute, Institute of Marine and Tropical Medicine. there are many sights worth visiting: the Oceanographic Museum and Marine Acquarium, the Museum-Sailing Ship "Dar Pomorza", and the Museum-Ship "Blyskawica". There is a port for yachts.

Grudziadz. is a town on the high, right bank of the Vistula; In the 10th century, it was a fortified town of the Chelminska Land, and a fortress in 1776. It has always been famous for its great complex of granaries colourfully located on the Vistula. Tourist can visit a mid-14th century Church of St. Nicholas, the abbey of the Benedictine nuns (now holds a regional museum, Gallery of Modern Pomeranian Painting), a Jesuit college (now the town hall), the church and monastery of the Order of the Reformati; the fragments of defensive walls, the Water Gate, and the Klimek castle hilltop with an observation point.

Kamien Pomorski. is a town on Kamienski Bay. In the 9th and 10th centuries, it was a port town of the Wolinianie. In the 12th century, it was the seat of Polish bishops and the former capital of Pomeranian dukes. Visiting the town, you should visit a historic urban complex: a late Romanesque-late Gothic basilica (12th-13th century), a late Gothic bishops' palace, the fragments of defensive walls with the Wolin Gate, and a 15th century town hall. Music lovers can hear weekly organ concerts in the cathedral, and annual festivals of organ and chamber music in the summer season. Patients can recuperate in a sanatorium in this health resort, which is also a spa. The attractive surroundings make the place ideal for tourists and anglers.

Kolobrzeg. is a commercial and fishing port at the mouth of the Parseta River. It was a fortified town in the 9th century, and the seat of a Polish bishopric in 1000. In the 14th century, it was a member of Hansa. The town received its charter from duke Warcislaw III in 1255. The Prussians transformed the town into a fortress, which also desperately defended itself in World War II; after fierce fighting, causing great destruction. The town was liberated by units of the First Polish Army. During the military actions, it was 90% destroyed, then rebuilt and expanded. Now it is a seaside resort and tourists can have a good time in a health spa. Some of them can undergo therapeutic treatments in numerous sanatoria or at a physical therapy clinic that treats respiratory, circulatory, rheumatic, internal secretion and metabolic disorders. Others can visit the few historic relics that have been preserved: a 14th century Gothic collegiate church, a 15th century burgher's house, and the Gun Powder Tower. In the immediate vicinity, there are seaside resorts in Ustronie Morskie and Dzwirzyno.

Koszalin. is a provincial capital with its town charter going back to 1266. it has always competed with Kolobrzeg in maritime commerce. The town was rebuilt and expanded after wartime destruction. Today it is a scientific and cultural centre with an engineering college, many theatres.. and the Festival of Polonia Choirs held every three years. Visitors should not miss a 14th century Gothic cathedral, a 17th century presbytery, old burghers' houses, and fragments of defensive walls. There is an airport for tourists' convenience. In the vicinity, they can practise water sports in Lake Jamno, cut off from the Baltic by a sandy spit on which there are the seaside resorts of Mielno and Uniescie.

Leba. is a town by the mouth of the Leba River to the sea, between lakes Lebsko and Sarbsko. It is a large seaside resort with a magnificent sandy beach. The River Leba links several lakes into a convenient route for canoe races. There is a fishing port and a passenger landing-stage. The large camping-site "Intercamp '84" is popular with foreigners because it was there that in 1984 the International Camping and Caravaning Jamboree was held.

Malbork. is a town on the eastern arm of the Vistula - Nogat delta. In 1274, the Teutonic Knights began the construction of a castle here (Marienburg). In 1276, the settlement beside the castle received its town charter. After its incorporation into Poland in 1466, it became a voivodeship capital. From 1772 onwards it was under Prussian occupation. Between 1940 and 1945, there was a camp for war prisoners here (Stalag XX B), in which there were more than 30 thousand prisoners of various nationalities. Captured as a fortress in fierce fighting and with tremendous destruction, today it has been rebuilt. Today, it is still river port but the town is a large tourist centre because of the large castle complex is one of the largest medieval defensive systems in Europe. The High Castle is surrounded by a wall, with an arcaded courtyard refectory, capitulatory and chapel of the Holy Virgin Mary and the Golden Gate. The Middle Castle contains the Great Refectory, the palace of the Great Master and the chapel of St. Bartholomew. The Low Castle with many gates and towers houses an armoury and the Church of St. Lawrence. The Castle Museum exhibits archaeological collections concerning the history of the castle, and a fine collection of amber. In the town, there is a Gothic town hall, a Gothic mill, the parish church of St. John (15th century),and the Hospital of Jerusalem (16th-17th centuries).

Miedzyzdroje. is a town on the island of Wolin on the Baltic. It was first mentioned in the 12th century, once the settlement was called Zelazo and belonged to the bishops of Kamien. In the 16th century, there was a customs-house. Today, Miedzyzdroje is a seaside resort, where tourists can get acquainted with the exhibits of the Natural History Museum of the Wolin National Park. They can also enjoy excursions in pleasure boats form the pier. Some who are more adventurous can climb "Mount" Gosan (alt 95m), the highest point on the Polish coast.

Pelpin. is a town on the Wierzyca River. As early as 1274, it was the seat of a Cistercian abbey. In the years 1308-1466, Pelplin fell into the hands of the Teutonic Knights. From 1772 onwards the town was under Prussian occupation. In 1824, it became the seat of the bishopric of Chelmno. The region has always been a centre of the Polish national movement. Town got its charter in 1931. Tourists keen on ecclesiastical architecture will admire a Gothic Cistercian monastery complex; a church (from 1824 a cathedral) from the turn of the 13th century, with a rich interior; a Gothic parish church, and a few historic houses of the 19th century. In the Diocesan Museum, there is a unique copy of the Gutenberg Bible. On the other hand, music lovers will find The Pelplin Tabulatur for organ very interesting because it is one of the most voluminous hand-written musical relics of the 17th century in Europe. It was discovered in the library of the theological seminary in 1957.

Pyrzyce is a town lying on the most fertile region of Western Pomerania. It was an old Slavic town, probably a centre of the Prisani tribe, mentioned by a chronicler in the 9th century. In 1124, Otto of Bamberg performed the first mass baptism of Pomeranians here. During World War II, the town was destroyed in 80%. The preserved defensive walls (Szczecin Gate, Owl's Tower, Ice Tower, Gun Powder Tower) are a magnificent example of medieval fortifications. The centre of the medieval district is in the shape of a heart. Visitors should not miss the church of St. Maurice dating from the 13th-15th centuries, Banska Gate, Monk's Tower, Drunk's Tower, and half-timbered houses of the 18th-19th centuries. Those tourists who are fascinated by legends can walk to Chramowe Hill, where the was a legendary pagan temple of the Prisani; the catch basin where the baptism took place.

Slupsk is a provincial capital on the Slupia River in the central part of the coast. It was an ancient Slavic fortified settlement. In the 14th century, it was seized by Brandenburg. The town received its charter in 1310 and was regained by the Western Pomeranian dukes only to be given over in exchange to the Teutonic Knights, and then it was repurchased. Till 1630, it was in the possession of the Western Pomeranian dukes. In 1653, it passed under the rule of the Hehenzollerns. Despite germanization, the vicinity of Slupsk retained its Slavic character to the 19th century. There are a number of interesting that tourist should see: the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes on the Slupia River (beginning of the 14th century, rebuilt in the 16th century), now a Museum of Central Pomerania with historical and ethnographic collections and also a gallery of modern painting with a rich collection of the works of S. Ignacy Witkiewicz (Witkacy). Nearby, there is a castle mill, one of the oldest relics of industrial architecture in Poland. In the town itself tourists can visit the Mill Gate, Witches' Tower, a Gothic chapel of St. George, the New Gate, the fragments of town walls from the 15th century, and a Gothic church of the Dominicans (1278) rebuilt in the 14th century to the castle church with tombs of duchess Anna de Croy (sister of duke Boguslaw XIV) and her son. Cultural life in the city is animated by the performances staged at a dramatic theatre and a doll theatre as well as a travelling folk theatre. Music lovers attend the Annual Festival of Young Polish Pianists.

Stargard Szczecinski is a town on the right tributary of the Odra - Ina. It was mentioned in 1124. Its town charter dates from 1253. Stargard Szczecinski belonged to the Hansa and it competed with Szczecin in the grain trade. Till 1720 it was the capital of Brandenburg Pomeranian Dukes. During the last war, there was a prisoner of war camp Stalag II D. The town was badly damaged during the fighting, then rebuilt and expanded. The list of the town's interesting sites includes a number of places such as: the Church of the Most Holy Virgin Mary of the end of the 13th century, the Church of St. John the Baptist (15th century). Tourists interested in defensive medieval architecture can see the remnants of defensive walls with gates and towers from the 13th century, and a 16th century armoury. There are also many Baroque buildings - a guardhouse and Municipal Weights and Measures, the Klatzan House (15th-16th century), and "New Exchange" House (16th century).

Sopot. is a town lying between Gdynia and Gdansk. It developed from a fishing village. From 1772 it was under Prussian occupation, while in the years 1919-39 within the limits of the Free City of Gdansk. Today, the town of Sopot is famous at home and abroad thanks to the annual International Song Festival held in the Forest Opera. Performances shown on the small- audience stage of the "Wybrzeze" Theatre of Gdansk are important cultural events both for the town's inhabitants and the visitors. There are many classical palaces and villas in the Secessionist style. There is a horse-racing course, a spa park, and the longest pier on the Baltic (512 m). Due to its a coastal harbour the town can be a centre of water skiing in the summer. With many marked tourist trails in the neighbouring wooded hills and a ski lift, Sopot has become a tourist and recreation spot in the winter as well. The town is also a health spa, where those suffering from motor impairments and rheumatic diseases can benefit from balneotherapeutic treatment of salt and mud baths.

Szczecin. is a provincial capital on the Odra, its eastern arm the Regalica River and Lake Dabie. Originally, it was an ancient Slavic settlement. From the 14th century it was the capital of the West Pomeranian Duchy. Then, it was occupied by the Swedes, the Brandenburgians, then by Prussia (1720). In the years 1806-13, it was under French occupation. In the 19th-20th century the town rapidly developed economically, and there was a large influx of Poles from Pomerania and Wielkopolska. Numerous Polish organisations were formed which were also very active during the interwar period. It was liberated in 1945. After the destruction of World War II, it was rebuilt and considerably expanded. Today it is an important transport junction. Together with Swinoujscie, Szczecin forms a large port, fishing and shipping complex. There are road and rail frontier crossings and an airport. Four theatres and a philharmonic orchestra form the centre of the town's cultural life. Szczecin is a centre of science, too. Besides many scientific societies, there are a number of schools of higher learning: a university, a medical academy, an engineering college, an agricultural academy, and the Higher Maritime School. There are exceptionally many green areas of which the best known are: The Goleniowska Forest, Wkrzanska Forest and Bukowa (Spruce). Forests encroach upon the town limits, which along with numerous water springs and hills make Szczecin an extremely attractive recreation spot for tourists. They will also find much to see in the town itself e.g. the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes (14th-16th centuries) with a square-shaped courtyard, a crypt with the Seven Cloaks, the remnants of defensive walls of the 13th and 14th century, and a 13th century town hall. There are many examples of ecclesiastic architecture: the Gothic parish church of St. James (14th century), the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul (15th century), an 18th century Baroque palace, the Small and Large Granary (15th century), and the Loitz Banking house (16th century),

Ustka is a town on the mouth of the Slupia to the Baltic. It developed from a fishing settlement with the original name of Ujsc. Although it was first mentioned in 1310, the town got its charter in 1945. After World War II, it was considerably expanded. Today it is a fishing port, where there are a number of historic 18th and 19th century houses. Its proximity to the seashore is the reason why the town has become a popular seaside resort and a recreation centre.