Bory Tucholskie National Park

Bory Tucholskie National Park (also known as Park Narodowy Bory Tucholskie in Polish, Nôrodny Park Tëchòlsczé Bòrë in Kashubian) is a 46.1 km² park located in the southwestern part Pomeranian Voivodeship, in Poland. It's part of Tuchola Forest, the largest woodland of Poland, and is surrounded by a larger protected area, being the center Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve designated by UNESCO in 2010. Despite having its name, Tuchola (in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship) isn't part of this National Park.

How do I arrive to Bory Tucholskie National Park?

  Bory Tucholskie is very close to Chojnice, that is quite well communicated with other places in Pomeranian Voivodeship and West Pomeranian Voivodeship. 

• Train: Chojnice is connected with frequent trains to Szczecinek (aprox. 1 hour 10 minutes), Kościerzyna (aprox. 1 hour 20 minutes), Tczew (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes) and Gdańsk (aprox. 2 hours 10 minutes).
• Bus: there are some buses to Bydgoszcz (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes) and some other important towns and cities.
• Car: having a car, Chojnice can be reached from many places in Pomerania like Człuchów (aprox. 15 minutes), Debrzno (aprox. 30 minutes), Czarne (aprox. 40 minutes), Bytów (aprox. 55 minutes), Kartuzy (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes) in the Kashubian Landscape Park, Słupsk (aprox. 1 hour 40 minutes) or Gdańsk (aprox. 1 hour 40 minutes). It can also be reached from places in like Szczecinek (aprox. 1 hour) in West Pomerania and Bydgoszcz (aprox. 1 hour 20 minutes) in Kujawy-Pomerania.

History

Chojnice was founded around 1205 in Gdańsk Pomerania, a duchy ruled at the time by the Samborides (appointed governors of the province by Bolesław III Wrymouth of Poland) and first appears in written documents in 1275. In 1309 the Teutonic Knights took over the town, and Chojnice became part of the State of the Teutonic Order. Under Winrich von Kniprode the defensive capabilities were improved and textile production flourished. During the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War, in 1410 the town was briefly occupied by Polish troops. In 1440 the town joined temporally the Prussian Confederation and in 1454 King Casimir IV Jagiellon re-incorporated the territory to the Kingdom of Poland, losing the Battle of Chojnice to the Teutonic Order. After the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) the town became again part of Poland, being an important center of cloth production in Poland. In the 16th century the city council accepted the Protestant Reformation officially and Protestants took over the parish church, having religious freedom in the city since 1555. During the Second Northern War the Battle of Chojnice (1656) was fought and cloth production declined as a result of the Swedish invasion.After the first partition of Poland the town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1772 and it was subject to anti-Polish policies (Chojnice experienced the heaviest Germanisation in the Prussian partition of Poland). Some Polish students joined the Polish uprisings of 1830 and 1863 in the Russian Partition of Poland. In 1868 the town was connected to the railway network, improving industrial development quite considerably. After the Treaty of Versailles, Chojnice was re-integrated into the Second Polish Republic and during the Nazi German many Poles and Jews were murdered. In 1945 the Red Army captured the town, damaging heavily the town center (reconstructed after WW2). Bory Tucholskie National Park was created in 1996.
 

What can I visit in Chojnice?

These are many things to do in Bory Tucholskie National Park (3zł/ 1.50zł  adults/ reduced), explained now according to the town where they are or the nearest one:     

• Chojnice (Konitz in German, Chònice in Kashubian): 39,937 inhabitants town near Tuchola Forest particularly known for its brick-Gothic Old Town specially around the main square (Stary Rynek), although it's a quite under the radar destination.
  
  • Chojnice Town Hall: Neo-Gothic building that was built in the early-20th century in Stary Rynek tosatisfy the expanding needs of Chojnice, was built at the beginning of the 20th century in the northern part of the Market Square. Its red-brick facade has modernist decoration.
  • Stary Rynek: main square in Chojnice that used to be used as market square. On it there's the beautiful Fountain of Chojnice.
  • Museum of History and Ethnography in Chojnice (10-17 Tue-Fri, 11-16 Sun from Jul to Aug; 10-17 Tue and Thu, 10-13 Fri-Sun and Wed Sep and Jun; 8zł/ 6zł/ free  adults/ retiree, students/ kids under 4 and retiree over 75): museum located at Człuchowska Gate (one of the towers of the walls of Chojnice, that date back to the 14th century) that show the archeology of southern Pomerania, history of the city of Chojnice and the region, ethnography of southern Kashubia, Pomeranian and Polish art and special collections with a Pomeranian book collection. Temporary exhibitions are prepared too. 
  • Zwiastowania Najświętszej Maryi Panny Catholic Church: Baroque style church linked to a Jesuit school founded in 1623. It has a nice façade and inside there's a beautiful altarpiece.
    
  • Basilica of Ścięcia of St. Jana Chrzciciela (10-18 Tue-Sun): Brick Gothic church built in the 14th century, being the oldest church in Chonice. It was damaged and rebuilt after a fire in 1657 and all the glass paintings were destroyed in 1939. The walls of the nave are decorated with polychromy and paintings, some of them by Herman Han (buried in the crypts) and its main altar is Neo-Gothic. The most spectacular part of the church is the choir, whose windows are decorated with stained glass. Its only remaning chapel is copy of the Beautiful Madonna of Toruń.
  • Along the town there are still some gates and remains of Chojnice Walls. It can be a good idea to walk along the town and see how they have been integrated into the modern Chojnice.
• In the village of Charzykowy (Charzëkòwë in Kashubian, Müskendorf in German), a small town of 1,885 inhabitants where the Visitor Center of Bory Tucholskie National Park (7:30-15:30 Mon-Fri) is located, there' a short Botanical Trail (0.6 km), that allows to discover the nature of the park for people who can't visit it. It's accesible for people using wheelchair.
• The most important lakes in the national park are Karsińskie Lake and Charzykowskie Lake, being popular agro-tourism destinations and the latter is the birthplace of Polish inland yachting.
  
• The National has some trails to learn about the nature of the National Park. Some of the most important ones are: Józefowskie Meadows Educational Trail (5.3 km), route that leads through various eco-systems like the forest, meadow and the lake; Piła Młyn Educational Trail (5.7 km), path that visit some of the most attractive areas of the Park like Napoleon Cross, Płęsno Lake, Skrzynka Lake and Charzykowskie Lake; Wielkie Gacno Lake Educational Trail (6 km), longest trail where lobelia lakes can be discovered, being the best place to get acquainted of the flora and fauna of the forest, dune and lakes, particulary Wielkie Gacno Lake.
• For people interested in longer trails,a good idea is the Kashubian Trail (54.6 km) that connects Chojnice with Wiele. There are also routes for bikes such as Bory Tucholskie Bike Route (20 km).
  
• Brusy (Brusë in Kashubian, Bruß in German): a 5,172 inhabitants town in the northern part of the National Park that was an important center of the Kashubian movement.
  • Wszystkich Świętych Catholic Church: Neo-Romanesque church designed by Adolf Dankert in the 1870s designed by Adolf Dankert. It's home of an interesting 17th century Baroque altar (from the previous wooden temple) and an organ from Frankfurt an der Oder (1880).
  • Kashubian Cottage Museum (open on request): museum placed in a building design in the Kashubian style with a collection of old everyday objects, monuments of utility technology. In addition some temporary exhibitions are organized.
    
• Czersk (Czérskò in Kashubian, Czersk in German): 10,008 inhabitants town located in the eastern part of the national park.
  
  • St. Marii Magdaleny Catholic Church: Neo-Gothic style church designed by Oskar Hossfeld in red-brick and inagurated in 1913. Its interior has beam ceilings covered with polychrome, two choirs, two sacristies and stained glass windows and crystal chandeliers. It also has a Baroque altar from 1611, originally placed in Pelplin cathedral, with a painting by Herman Han.
  • Czersk Town Hall: Modernist town hall built with Neo Gothic features around 1926, having a bay and topped with a gable too.
  • Only 10 km east from Czersk there's Czarna Woda (Czôrnô Wòda in Kashubian, Schwarzwasser in German), a town with 2,841 inhabitants on the river Wda and it's a popular place for water sport lovers. It can be a curious experience to explore Matki Bożej Częstochowskiej Catholic Church, a modern church finished in 1982.
    

Wielkie Gacno Lake

Museum of History and Ethnography in Chojnice

Człuchów Castle

Outside Chojnice, going 15 km west, it can be found Człuchów (Schlochau in German, Człëchòwò in Kashubian), with 13,869 inhabitants. Człuchów remained in Germany after the Treaty of Versailles (1919) although it was a border zone with the Second Polish Republic because the Polish Corridor began 10 km east of the town. One of its highlights is Człuchów Castle, a Brick Gothic castle built by the Teutonic Order in the 14th century where finding Człuchów Regional Museum (10-18 Tue-Sun from May to Sep; 8-16 Mon-Fri from Oct to Apr; 10zł/ 6zł  adults/ retiree and students), museum that displays archaeological objects, a model of the original castle, weapongs, regional fauna and flora and the development of craft guilds in Człuchów. Around the castle there's the charming Lasek Luizy, a park created after the Prussian Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz stopped here and was attracted by the beauty of the site. Another of the interesting sights are St. Jakuba Apostoła Catholic Church, church that was first built in the 13th century and that has been modified with time, having Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque decoration. Its main attractions are the Baroque altarpieces dedicated to Jakuba Apostoła and to Jezusa Ukrzyżowanego from 1660.

Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Maryi Panny Church

Continuing on the way 20 km, in the border with Greater Poland Voivodeship, there's the town of Debrzno (Preußisch Friedland in German, Frédląd in Kashubian), 5,152 inhabitants, a historic place in the border with the voivodeship of Greated Poland and a center for water sports enthusiasts. Debrzno has a very nice church, Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Maryi Panny Catholic Church, a Neo-Gothic church built in the 1890s that has older furnishings like a Renaissance altar, a Baroque confessional and a painting, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, attributed to Herman Han. All over the town there are still remains of the Debrzno Walls, in Brick Gothic style. In case of going 35 km west, in the border with the voivodeship of West Pomerania there's Czarne (Hammerstein in German, Czôrné in Kashubian), 5,983 inhabitants. Here it can be seen the beautiful Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Maryi Panny Catholic Church, church was built in 1757 in a mixture of Baroque and Rococo styles. Its exterior has a tower, a Baroque dome and half-timbered wall while the interior has a rich Baroque furnishing, stone Gothic baptismal font and a rare and beautiful is the altar frontage made of multi-colored kurdyban. Another interesting place is Czarne Castle, ruins of the perimeter walls of a castle built by the Teutonic Order and used by all the empires and kingdoms that conquered the area until the Partitions of Poland (1830), when the Prussian authorities demolished most of the castle (another part was demolished during Polish People's Republic) and von Livonius family erected a new Neo-Gothic palace. The town has a nice cemetery from WW1 too.

Where can I do and eat in Chojnice?

Chojnice has some places where eating tasty food like the bakery Cukernia Sowa (Młyńska 2), the bar Pasibrzuch (Józefa Piłsudskiego 22), the restaurant FOSA (Grobelna 3) or Gościniec (Igły 1).

Posted in: Europe,Poland,Pomerania