Tczew

Tczew (Dirschau in German, Dërszewò in Kashubian) is a 60,257 inhabitants city on river Vistula in eastern part of the voivodeship of Pomerania, in Poland. It's the capital of Tczew County amd of the ethnocultural region of Kociewie. It played a key role in the Invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany during World War II.

How do I arrive to Tczew?

  Tczew is one of the largest towns and cities in Pomeranian Voivodeship and it's an important junction so it's quite well communicated. 

• Train: there are frequent trains to Malbork and Pruszcz Gdański (aprox. 10 minutes), to Pelplin (aprox. 20 minutes), to Gdańsk (aprox. 20 minutes), Starogard Gdański (aprox. 25 minutes), Chojnice (close to Bory Tucholskie National Park) and Kwidyn (aprox. 1 hour 30 minutes), Toruń (aprox. 2 hours 30 minutes) or to Warsaw (aprox. 2.5 hours).
• Bus: there are buses to the most important neighbouring cities and towns.
• Car: if you rented a car, Tczew can be reached from many places in the voivodeship of Pomerania voivodeship like Pelplin (aprox. 20 minutes); Malbork and Pruszcz Gdański (aprox. 25 minutes); Gniew, Starogard Gdański and Skarszewy (aprox. 30 minutes); Gdańsk (aprox. 40 minutes), Nowy Dwór Gdański (aprox. 40 minutes) and Kartuzy (aprox. 1 hour) at Kashubian Landscape Park. It can also be reached from Elbląg (aprox. 50 minutes) in the voivodeship of Warmia-Masuria.

History

Tczew was first mentioned in a document by Pomeranian Duke Grzymisław and around 1200 Sambor I (Duke of Pomerania) built a fortress here. Pomeranian Duke Sambor II moved his residence form Lubiszewo Tczewskie to Tczew and in 1260 it was granted town rights (the only case in Poland for a city council to be established before granting city rights). Craft and trade developed and there was a port on the Vistula and part of Poland until 1308. Following the Treaty of Soldin (1309) Tczew was purchased by Teutonic Knights and the towns people were expelled. After the Polish victory in the Battle of Grunwald (1410) it was briefly recaptured by Poland and in 1440 the town joined the Prussian Confederation, opposing Teutonic Order's rule. After the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) Tczew was reincorporated to Poland. During the Protestant Reformation most of town's inhabitants converted to Lutheranism andIn 1626 it was occupied by king Gustav II Adolf of Sweden. The region was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia during the First Partition of Poland (1772), being part of the Province of West Prussia. During the Napoleonic Wars it was captured by Polish troops but became Prussian again in 1815, with the Polish inhabitants undergoing a forced Germanization. The town became part of the German Empire in 1871. After Poland regained independence Tczew became part of the so-called Polish Corridor in the re-established Polish state, being a cultural center for the German minority in Poland.Tczew is said to be the location where WW2 (although this is disputed) began and during the German occupation of Poland the Polish population was subjected to repressions, expulsions and murder. After the war it was one of the most damaged cities of Gdańsk Pomerania, with none of its remaining factories capable of production and German residents were dispossessed and expelled. Currently, there are several companies in the electrical industry and machine building.
 

What can I visit in Tczew?

Tczew isn't a very touristic place but there are still some things to do here and its location is perfect to explore the area. At some Plac Józefa Hallera historic townhouses have been preserved.

These are Tczew's main attractions:

• St. Stanisława Kostki Catholic Church: 14th century church built in Brick Gothic style with a characteresitic octagonal tower. It was first used by the Dominica Order and after the dissolution of it, the church was rebuilt into a school then used by Lutherans until 1945. Its interior has been partially preserved from the end of the 17th century, has valuable stained glass windows installed here after WW2 and very good acoustics.
• Podwyższenia Krzyża Świętego Catholic Church: church first built in the 13th century, regarded as the oldest building in Tczew. It features a Baroque interior and brick tower is the oldest part of the church and its wooden top was destroyed during the fire in 1982. The interior church walls feature old frescoes, the oldest of which dates back to the latter half of the 15th century. 
• Tczew Old Town Hall: Neo-Gothic town hall located in the center of Old Town, destroyed during the fire in 1916. Only the outline of the former town hall can be seen and the new town hall was built in the early 20th century.
• National Nautical Museum of Poland: Vistula Museum (10-16 Tue-Sun; 6zł/  4zł  adults/ reduced): museum, located in the building of the pre-war Agricultural Machines Factory Arkona, that shows objects illustrating commercial aspects of sailing along the Vistula. This exhibition reminds the value that Vistula river had for Polish trade between the 15th and 18th centuries and includes boats and rafts used to transport grain and timber product. There's a combined ticket that includes both branches of the National Nautical Museum of Poland in Tczew (8zł/  5zł  adults/ reduced).
  
• National Nautical Museum of Poland: Shipwreck Conservation Center (10-16 Tue-Sun; 6zł/  4zł  adults/ reduced): museum that shows archaeological objects as boats, their parts or debris, exhibited together with historical yachts and a collection of kayaks, and a conservation workshop, where objects recovered from archaeological sites are preserved and restored or reconstructed. 
  
• Dutch Windmill of Tczew: wooden windmill built in 1806 rebuilt in 1950. This unusual constrution has five sails and a rotary head.
  
• Tczew Local Park: big park (with an area of 15 ha) that has a lot of trees and an amphitheater with a concert shell. In the entrance there's monument commemorating the scouts from Tczew who died in World War II.
  
• St. Józefa Catholic Church: Modernist brick church built in th 1930s.
• Tczew Bridge: railway bridge over the Vistula River built in 1891 (destroyed and rebuilt after WW2). It's part of the railway line that connects Warsaw and Gdańsk, currently beingthe longest railway bridge in Poland.

Interior of Podwyższenia Krzyża Świętego Church

National Nautical Museum of Poland: Vistula Museum

St. Michała Archanioła Catholic Church

There are plenty of things to do around Tczew that can perfectly be done on a day trip from here. One of them is visiting Skarszewy (Skarszewò in Kashubian, Schöneck in Westpreußen in German), a picturesque town with 7,103 inhabitants located 25 km east from Tczew. Some nickname it as the Pearl of Pomerania because its very well preserved old town. One of its main sightseeing points is St. Michała Archanioła Catholic Church, a 14th century church in Brick Gothic style with Baroque and Rococo furnishings and interesting mementoes of the Wybicki family. Another important sightseeing points is St. Maksymiliana Marii Kolbego Catholic Church, a Neo-Gothic church from 1881 (that was Lutheran till 1945) on the site of the legendary church erected by the citizens of Gdańsk within 24 hours in 1741. The visitor can learn more about Skarszewy visiting Skarszewy Museum, a small collection that exhibits the history of Skarszew from the Stone Age to the years of WW2, having the oldest beer bottle with a label and pack of tobacco of Poland. The town has Remains of Skarszwey Walls, significant fragments of city walls from the 14th century that constitutes one of the most magnificent defensive structure from the Middle Ages in Gdańsk Pomerania.

Museum of the Kociewie Region in a tower of the walls

Going south, 25 km southwest from Tczew, it can be found Starogard Gdański (Preußisch Stargard in German, Starogarda in Kashubian), a town with 48,136 inhabitants and an interesting old town. Some of its highlights are visiting St. Mateusza Catholic Church, a Brick Gothic church built in the 14th century. (widely considered the oldest church in the city) with some nice decortation and a surprising fresco from the 15th century; Starogard Gdański Town Hall, a colourful Neo-Gothic building set on the remains of the old town hall destroyed during the Polish-Swedish War; Museum of the Kociewie Region, small museum where the visitor can learn about the culture and art Kociewie; Wiechertów Palace, an eclectic palace in Jugendstil style that belonged to Wiechert family since Franciszek Wiechert bought it in 1871; St. Katarzyny Catholic Church, a Neo-Gothic church built in 1802 on the foundations of a medieval church, and Starogard Gdański Synagogue, a Neo-Gothic style synagogue that was richly decorated and now is a department store. The town still keeps some of the towers of the walls and the Remains of Starogard Gdański Walls.

Pelplin Catholic Cathedral

In the case of going south 22 km it can be reached Pelplin (Pôłplëno in Kashubian), with 8,320 inhabitants and listed as a Historic Monument of Poland. This town is mostly know because of Pelplin Catholic Cathedral (8:30-10 and 16-17 Mon-Fri; 8zł/ 6zł/ 4zł  adults/ retiree/ students and kids under 18), a Brick Gothic cathedral located in a former Cistercian abbey that is the seat of the Diocese of Pelplin. The abbey was founded in 1258 by the Duke of Pomerania Sambor II and was dissolved by the Prussian government in 1823, becoming since then a cathedral. It's one of the largest Brick Gothic buildings in whole Poland and has 15th to 18th centuries decoration, including a monumental 25m altar, a series of side altars, a pulpit and an organ. Very close to it is located the Diocesan Museum of Pelplin (9:30–16:30 Mon-Sat, 11:30-16:30 Sun; 8zł/ 6zł/ 4zł  adults/ retiree/ students and kids under 18), a museum with one of the finest collections of medieval art in Poland, having one of the only 48 copies of Gutenberg Bible and Pelplin Tabulature, one of the most valuable and extensive musical instruments of 17th century. There's a combined ticket for both monuments (12zł/ 9zł/ 6zł  adults/ retiree/ students and kids under 18). The town also has Bożego Ciała Catholic Church, a Brick Gothic church built around 1417 surrounded by a cemetery with preserved graves from the 19th and 20th centuries, and there's a Neoclassical palace that is the residence of the Bishop of Pelplin, Pelplin Bishop Palace.

Gniew Castle

Close to river Vistula, 15 km far from Pelplin, it can be found Gniew (Mewe in German, Gniéw in Kashubian), a town with 6,870 inhabitants with a good preserved old town. Its most popular sightseeing point is Gniew Castle, a spectacular castle built by the Teutonic Order after 1290 that was give to Poland after the Second Peace of Thorn (1466), been expanded and rebuilt several times since then. In front of it is located Marysieńka Palace, a 17th century palace built by John III Sobieski for his wife Maria Kazimiera that currently has Neo-Gothic features and houses a hotel. The town preserves Gniew Town Hall, a Brick Gothic building was built between the 14th and 15th centuries and rebuilt in the 20th century. Another of the highlights of Gniew is St. Mikołaja Catholic Church, a 14th century church built in Brick Gothic style with many altarpieces and chapels.

Where can I eat in Tczew?

There are some recommended places to eat in Tczew such as the restaurants Hacjenda (Armii Krajowej 50), MonBlanc (Armii Krajowej 85) or the restaurant and pizzeria YOU (Plac Generała Józefa Hallera 20).

Posted in: Europe,Poland,Pomerania