Inowrocław

Inowrocław, often referred to as the capital of Western Kujawy is one of the largest towns in Kujawsko-Pomorskie province. Situated on the Inowrocław Plain and the historical Piast Route, close to river routes, the town is cut through in the south by the River Noteć, connecting Inowrocław with the basins of the Vistula and the Odra. 

Inowrocław  attempts to combine the functions of a health resort with an extensive system of sanatoriums with those of an economic centre, making use of rich resources found under the town and in its outskirts.  The oldest mention of Inowrocław in historical records, under the Latin name of Novus Wladislaw, dates back to 1185.

The document was issued for a bishop of Kujawy and presented Inowrocław as a market town, enjoying a special role thanks to a nearby saltworks. In the Roman times the town was a stop on the Amber Route, a trade route connecting[CQ1]  the south of Europe with the Baltic coast.

Historical monuments in the town

The Blessed Virgin Mary Church at Bpa Laubitza 9

The church, traditionally called the „Ruin”, is the oldest and the most valuable gem of architecture, erected at the end of the 12th century. Its notable features include a Gothic sculpture of the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus and a unique collection of reliefs carved in stone blocks, depicting heads, crosses and magical symbols, which made the church famous in Poland.

The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church at Plebanka 10

The neo-Romanesque church with its prominent 77-metre bell tower was built in 1898 – 1900. It has a rich sculpted interior, referring to Polish national traditions. The main decorative element is a golden mosaic conveying religious and national messages through figurative scenes. Cardinal Józef Glemp was baptised in the church.

The St. Nicholas Church at Gordona 4

The church was founded by Kazimierz I, a duke of Kujawy, about 1250. Destroyed by knights of the Teutonic Order, the church was rebuilt in 1431. It houses a number of sacred art relics, predominantly in the Baroque and Rococo style, and the St. Cross altar from the 15th[CQ2]  century.  In 1397 in the church Queen Hedwig foretold Teutonic knights their defeat at Grundwald (1410). In 1860 Jan Kasprowicz, one of the most eminent Polish poets, was baptised in the church.

Defensive walls at Kilińskiego and Poznańska

Two fragments of Medieval defensive walls have remained up to the present day. Built after 1431 they were to protect the town against a future invasion of Teutonic knights. The walls were one of the earliest form of Polish fortifications designed to withhold artillery fire. Their total length was 1,600 metres.

The St. Barbara and St. Maurice Church at Al. Kopernika 16

The church was built in 1927-1929 in the Neo-Byzantine style, as a garrison church. It was laid out on a cruciform (Greek cross), whereas the interior hints at the Classic revival. The church is topped with a dome in the shape of a soldier’s helmet with a lantern in the centre. Inside the church there are numerous plaques commemorating events from the latest history, important for the residents of the region.

Królowej Jadwigi Street in Inowrocław

The main street in the town centre, colloquially called „Królówka”, is the oldest traffic and trade route of the town. The buildings are mainly from the late 19th and the early 20th century, then inhabited by well-established middle class townspeople. Today, the street is the centre of business and social life.

Solankowa Street in Inowrocław

Since its planning in the 19th century, the street has maintained elite characteristics. It connects the spa with the town centre and features a lot of tenement houses built in a number of historical styles, fashionable at the time. You can find traces of the Italian, French or Netherlandish Renaissance, as well as of the English Gothic and Neo-classicism.