Let?s meet with history, famous Poles and nature.
Here, the works of nature and man have been coexisting for centuries. The Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship is a land of health, health resorts with centuries-old traditions and active tourism. Historically, the region is created by the lands of Chełmno, Dobrzyń, Michałowo, Kujawy and Pomerania. It is also easy to isolate the ethnographical region of Pałuki (the land of Żnin and Kcynia) with lakes, forests and hills accompanied by the traditional folklore. Folk artists and folklore bands are resiliently operating here. Tourists associate the Kujawy and Pomerania Region with such old cities like Bydgoszcz, Toruń, Włocławek, Inowrocław, Grudziądz, Chełmno and Brodnica where the historic monuments in their old towns neighbour with the pulsating modernity. This land was the cradle of the Polish statehood with such ancient settlements like in Kruszwica, Biskupin, Strzelno and Mogilno. Bydgoszcz is the biggest city of the Voivodeship. It is picturesquely located by the River Brda, Bydgoszcz Canal and the Vistula River on its edge. It features the charming old town district by the Brda River with gothic temples and the district of painters called ?Bydgoska Wenecja? (the Venice of Bydgoszcz) where its old tenement houses reflect in the river current. Bydgoszcz is also famous of its art nouveau historical monuments and famous theatre stages, such as the Nova Opera House. Myślęcinek features the Forest Park of Culture and Recreation which offers many attractions for children and adults, such as a historical train for tourists. Toruń, the home city of all-time astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus (born here in 1473) is a vivid reserve of gothic architecture included in the UNESCO List. Panorama of the church towers, granaries and tenement houses, seen from the Vistula Riverside and still guarded by the medieval defensive walls, is one of a kind. The castle ruins and Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, with the oldest bells in Poland “Tuba Dei” are also very valuable historical monuments of the city. The city is also provided with such attractions like museums, such as the District Museum in the Town Hall (great panorama over the Old Town seen from the tower) and the Museum in the House of Nicolaus Copernicus. Toruń ? although a centuries-old city is still vibrating with modernity and is an important academic centre, the centre of business and conferences. The finely sculptured gingerbread has always been and still is the great souvenir from the city.
Many castles, such as the ones in Toruń, Golub-Dobryzń and Radzyń Chełmiński are the traces of the times when the Order of Teutonic Knights ruled this land. Nowadays, the castles are tourist and cultural attractions and some of them are hotels. Fancy-dress balls, knights’ tournaments and oratorical contests of tourist guides take place at the castle in Golub-Dobrzyń. There is also Szafarnia nearby the city featuring a manor which serves as the Centre of Frederic Chopin and commemorates his stay in this village. Ruins of the castle in Radzyń Chełmiński resemble the Teutonic headquarters in Malbork. The popular routes of the motorbike tourism, such as the Piasts? Trail and the Copernicus Trail, feature the most attractive villages of the region. Biskupin, the ancient 2,500-year-old Slavic settlement of the Luzyce culture, is part of the Piasts? Trail. Today, this specific museum ?archaeological reserve is a great attraction, particularly during the summer archaeological festivals, where there is a possibility to learn the everyday work of the Early Slavic people. The place is accessible on a historical narrow-gauge train running from Żnin or by a cruise ship. Kruszwica, a legendary city of Prince Popiel, is also a significant attraction of the region. The Mouse Tower, where, according to the legend, the cruel ruler was eaten by mice, is overlooking a great panorama of the Gopło Millenium Landscape Park and Lake Gopło, which is connected with the waters of the neighbouring Wielkopolska Region via a system of canoeing trails. A Romanesque stone collegiate church from the 12th century is also a great trace of the past. The nearby Strzelno, Mogilno and Inowrocław are also provided with valuable Romanesque monuments of sacred architecture. The Piasts? Trail expands to the neighbouring Wielkopolskie Voivodeship. The City of Włocławek, picturesquely situated by the banks of the River Vistula, is an important centre of culture, science and tourism of the southern Kujawy Region. Its Old Town features such attractions like a gothic cathedral from the 14th century with sculptures originating from the Wit Stwosz school, St. Witalis church, a complex of granaries and also the Museum of the Kujawy and Dobrzyń Land. Kujawsko-Pomorskie is a region of small towns as if especially created for painters, such as Dobrzyń nad Wisłą, Nieszawa, Chełmno, Chełmża, Koronowo, Nowe and many others. The region?s countryside is equally attractive. The Ethnographic Museum, the heritage park in Toruń and the heritage park in the village Kłóbka (the surroundings of Włocławek) show the regional folk housing development and art. The region also features great nature. There are perfect conditions for enthusiasts of active tourism. Amateurs of yachting and canoeing are provided with Włocławek Reservoir and Koronowo Reservoir. Canoeing trips along the Rivers Drwęca, Brda and Wda have always been popular here. Numerous water equipment hire points and riverside hostels facilitate contact with nature and many tourist attractions enrich the programs of canoeing trips. The surroundings of Górzno, known for its lakes, forests and most of all hills, are ideal for hiking and horse-riding enthusiasts. Considerable altitude differences give an impression of being in true high mountains. Tourists can also explore natural paths, bicycle paths and horse-riding centres. True enthusiasts of nature should explore the primeval Tuchola Forests with numerous specimen of old stands and picturesque valleys of the Rivers Wda and Brda. Many landscape parks, such as Tucholski, Wdecki, Zaborski, Krajeński, Górznieńsko ? Lidzbarski and Gostynińsko-Włocławski are also worth mentioning here. The parks have many trails for hikers, cyclists and amateurs of horse-riding. The main Polish health resorts situated in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region include Inowrocław and Ciechocinek ? with high quality saline waters. Graduation towers, special structures where therapeutic saline steam rise into the air, are situated there. Wieniec, the popular health resort for children, is located nearby Włocławek.