I was delighted by Chelmno (pronounced "Khéoumno"), where I arrived one January morning (-16°C that day) during my adventures in northern Poland, not expecting too much. As I disembarked from the train which had brought me from Torun, I was surprised to find that the Teutonic Knights, who ruled over the region in the Middle Ages, had left behind such beautiful and well-preserved vestiges.
My admiration for Chelmno's architecture gave way to the bitter cold a mere quarter of an hour after my arrival in the city. I found refuge in a popular eatery, where I enjoyed a warming plate of pierogi. This proved to be the culinary hot water bottle I needed, and provided me with the energy to continue my exploration of the city, which I was eager to do. A young local, also sheltering from the cold, offered to give me a guided tour. We took a lovely walk, wandering from the elegant "Rynek" with its fantastic town hall in the Italianate style of the Polish renaissance, to the gothic red-brick churches in the typical Germanic style of the north.
After thanking my tour guide, I took refuge once again, this time in a tearoom. Reinvigorated, I ventured out again, hands in pockets, to explore the ramparts, admiring the roofs and streets blanketed in snow. I boarded the train to Gdansk feeling very pleased with my fleeting visit...
I was delighted by Chelmno (pronounced "Khéoumno"), where I arrived one January morning (-16°C that day) during my adventures in northern Poland, not expecting too much. As I disembarked from the train which had brought me from Torun, I was surprised to find that the Teutonic Knights, who ruled over the region in the Middle Ages, had left behind such beautiful and well-preserved vestiges.
My admiration for Chelmno's architecture gave way to the bitter cold a mere quarter of an hour after my arrival in the city. I found refuge in a popular eatery, where I enjoyed a warming plate of pierogi. This proved to be the culinary hot water bottle I needed, and provided me with the energy to continue my exploration of the city, which I was eager to do. A young local, also sheltering from the cold, offered to give me a guided tour. We took a lovely walk, wandering from the elegant "Rynek" with its fantastic town hall in the Italianate style of the Polish renaissance, to the gothic red-brick churches in the typical Germanic style of the north.
After thanking my tour guide, I took refuge once again, this time in a tearoom. Reinvigorated, I ventured out again, hands in pockets, to explore the ramparts, admiring the roofs and streets blanketed in snow. I boarded the train to Gdansk feeling very pleased with my fleeting visit...