Looking for ideas for autumn weekends? Discover with us Elbląg - perhaps the most surprising place in Poland!
We will be guided around the city by Mateusz Zmyślony - a pioneer of place marketing in Poland and creative director of the Open Eyes Economy Summit congress, who, in the form of short vlogs City Break for Advanced, takes us on virtual walks through the most interesting nooks and crannies, suggesting where to go for a short city break.
Elblag is a city that for years has been on the sidelines relative to other tourist destinations in the country, even in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship itself. So what is the basis for Mateusz Zmyślony's thesis that it is one of the most surprising Polish cities? There are quite a few stories confirming this theory:
The heroic Piekarczyk
Legend has it that it was a young baker's apprentice who defended the city against the Teutonic Knights in 1521. How did this happen? Seeing the approaching army, at the last moment he cut with a wooden shovel the ropes supporting the lattice in the Market Gate, thus cutting off the possibility of the Teutonic Knights' entry. To commemorate his heroic deed today, figurative bronze statues have been placed in various locations, and it's worth looking around for them while walking the streets of Elblag!
Vikings in Elblag
Will there be a Viking settlement in Elblag? The idea seems to be an interesting tourist attraction, but is it justified? By all means! Just a few kilometers south of Elblag from the end of the 8th century was located Turso - a Viking port and trading settlement (called today the first hypermarket of Europe!).
Like a phoenix from the ashes
The destruction of the war turned Elblag into a gigantic ruin, but just after the war ended, rebuilding the old towns of other cities became a more priority task, and Elblag's "sea of sad foundations" waited for its time. Years later, like a phoenix from the ashes, a new old town, Nówka-Starówka, sprang up in their place, reinterpreting the urban center on its own terms. This is a fascinating example of retroversy, about which you can read more in the article: Elbląg: Nówka-Starówka, or an encounter with a retroversy.
You can find more stories in the vlog of Mateusz Zmyślony, have a nice trip!
