Among the most impressive monuments on the route is the palace in Ciekocinek. Today it houses a five-star boutique hotel, a restaurant and a stud farm. Immediately after crossing the gate, the beautiful park with red oaks separating the palace building from the road makes a huge impression. At the end of the alley you can see the irregular, eclectic shape of a massive palace, which takes a more traditional form from the garden side. Like many other objects, it found its current owner only a dozen or so years ago.
Krokowa Castle, photo: Pomorskie Travel
Manors in Bychowo, Prusewo, Klanino and Rekowo Gorne were rebuilt with the same function and in a similarly impressive way. All of them serve hotel guests and are places for family or corporate celebrations, often organized outdoors in well-kept park areas.
Palace in Ciekocinek, photo: Pomorskie.Travel
One of the most frequently visited places on the trail is the palace in Krokowa, where the almost 20-kilometer bicycle path on the former railway line from Puck to Krokowa ends. The small former knight’s castle was associated with the Krokowski family for centuries, and today it is located in a park created at the end of the XVIIIth century by Luiza von Krockow. The history of the palace mentions the visits of, among others, King Sigismund III Vasa + it is described in the exhibition in the castle, as well as in the regional museum located next to it.
Castle in Krokowa, photo: Pomorskie.Travel
This unique atmosphere of old interiors is reminiscent of the decoration of the von Grass family palace in Klanino. The new owner, to whom the building owes its current, impressive condition, brought the unique equipment found to the Klanino palace, the so-called Gdansk hall, similar to the one that was moved from Klanino Gdansk in the 1970s. You can enter the hall of the Klanino palace and admire the beautiful monument for yourself, there is a restaurant inside (on selected days of the week).
The Klanino palace, photo: Pomorskie.Travel
There is another interesting story associated with the palace in Klanino. This is where the von Grass family (the von Krauss family in the film) lived, whose fate was presented in Filip Bajon’s film “The Butler”. However, film scenes showing the difficult relations between Kashubians and Germans living in these areas at the beginning of the XXth century were not shot in Klanino. While “The Butler” was being filmed, advanced renovation works were underway in the Klanino facility, and the filming set was moved to one of the manors in Warmia.
Manor house in Prusewo, photo: Pomorskie.Travel
Most manors and palaces in northern Kashuby that provide accommodation services also have restaurants, available to external guests. Due to the specificity of the place, the menu often includes seasonal dishes prepared from currently available, regional ingredients, including fish, both sea and locally farmed. Places that, in addition to visual attractions, also offer gastronomic delights include Lisewski Dwor, Krokowa, Bychowo, Klanino and Rzucewo.
Rzucewo - Jan III Sobieski Castle, photo: Pomorskie Travel
The mentioned route from Swarzewo to Krokowa, along which there are several Kashubian manors and palaces, is certainly one of the best sections of bicycle routes in the entire Pomorskie Voivodeship. The post-railway bicycle path with delicate curves and small inclines crosses attractive landscape areas, significantly improving the bicycle ride from Krokowa to Puck, and on the way it passes, among others, the palace in Klanino and manors in Slawoszyn, Starzynski Dwor and Lebcz. For many cyclists traveling along the Baltic Sea coast, this will certainly be one of the most attractive sections of the entire trip.
