Low Lands! – an idea for a trip from Gdansk

Just a few kilometers from Gdansk, we enter the Low Lands area. The smallest and youngest mesoregion, which was formed about 5,000 years ago in the Delta of the Vistula River. While driving, we can see that the fields surrounded by canals situated below the road we are driving.

The landscape of the Low Lands, described as “for connoisseurs”, opens in front of us, an area that is almost flat like a table. In the distance you can see willows, a herd of deer.

Attractions on the route

We reach the bridge over the Vistula River, we can see its wide riverbed and the size of the floodplains. Looking left on the bridge towards the sea, we can only imagine the huge 19th century investment, which was Vistula Dug-Through.

The construction of the artificial Vistula Dug-Through was to drain the Vistula waters by the shortest and direct route to the sea. Its waters separate today’s Gdansk district of Świbno from Mikoszewo. One of the Seagull Sandbank, bird reserves is located at the mouth of the Vistula River to the Baltic Sea.

Low Land Historical Park

Low Land Historical Park is a museum run by lovers and enthusiasts of Nowy Dwor Gdański and its surroundings. The exhibition is divided into five parts. At the exhibitions, we can learn about the history of the Delta of the Vistula River and the Mennonites – the Olenders, we will find out what the embankment guard did, what polders, terps are and who Anna German was from.

It is worth planning a stop for snacks or a light meal at Willa Joker in Nowy Dwor.

The Low Land Narrow Gaugage Railway

In Nowy Dwor Gdanski, is worth starting your journey.

The route of  the Low Land Narrow Gaugage Railway from Nowy Dwor leads through a revolving railway bridge from 1906 on the Szkarpawa River. This historic bridge has a swing span of more than 37 m and its mechanism is operated as in the early 20th century. After crossing, the bridge is opened for water traffic. This engineering curiosity is worth seeing. Next, the cable car route leads to Stegna and ends in Sztutowo.

Zelichowo one address three attractions

1. An arcaded house

It was inhabited by farmers still in the 20th century, originally it comes from the Paslek area. In 2003, it was purchased for the price of wood and moved to its present location in a bend of the Tuga River.

The arcade of the house is called the arcaded extension, usually triangular type of pediment protruding in front of the face of the house supported on columns. The number of columns was supposed to symbolize the wealth of the owner, and the arcade itself served as a warehouse or during the summer it served as an additional living room. The arcaded house was reconstructed with the original layout of the rooms. You can visit a large room (a representative room), a bedroom, a black kitchen, a servant’s room (a master’s office), a utility corridor and arcades – a granary and a kitchen.

Today it is the Little Dutchman Inn, where you can try local cuisine and try the reconstructed Werdekase cheese.

2. Cemetery of 11 villages.

There is a lapidarium right next to the arcaded house. Its history dates back to the 17th century, when the inhabitants of 11 nearby villages, Mennonites and Lutherans, were allowed to be buried in the cemetery in the vicinity of the Catholic church and the cemetery in Tigenhoffen, now Nowy Dwor Gdanski.

Today, we can see several original tombstones in the form of standing stones and tombstones from the 17th and 18th centuries. These stones were reused in the foundations of a farm building in the presbytery close to the cemetery. Dates of death, initials of the deceased and gmerks (ownership marks) are engraved on the stones.

3. The medieval church of St. Nicolas.

The Gothic-Baroque village church. Today, this building belongs to the Greek Catholic parish of the Byzantine-Ukrainian rite. History of the Church of St. Nicholas in Cyganek was associated with the resettlement of Ukrainian Greek Catholic families in 1947 as part of the “Vistula” action. The parish priest of the church lives next door, in his free time he opens the church and tells interesting stories about it.

Stegna Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

On the Vistula Spit, the interior of the church with the painting is a must-see on the tourist map. Former Protestant church with preserved painted ceiling and wall decorations. The half-timbered church with a hall interior invites you to its thresholds. The entire 450 square meters ceiling is covered with an impressive canvas painting. Among the scenes, the largest one is the Resurrection of Christ, the smaller ones are the Parable of the Prudent and the Foolish Virgins, Christ and the Samaritan woman, the Resurrection of Lazarus and the Carrying of the Cross. Scenes from the Last Judgment and images of the Apostles complement the painting decoration of the ceiling.

The 17th century furnishings include a pulpit and a baptismal font. The historic furnishings include a confessional, organs and sculptures. Under the ceiling there is a model of the ship, a votive gift from the crew for their survival.

In the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the International Organ Festival is held every year, organized by the Baltic Philharmonic. Fryderyk Chopin inn.

Stutthof Museum in Sztutowo

Former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp (1939-45). Visiting the Stutthof Museum in Sztutowo, we will learn the history of the Free City of Gdansk and the stages of the camp’s development. To this day, we can see the brick building of the former headquarters, the Death Gate and the chimney of the crematorium, which are the dominant features of the museum.

The area of ​​the Old Camp surrounded by barbed wire is the main place of the exhibition. We can enter the interiors of the barracks, where the daily life of the camp is presented in display cases, boards and photos. In the former canteen, we will probably be impressed by the pile of prisoners’ shoes. It is worth planning a visit to the memorial site with children when they are already conscious teenagers.

Vistula Spit Landscape Park

The Vistula Spit Landscape Park is an alternative for tourists who are tired already at the end of the day. Bird nesting sites or seals resting on sandy patches of sand, the visit to the reserve will probably be a moment of relaxation for everyone.

Park Krajobrazowy Mierzei Wiślanej jest alternatywą dla zmęczonych turystów już w końcówce dnia. Miejsc lęgowe ptaków czy odpoczynku fok na piaszczystych łachach piachu, wejście do rezerwatu zapewne będą chwilą relaksu dla każdego.