Wągrowiec

The square in Wągrowiec, looking southeast. – Photo by: János Korom Dr. on Flickr

Distance

54 km SV, 34 km NV, 72 km NE, 44 km SE, 108 km E, 37 km V, 76 km NV, 60 km SV, 16 km SV, 29 km V, 62 km S, 40 km NE

Population

25.313 (2011)

Location and history

The town of Wągrowiec is located in Wielkopolska County, northeast of Poznań.

Wągrowiec originated around the year 1300. In 1319, Wągrowiec and its environs were purchased by the Cistercian Order. Wągrowiec was recognized as a market town (and the inhabitants as “citizens”) in 1381. In 1396, the Cistercians moved their seat from Łękno northeast of Wągrowiec to Wągrowiec itself. The Order built a new monastery in the western part of the city.
In the 17th century. worked the St. Mary Magdalene School in Wągrowiec; the school belonged to the Cistercian Church. In the past – in the 16th century – however, there was also a Cistercian school in the city.
From 1793 the city was under Prussian rule. The German name of the town was Wongrowitz; At that time, only 612 people lived in the city. As a result of the confiscation of the monastery property, the King of Prussia now became the owner of Wągrowiec.
The 19th century. brought with it several business advances. The population in 1881 had risen to 4392.
On September 1, 1939, at the beginning of World War II, Wągrowiec was bombed by the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe. Several people were killed in the bombing. the town hall was destroyed. A few days later, German soldiers entered the city. During the war, the city was almost depopulated due to the occupation and persecution of the inhabitants.
After the liberation in January 1945, Wągrowiec experienced a steady development and the population increased to 25,313 in 2011.

Stanislaw Przybyszewski:
Stanislaw Przybyszewski (born 7 May 1868 in the village of jojewo (south-southeast of Inowrocław) died on 23 November 1927 in Jaronty) was a Polish author who wrote in both German and Polish. Przybyszewski attended high school in Wągrowiec. He was one of the first expressionists in literature. He is also considered an important mediator between German and Slavic literature. In 1890’The Scandinavian artists' colony, where Strindberg, Drachmann, Edvard Munch et al. When Strindberg left Berlin in 1893, the circle around Przybyszewski continued. Also in 1893 Przybyszewski married the Norwegian Dagny Juel. At times, the couple resided in Norway. In 1898 Przybyszewski became editor of the Polish-language journal “życie” (Life), which was published in Kraków, which at that time belonged to Austria, and Przybyszewski became the centerpiece of the artist circle “The young Poland”. After the killing of Dagny Juel in 1901, Przybyszewski moved to Warsaw, where in 1905 he married Jadwiga Kasprowicz.

Jakub Wujek:
Jakub Wujek (1541-1597), Ph.D., rector of the Jesuit College in Poznań, author and translator of the Bible into Polish, was born in Wągrowiec in 1541. His first year of school he spent at the Cistercian school in this city. From 1584 he began the translation into Polish of the Latin version of the Bible, the so-called Vulgate. The complete Polish translation was first published in 1599, two years after Wujek’s death. For 3 and a half centuries, this translation was the official Catholic version of the Bible in Poland.

Town of Wągrowiec’ city arms. – Photo by: UM w Wągrowcu, RGB calculation Poznaniak, SVG conversion Jdavid, POL Wągrowiec COA 1, mark as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons

Tourist attractions

Selected attractions:

Cistercian
The former Cistercian monastery dates from the end of the 18th century. These include the Church of the Virgin Mary of Ascension. From approx. From 1392 to 1836 the monastery belonged to the Cistercian order. The original building, completed at the end of the 14th century, was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1747. The reconstruction was only completed around the year 1800. After the completion of the secularization in 1835-36, the former monastery buildings were set up in a district court. as well as prison, while the abbey church came to serve as a parish church. By the end of World War II, in January 1945, the buildings were destroyed by a fire. However, the former monastery was restored in the post-war period. In the church one should, among other things, Notice a late Gothic sculpture from the early 16th century depicting the Virgin Mary with the child. In the former Cistercian church you can also visit the crypt where the monks were buried. In the middle of the monastery surrounded by crossings is the well of the monastery.

St. James's Church
The building of the oldest existing church in the city was begun in the 16th century. – at the site of a former wooden church. The present church is erected in the late Gothic style with gables in the early Renaissance style. The building is built in brick as well as with the use of granite stones, which originated from the demolition of the former monastery in Łekno. At the west and south facades are small cylindrical towers. The church has 9 valuable altars, the oldest of which is from the 16th century. At the church stands a particularly beautiful bell tower from 1847. The tower is wood-built but with a stone-built base; it was restored in 2004.

regional Gallery
The current regional museum is housed in a listed building from the end of the 18th century. – called “Opatówka”, because it was formerly the abbot's residence (Polish: opat) at the Cistercian monastery in the city. The renovation has largely preserved the architecture of the building and the distribution of space. The museum houses approx. 3500 museum objects. There are permanent as well as temporary exhibitions just as the museum runs a well-attended teaching business. Among the museum's other activities is the annual, and very popular, Wągrowiec Cistercian Festival – over two days.

Memorial to Jakub Wujek
Jakub Wujek's memorial is designed in sandstone and was unveiled and inaugurated in 1973 by Cardinal Wyszyński. – See the mention of Jakub Wujek above.

View Tower
The fire station's protected tower was restored in 2008 and now houses a museum of the Wągrowiec Fire Department, and at the top of the tower there is a viewpoint from which the city's picturesque panorama can be admired. In addition to posters regarding The local fire department's history also includes old fire extinguishing equipment and old fire trucks as well as firefighter uniforms.

The dancing fountain in the square
After a restoration in 2009, the town square has once again become the attractive and popular gathering place, where various events of cultural. artistic and social character takes place. One of the attractions is the so-called “Dancing fountains“that moves in tandem with the music accompanied by light effects. In the music repertoire, there are a total of 10 works that change in random order.

The crossing rivers
In the city center you can see an interesting phenomenon, consisting of two rivers (Wełna and Nielba) that intersect at a right angle. However, this is not a natural but a man-made phenomenon.

Lake Durowo (Jezioro Durowskie)
Lake Durowo is an elongated lake (north-south) whose southern part extends into the urban area itself.

Aqua Park
The city's water park, Aquapark Wągrowiec, is located in the city's northwest, on the eastern shore of Lake Durowo.

Surrounding Area

Lakes:
Wągrowiec is located in the great Polish lake landscape. The lakes have mostly emerged at the end of the last ice age. The lakes that are just around the urban area are Durowo, Łęgowo and Rgielsko.
Durowo Lake (see also above) extends over approx. 150 ha. On the east bank is a promenade and the town's beach, on the west bank a small marina and a rehabilitation center.
Rgielsko Lake is northeast of the city and is approx. 147 ha. The Nielba River has its inlet on the east bank and its outlet on the south side.
Łęgowo Lake located immediately southwest of Wągrowiec.

forests:
To the south, west and north of the city is a large wooded area with mixed tree growth.
West of the city is located Dębina Nature Reserve with a stock of old oak of the species Stalk-Oak or Plain Oak. These oaks can grow to be over 30 meters tall and up to 800 years old, but rarely over 375 years old. Many of the trees in the Dębina Nature Reserve are over 270 years old. The most notable of the trees is called “Korfanty”; it has a stem size of 390 cm. and a height of 34 m.

rivers
Welna is a right tributary to Warta.
Nielba (coming from Lake Rgielsko, through Rgielsko and Wągrowiec), is a left tributary to Wełna, 7 km long.

Saint Wojciech’s Stone (Kamień św. Wojciecha)
is one of the largest walking blocks in Europe. It is brought here by the inland ice and is now located in the village of Budziejewko (12 km southeast of Wągrowiec). The stone is of red granite and measures 7.5 times 4.7 m with a height of 1.3 m above ground and 2.7 m below ground. The extent of the stone is 20.5 m.

Church in Tarnowo Paluckie
About 6 km northeast of Wagrowiec lies the picturesque village of Tarnowo Paluckie. Here you will find the oldest wooden-built church in Poland. The church is believed to have been built in the last quarter of the 14th century.

Accommodation

Booking.com
Wągrowiec – in Polish, English and German

Eating Out:

Wągrowiec – in Polish, English and German

Other Internet sites and sources

Wągrowiec – in Polish, English and German

Translated into English by Google Translate. Spangshus.dk accept no liability for any errors or omissions in translation.

Aqua parks

churches

Forests

Lakes

Memorials

Monasteries

Regional museums

Rivers

Waterparks