Bytów

Bytów is a town in the North of Poland. Its history dates back to twelfth century. In the fourteenth century, Teutonic Knights have built there a castle.

You will not be surprised to hear that it  is located on a hill.

The castle was obviously reconstructed a number of times and today it is still very impressive.

The inner courtyard is painted white ...

... but the towers are still exhibiting the bricks.

Nowadays, the castle houses a regional museum. You can see there artefacts related to different crafts. Starting with weaving of twigs and fiber ...

... then carpentry, cooperage, joinery ...

... followed by the workshop of a blacksmith.

It is possible to see also a traditional rural kitchen.

I draw your attention to the table - the table cloth is decorated with traditional handcraft of the region, very popular on table cloths, bedclothes but also china porcelain.

The blue flowers were present also on the traditional cloths.

In the upper storey of the castle there is an exhibition about the military history of the place. You can admire there this knight. The armour does not look very comfortable though it is surely safe.

Through this window you can spot again the inner courtyard.

Let's have a bit of fresh air - luckily it is possible to have a walk on the castle walls.

The castle is not the only historical monument in town. We cannot miss the tower of St. Catherine, the only remaining of an old church.

Inside there is an exhibition dedicated to watchmaking.

It is also possible to see Bytów in its historical shape.

Or take a look through the window to see the castle again.

Do you wonder how comes that the tower of a church is turned into a museum? Well obviously St. Catherine has a new church, located on the market square.

Next to it there is a nice fountain.

The residential buildings are renovated and they are really a pleasure to look at. I appreciate in particular the care for the little details, like this nice lady on the door of a pharmacy.

But it is not the end of unique monuments in Bytów. I still need to take you to the Bridge. When I first walked on it I was truely disappointed - after all it is just a bridge, and a narrow one. It used to carry trains via the Boruja river but now it is only used by pedestrians.

Then I moved down. Not that easy with all the weeds growing everywhere. Beware of the nettle!

Finally, I saw the bridge in its full beauty and I understood all the fuzz about it.

I must admit however that there is a huge contrast between the heights of the bridge and the width of the river.

The round-shaped emblems represent coats of arms of the railway and different geographic locations. This one relates to the Pomerania region where Bytów is located.

I hope that you have enjoyed this trip. Now I invite you to have a little bath in Boruja. Too cold? Well, you are probably right. So let's just watch it flow and admire the time passing.