Elbląg for a weekend

We offer the schedule below to all who are wishing to spend several days discovering Elbląg.

Day one – afternoon:

A visit to the Museum of Archeology and History, and for those who wish to stretch their legs after the journey – a walk in the Open Art Gallery.

 

The Museum of Archeology and History in Elbląg is the showcase for unique artifacts from archeological stands of the Old Town in Elbląg. The excavations conducted on an unprecedented scale in Europe make the museum collections grow each year, with new exhibits put on display. Some of the objects are unique in the scale of whole Europe – for example the collection of medieval musical instruments, pilgrim signs, wax boards used formerly as didactic aid. The discovered objects also prove the vast trade relations of Elbląg merchants, with many of the centers of old Europe.

The Museum in Elbląg also has a unique collection connected with history of the region. This is made of archeological artifacts connected with the functioning of the legendary town of Truso. Functioning between 8th and 10th century AD on the shores of the nearby Druzno lake, and established by Danish Vikings, the trade outpost had extensive trade relations even with the Arab countries. It is well worth to discover its heritage. Constant exhibitions of the Museum are supplemented by temporary exhibitions and additional events, such as history lessons, fairs of old objects, staged historic events.

Muzeum Archeologiczno-Historyczne w Elblągu, Bulwar Zygmunta Augusta 11, tel. +48 55 232 72 73, www.muzeum.elblag.pl

Open Gallery is a unique art gallery with… the whole city as its grounds. Metal sculptures are set throughout the whole Elbląg, and are the product of the Biennales of Spatial Forms that started in the 1960s, an experiment on world scale (connecting the workshop of artist and laborer). This experiment filled the city space with sculptures that are created in production facilities of the Elbląg’s industrial company ZAMECH. One of the sculptures – a seven meter tall structure with protruding polygonal pipes, resembling a tree trunk is the work of the world famous Polish sculptor – Magdalena Abakanowicz.

Day one – evening:

In the evening we offer you the rich cultural offer of the city. It is well worth to visit the “Światowid” Center for European Meetings, as regular exhibitions and cultural events take place there. Those passionate about movies can also visit the “Światowid” movie theatre – one of the few study cinemas left. The Elbląg Aleksander Sewruk Theatre with an interesting repertoire is based nearby.

The concerts of the Elbląg Chamber Orchestra can be recommended not just to music lovers, as it offers a much differentiated program – from classical music to collaborations with different artists of Polish music scene, which makes participation in its concerts an unforgettable experience.

Centrum Spotkań Europejskich Światowid,  Pl.  Jagiellończyka 1, +48 55 611 20 50, www.swiatowid.elblag.pl

Teatr im. A. Sewruka, ul. Teatralna 11, +48 55 641 97 00, www.teatr.elblag.pl

Elbląska Orkiestra Kameralna, Stary Rynek 25, +48 55 237 47 49, www.eok.elblag.eu

Day two – till noon:

Visit to the Elbląg Old Town

A walk throught the Old Town is a must for every visit to Elbląg. The historic center of the city can surprise you, as the Old Town is actually… young. Apart from the few surviving historic monuments, the majority of the townhouses there are the result of the rebuilding effort that only started in the 1980s. Retroversion  became the motto for rebuilding the Elbląg old town.
New townhouses are erected on sites of old houses and resemble their shapes. The new-old townhouses bring back the climate of the old town, creating a beautiful background for the surviving and magnificently restored historic monuments.

The St. Nicholas Cathedral in the Old Town is the most important sacral structure in the city, and also the highest Polish church on the eastern bank of Vistula. We find sacral monuments, such as the altars of guilds, a baptismal bowl made of bronze in 1387 and the gothic wooden figures of apostles. The church is at the same time the Sanctuary of the Holy Cross Relics, and each Friday of the month the Relics are presented for adoration during service. On typical days the relic holder of the Holy Cross is located in a beautiful gothic niche on the right side of the main altar.

Since 2015 the tourists can use the vista point on top of the cathedral tower, offering beautiful vistas of the cityscape and its vicinity. The climb up the tower takes approx. 20 minutes.

Directly at the Cathedral the Church Path is located – this picturesque pass between the townhouses is a unique architectonic monument that is unique in Poland. In the Medieval Ages this tract was longer and connected all churches of Old Town (hence its name). Only the fragment connecting ul. Mostowa and Św. Ducha was preserved to date.

The Market Gate [Brama Targowa] is located on the other side of the Old Market – once surrounded by defensive walls, now it plays the role of a vista point. Next to the Gate we see the monument of the legendary Young Baker who once helped to save the town from invasion by Teutonic Knights.

It is not far from the Galeria EL Arts Center that is located in the noble post-Dominican church. What is extraordinary is its connection of artifacts of modern art with the antique interior. Galeria EL is the initiator of the aforementioned Biennale of spatial forms.

Centrum Sztuki Galeria EL, ul. Kuśnierska 6, +48 55 625 67 84 , www.galeria-el.pl

Day two – afternoon:

A walk in the Bażantarnia forest park.

 

Many call the Bażantarnia “The small Bieszczady Mountains”. The montane features of this area, slopes covered by beech and hornbeam forest, hills, streams, mysterious ravines – all that makes the Bażantarnia the favorite resting place for inhabitants of Elbląg. The trails encourage hikes. Choosing the walk along the valley of the Srebrny [Silver] Stream we encounter the Devil’s Stone in its bed – that according to the local legend was dropped by Satan himself. Trained eye will see an impression of devil’s hand on the stone. The red Copernican trail runs through Bażantarnia and further down through the city, connecting the places that are linked to the famous astronomer.

The buffer zone of the Bażantarnia forrest features the picturesque Chrobry Hill, it is well worth climbing it to observe the beautiful panorama of Elbląg and its neighborhood. When the weather permits we will see the Vistula Lagoon from it. Especially worth recommendation are the sunsets on the hill. In winter the Chrobry Hill becomes the center for winter sports – the t-bar ski lift, the artificially lit slope, ski courses that are GOPR – approved, ski-running courses and the snowpark make it a favorable place for those who seek for the best skiing and snowboarding conditions in northern Poland. In summer ropes courses are open here.

Day two – the evening:

In the evening it is well recommended to go back to the Old Town and enjoy the night life of Elbląg. The omnipresent pubs, cafes and restaurants will leave no one bored. When you visit the old town in a weekend evening, you may be almost certain you will encounter a music concert in one of the clubs.

Day three – till noon:

A cruise along the Elbląg Canal, and for those preferring active recreation – sport, sport, sport.

At the end of the visit to Elbląg we offer you the real gem of our tourist attraction – a cruise among the Elbląg Canal, the sole place in Poland and in Europe too, where ships travel the differences in elevations by moving… over grass. It is only possible thanks to the brilliant monument of 19th century technology – slipways that are railed platforms with mechanical drives powered by the flow of water.

Żegluga Ostródzko-Elbląska, ul. Wodna 1b, +48 89 670 92 27, www.zegluga.com.pl
 

All wishing to Get to know Elbląg and its vicinity in a bit more active way, have almost unlimited sports opportunities. Kitesurfing, windsurfing, sailing, trekking and cycling (also mountains bies), horseriding, jogging, Nordic wal king, paintball, iceboats, canoeing, ski running – independent from the age and condition, everyone will find something for her/him. Also at tourists’ disposal: two climbing wall (one indoor, and one on open air), ice rink, swimming pool, bowling room, go-kart track, ski lift and ropes courses.

Sports emotions can be connected with visiting interesting places. We recommend, in particular, the canoeing trip to the Lake Druzno natural reservation, where over 200 species of water and mud birds are found. It is a real heaven for those who love photographing nature. The archeological research conducted on the eastern shore of the lake that was once a gulf of the Baltic Sea allow us to claim that it was once the place of the legendary town of Truso.

What is also extraordinary can be a cycling trip to Raczki Elbląskie, where the lowest place in Poland is found, 1.8m under the sea level! Fortunately enough it’s just a geological depression, as visiting Elbląg and its vicinity can only be a delight.

Elbląg waits for You!

All people expressing their interest, please check the opening times of the objects directly with the set tourist attraction or in the Tourist Information Office at the Stary Rynek [Old Market] 25, tel. +48 55 239 33 77, ielblag@umelblag.pl.