Chelmno

Chelmno was laid out by the Teutonic Order in 1233 on a bluff above the Vistula and its grid, its walls and its churches have all survived, which is rare: two and a quarter kilometres of medieval wall with the Grudziadz gate still standing, a large market square, and six Gothic brick churches in a town of twenty thousand, all built between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The town hall in the square is a Renaissance rebuild of 1567-1572 with a decorated attic, and on its wall is a medieval measuring rod, the Chelmno rod, cut into the stone. The parish church holds a reliquary said to contain relics of St Valentine, given in the Middle Ages, and Chelmno has built on this to call itself the town of lovers, with a February festival. The layout of the Chelmno law, the town charter used across northern Poland, took its name from here.

History

The first written mention of Chełmno is in a document said to date from 1065, issued by Duke Bolesław II for the Benedictines of Mogilno. Duke Konrad of Masovia invited the Teutonic Knights to Chełmno Land in 1226, and in 1233 the town received its charter, the Kulm law, renewed in 1251 and later the model for over 200 towns; the town joined the Prussian Confederation in 1440 and remained in the Teutonic state until 1454. Its parish church of St Mary was built in 1280-1320, and the town hall took its Mannerist form in 1567-1572 (Wikipedia, Chełmno).

Highlights

• Two kilometres of wall - the medieval circuit largely complete, with a surviving gate.
• Six Gothic churches - all thirteenth and fourteenth century, in a small town.
• A Renaissance town hall - rebuilt in the 1560s, with the measuring rod on its wall.
• The Valentine relics - the basis of the town-of-lovers festival in February.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Things to know

Several of the churches are open only for services or by arrangement. The town is quiet with limited food outside the square. February brings the Valentine crowds. The bluff walk is exposed.

Nearby

Grudziadz is north; Torun is upstream.

Key facts