In the year 1457 another king of Sweden, Karl Knutsson Bonde, came to Poland. He was forced to leave his country due to the conflict with Christian I and the Swedish clergy. He stayed in Puck and Gdańsk for seven years and returned to Sweden in 1464 where he ascended the throne for the second time. Bonde borrowed money to Kazimierz Jagiellończyk which the Polish king used to purchase a few Teutonic castles – including Malbork – from garrisons that controlled them. The garrisons decided to sell the castles as the Teutonic Order was not able to pay them the promised earnings.

There are numerous Swedish mementos in the Oliwa cathedral. Besides the renowned  “Peace of Oliwa Room”, where Poland and Sweden signed their peace treaty in 1660 following the long war of succession, we will also find there a canopy of the Swedish queen Christina (a gift for the Cistercian Order in Oliwa), a painting of king Sigmund Vasa painted by Hermann Hahn at the beginning of the XVII century (for a long time that king was a generous patron of both the church and the order), as well as the altar of Saint Anthony funded in 1638 by a woman whose Swedish husband had died. Per Eriksson (his Latin name is Petrus Erici Gothus) spent 40 years working for the monks as a village-mayor and, thanks to his contribution to the order, he was buried on the area of the cathedral.

The St. Mary’s church in Gdańsk also possesses a number of such mementos. Until the end of the XVII century, the main entrance to this church was St. Olaf’s chapel. It was constructed at the beginning of the XV century as a result of an initiative of Scandinavian traders that established their guild in the town by the Motława river at that time. Unfortunately, the chapel was burnt together with its fittings in March 1945. At present there is the so called ‘bell of the Charles XII’ hanging there. The king of Sweden was presented this bell as a gift by the residents of Narwa when he rescued them from the besieging Russians in 1700. His 10 thousand soldiers won a battle against a three times bigger army of Russian soldiers and, as a result, Tsar Peter I of Russia had to run away.
  
In the XVII century Swedish citizens of the Protestant creed – mainly political refugees that were forced to leave Sweden after the battle of Stangebro – were buried in the St. Mary’s church. Above the entrance to this church we can see a beautiful epitaph of the Gyllenstiern family (in Gdańsk known as Guldenstern). People such as Johan Nilsson Gyllensterian, Gustav Brahe and Arvid Stenbock have been buried in the chapel. In the aisle of the church we can find another epitaph to the memory of Göran Posse. He was the leader of a group of political refugees in Gdańsk, one of those sentenced to death during the legal proceedings in Linköping. However he managed to avoid the “Linköping's blood bath” because he was pardoned by the court. After he died his body was also buried in the St. Mary’s church.

 A few hundred meters away from the St. Mary’s church we can see the St. Bridget’s  church. Only the church itself has remained from the former complex of two monasteries (a monastery and a convent), in the protestant Gdańsk this church used to be one of few catholic churches. The St. Bridget’s monastery complex was founded at the end of the XIV century and it was the second such St. Bridget’s compound outside Sweden. At present in this church we can admire a wonderful painting of Saint Bridget painted by Hermann Hahn as well as an epitaph of Beata Sparre who was the wife of Gabriel Posse (a son of Görana Posse). Gabriel kidnapped her from a convent in Chełmno and brought to Gdańsk. Unfortunately, the fate was not generous to them as their first daughter died at a very young age and during her second labour both Beata and the newborn died as well. They were both buried in the basement of the church. Gabriel has rested next to them as, broken by this tragedy, he died a few years later.

In Pomerania there are plenty of other places historically connected with Sweden. The new lord high chancellor of Sweden Erik Oxenstierna died in Frombork in 1656.  At the turn of the XVI and the XVII centuries almost 200 students from Sweden were attending the Jesuit College in Braniewo, including the well known Johannes Messenius. In 1614 Erik Brahe was buried in the Carthusian monastery near Gdańsk; he had to flee from Sweden due to his political support for Sigmund III Vasa. At the beginning he stayed in a male monastery of Saint Bridget in Gdańsk, however, eventually he spent the rest of his life among the Carthusian monks. Both Sztumska Wieś and Stare Pole are two places where, in 1629 and 1635, the Polish and the Swedish signed the peace agreement finishing the war in Prussia.

The history of the Malbork castle is also exceptionally interesting. This fortress, which was not conquered during the Middle Ages, has its special place in the history of Polish and Swedish relations. In 1626 it was conquered by the Swedish soldiers under the command of Gustaw Eriksson Stenbock. 30 years later the castle was conquered by his son- Gustaw Otto Stenbock, and 60 years later the son of Gustaw Otto, Magnus Stenbock, became the ruler of the castle. Magnus Stenbock together with Charles XII were plundering Poland.

Moving further towards the south, we will reach Kujawy region. It is also a “Swedish” place. A “Swedish princess” Ann Vasa, a sister of Sigmund Vasa, lived in Brodnica and Golub- Dobrzyń at the beginning of the XVII century. She died in 1625 and eleven years later she was buried in St. Mary’s church in Toruń…

Historical Background

From the very earliest times, people have used water for their own purposes. The first civilisations appeared on the banks of rivers and on the shores of lakes. Water was the most convenient form of communication and a journey by water was more comfortable and quicker than a journey by land. Water was vital for agriculture and for irrigating arable land. Also, inhabitants of towns needed clean water for drinking and for household use. That is why in ancient times canals and dams were built for the purpose of irrigating agricultural areas and communication, and aqueducts were constructed to bring water to towns. With the passage of time and the development of civilisation, people learned to use water as the source for powering such places as mills and forges, which served to hasten civilisational development. Nowadays, water is one of the most necessary natural resources and clean water is a resource that needs to be carefully looked after. Since the 19th century, hydro-electric power stations have constituted a cheap and ecological source of obtaining electrical energy.

In Pomorze, the first constructions of hydraulic engineering appeared together with the advent on these lands of the Teutonic Order in the 13th century. The knights brought with them from the Holy Land the ability to manage water and to build impressive examples of hydraulic engineering, many of which have survived to this day. Examples of this might be the Great Mill and the Radunia Canal in Gdańsk, or the greatest hydraulic engineering construction of the Order – today’s Jurand Canal, which brought clean water to the town and castle of Malbork from over forty kilometres away. These monuments of hydraulic engineering have survived to this day. The large complex of mills and other appliances on the Oliwski Stream was built by the Cistercians who had settled in Oliwa. The most interesting of these, still surviving today on the banks of the stream, was the Water Forge, which shows how cunningly water energy was exploited several hundred years ago. In later centuries, citizens of Gdańsk built such constructions as the Stone Sluice in Gdańsk or the sluice in Biała Góra, which regulated the division of the waters of the Vistula and the Nogat.

Another monument of hydraulic engineering is the whole area of Żuławy Wiślane. Initially, this marshy area at the mouth of the Vistula was completely uninhabitable but it was transformed into fertile lands farmed by religious refugees coming from what is now Holland and known as Mennonites. They left behind them polders, weirs, individual windmills to dry the polders, cemeteries and arcaded houses. The area of Żuławy also has later hydraulic engineering appliances, such as pumping stations, some of which still function to this day.
Most of the hydraulic engineering appliances in Pomorze were constructed in the 19th century, together with developments in civilisation. The fast-flowing rivers in Pomorze, like the Słupia, Radunia, Łupawa or Wieprza, became sources of electrical energy. The canals on the Brda and Wda were built in order to irrigate the dry areas of Bory Tucholskie and in Fojutowo there remains to this day an interesting and unique aqueduct. A whole series of sluices and other hydraulic engineering appliances was constructed, thanks to which sailing could take place on the inland waterways and the valley of the Vistula was saved from flooding as the course of the river was changed at the same time. A phenomenon on a world-wide scale was the construction near Pomorze of the Elbląg-Ostróda Canal, where, on account of the great differences in heights along the way, ships are raised by special platforms powered by water on moving slipways, and not by locks. This is the only place on earth where ships travel on land.
All these tourist attractions are scattered around the territory of the whole of Pomorze. Sometimes, they are almost inaccessible and forgotten but they constitute interesting sites for a visit and greater acquaintance with them might constitute an interesting complement to a stay in a particular part of Pomorze.

Attractions along the route

Along the route there is a whole series of facilities with various functions and histories but with a common aim – to harness the power of water and to use its force for human needs. Along the trail are the following groups of facilities:

The hydro-electric power stations along the Radunia

Flowing from Kashubia to Gdańsk, the Radunia is called “the most hard-working river in Pomorze”. It is only 105 kilometres long and it falls 162 metres from its source to its mouth. To meet energy needs, 107 of these metres are exploited. Along its short stretch, as many as eight power stations were constructed in the 19th and 20th centuries. They supplied electrical energy to Gdańsk and they are to be found in Rutki, Łapino, Bielków, Straszyn, Prędzieszyn, Kuźnice, Juszków and Pruszcz Gdański. They form a cascade system, which means that most of them have to work at the same time. Of these eight power stations, only the biggest ones, located along the upper reaches of the river, can be visited: Rutki, Łapino, Bielkowo and Straszyn. In the last-mentioned, there has been arranged a small photographic exhibition showing the beauty of hydro-electric power stations.

Rutki: this hydro-electric power station is located highest on the river. It was set in motion in 1910 and it was not destroyed during the war. Unlike the other power stations on the Radunia, it is not part of the cascade system and can work independently. It can generate 448 KW of power and is open to visitors. Nearby, there is a restored pre-war bridge for a currently inoperative railway line, whose pillars are used by aficionados of rock-climbing as a climbing frame.

Łapino: the power station was built in 1927 on the Radunia and was severely damaged during the war but restored in 1945. It can generate 2294 KW and is open to the public.

Bielkowo: the power station on the Radunia was built in 1925. It constitutes an element of a complicated hydraulic engineering system transporting water to the power station, including, among other things, weirs, an artificial reservoir with an area of 54 hectares, canals and pipelines giving a swelling of 44.5 m and a production capacity of 7200 KW. The power station is open to the public and constitutes an interesting example of a complex hydraulic engineering system generating an exceptional amount of power, given the prevailing conditions in Pomorze.

Straszyn: The power station was built on the Radunia in 1910, as the first on this river. Constructed as a result of the building of a dam, the reservoir saved Gdańsk and the Żuławy region from being flooded by the Radunia. Since 1983, this reservoir – the Goszyńskie (or Straszyńskie) lake – has constituted a source of drinking water for Gdańsk and it is not available to tourists. The hydro-electric power station can generate 2411 KW and is open to the public. It houses a permanent photographic exhibition entitled “The unknown beauty of hydro-electric power stations”. This is a good place to start canoeing trips along the Lower Radunia.

Hydro-electric power stations on the rivers of Central Pomorze      
                                        
On these rivers – the Słupia, Łupawa, Wieprza and their tributaries – there are in total fifteen power stations, of which nine are open to visitors. Alongside each of these rivers there are tourist trails which can be used while visiting these sites. Most of these power stations are located in places that are valuable as far as nature is concerned, wild and sparsely populated.

On the power station route in the river basin of the Słupia there are five power stations: Skarszów Dolny, Krzynia, Strzegomino, Gałąźnia Mała and Struga. All of them are open to visitors and the most interesting one is Gałąźnia Małą, which contains an exhibition room presenting the history of hydro-electric power stations, an information centre and, in the future, guest rooms for overnight accommodation.

Skarszów Dolny: the Skarszów Dolny Hydro-electric Power Station is on the River Skotawa, a tributary of the Słupia. Initially, it served as a water power plant, powering the machines of a factory producing iron products (from 1850) and then, from 1872, a paper mill, that is a factory producing paper. After a fire in 1894 which destroyed the factory, a hydro-electric power station was built with its current generating power of 160 KW. The power station is open to visitors.

Krzynia: the Krzynia Hydro-electric Power Station is the lowest stage of fall on the Słupia. It was built in 1925-26, creating a reservoir with a surface area of 78 hectares – the favourite resting place for the inhabitants of Słupsk. The generating power of the power station is 860 KW. The power station is open to visitors.

Strzegomino: The Strzegomino Hydro-electric Power Station was built on the Słupia in 1922-24. In 1945, it was damaged and then reopened in 1948. The power station can generate 2400 KW. Above it, the waters of the Słupia have created a picturesque reservoir. The power station is open to visitors.

Struga: The Struga Hydro-electric Power Station is the oldest functioning hydro-electric power station in Europe. It was constructed in 1896. Before it was transformed into a power station, it fulfilled the function of a mill then that of a power plant powering a saw-mill and a paper mill. It has been producing electrical energy since 1920 and can generate 250 KW. The power station is open to visitors and is the highest located hydro-electric power station on the Słupia.

Gałąźnia Mała: The Gałążnia Mała Hydro-electric Power Station was, at the time of its construction (1920), the highest in this part of Europe and the building technology used in its construction was among the most modern. Water is transported to the power station by a system of canals, underground power tunnels and pipelines stretching for 16 kilometres alongside the River Słupia and the River Bytowa. The equipment was installed in 1913-24 and it is still functioning to this day. The power station can generate 3500 KW and the difference of levels of the power station is 38.5 m. The power station is open to the public and, in addition, there is a museum exhibition in the building entitled “The history of Słupsk’s hydro-electric power stations”. In 2008, overnight accommodation will be made available in the building to visitors.

On the power stations route in the river basin of the Wieprza there are four power stations, of which one, in Biesowice, is open to visitors.
The Biesowice Hydro-electric Power Station is located on the 80th kilometre of the River Wieprza and is the oldest power station on this river, dating from 1905. In 1907, as a result of a flood, it was destroyed. After reconstruction, it generated power from 1908 until 1945. It was once again reopened in 1954 and has a generating capacity of 503 KW. The power station is open to visitors.

In the river basin of the Łupawa there are another six power stations, of which three, in Smołdzino, Żelkowo and Poganice (near national road no. 6), are open to visitors.

Smołdzino: the power station was built in 1913 in the centre of Smołdzino, next to the place where the river issues into Lake Gardno. It is in the lowlands, which is why the stretch of river above the power station is secured by anti-flooding embankments. The power station can generate 220 KW and it is open to visitors.

Żelkowo: The power station was opened on the River Łupawa in 1906. It is one of the oldest power stations in Pomorze. After the dismantling of its appliances in 1945 by the Red Army, which fate befell most of the power stations in Pomorze, it was reopened in 1950-54. The power station can generate 340 KW and it is open to visitors.

Poganice: The power station is on the River Łupawa in the direct vicinity of national road no. 6. It was originally constructed as a water mill in 1938 and it did not fulfil the functions of a power station until 1980. It has a generating capacity of 50 KW. The power station is open to visitors. In the neighbourhood is the “Nostalgia” restaurant.

Furthermore, there are hydro-electric power stations not open to the public on other rivers in Pomorze: the Wierzyca (four, closed to the public), the Wda and the Brda and other smaller rivers. Most of these rivers constitute attractive canoeing routes of various degrees of difficulty. The Brda and the Wda are excellent for the acquisition of experience in canoe tourism while the rivers of Central Pomorze – the Słupia, the Łupawa and the Wieprza – are more difficult and should only be explored by experienced canoeists. Some ravined stretches of the Radunia constitute a challenge comparable to that of mountain rivers and are accessible only to the most skilful of canoeists.

Monuments of hydraulic engineering in Gdańsk and Oliwa:

The Radunia Canal: the Canal was constructed in the middle of the 14th century by the Teutonic Order and it brought drinking water to the city and the Teutonic castle and powered the mechanisms of the Great Mill and many other mills, forges and other production plants. Along its course there developed the present day districts of Gdańsk: Orunia, Stare Szkoty and Św. Wojciech. It begins in Pruszczc Gdański and carries part of the waters of the River Radunia. It is 13.5 km in length. Along almost its entire course there runs national road no. 1. Chestnut trees are to be found along part of the embankments alongside the Canal, making this a very pleasant place for walking or cycling. Along the southern side of the Canal there runs the Amber Route and, in the place where it forks, there will stand a reconstruction of an amber factory and a cultural park.

The Stone Sluice and the Motława Flow: the Sluice constitutes an element of the fortifications of the city of Gdańsk and it is situated in the middle of the River Motława, bringing its waters to the centre of Gdańsk. It was built from the 16th to the 18th centuries. It consists of sluices with four gates, a mill and the mill canal. It allowed ships to pass and water to be banked up in moats which formed part of the fortifications of the city. Furthermore, it secured the Żuławy region from flooding as a result of the storm swelling of the Motława. It also protected Gdańsk in case of flooding from the Żuławy region. It was rebuilt and partially dismantled in the 1990s but it remains functioning to this day.

The Great Mill and the Small Mill: this is a technical complex built by the Teutonic Order in the centre of Gdańsk on the Radunia Canal. The Great Mill possessed 18 mill wheels and ground corn. It also had five ovens for the baking of bread. The Small Mill served a storage area. There is currently a shopping centre in the Great Mill.

The Historic Forge on the Oliwski Stream: The Water Forge is the most interesting technical monument in the valley of the Oliwski Stream. This stream was used by the Cistercians from the Monastery in Oliwa to power numerous mills and other appliances. There are many mill ponds along its length. The Water Forge is currently a branch of the Museum of Technology in Warsaw and it houses an exhibition of functioning technical appliances using water as a drive, including a hammer for forging iron and scissors for cutting sheet metal. Mills and mill ponds can still be found functioning along the stream to this day.

The Vistula Cutting: A new mouth for the Vistula, 7 km in length, was constructed at great financial cost in 1890-95 along the old bed of the Vistula – Przemysławy. The canal is between 250 and 400 metres wide and is surrounded by embankments up to 10 metres in height. After the construction, it draws away most of the waters of the Vistula since the sluices in Przegalina, Biała Góra and Gdańska Głowa close off the remaining mouth of the Vistula (the so-called Dead Vistula, previously known as the Leniwka, the Nogat and the Szkarpawa). The construction of the Cutting limited the danger of flooding in the Żuławy region.

The Przegalina Sluice: the Sluice is situated in the place where the waters of the main stream of the Vistula separate from those of the so-called Dead Vistula. It was built in 1895 as part of the programme regulating the mouth of the Vistula. The complex includes two sluices, of which only one, built in 1975-81, is in use. Near the sluice, there are several historical buildings and a port for tugboats, barges and ice-breakers for use on the Vistula. The Sluice enables ships to sail on the Dead Vistula and it protects the Gdańsk Żuławy region from flooding.

Monuments in the Vistula Żuławy and Powiśle Regions:

The whole of the Żuławy region has been reclaimed from the water and it constitutes a specific catalogue of the various appliances and techniques for the draining of land applied from the Middle Ages to present times. It has not been spared by floods and wars, as a result of which only a small part of the appliances used to harness the power of water has survived to this day. Near the Żuławy region, in Powiśle, there is also a whole series of monuments of hydraulic engineering coming from the times of the Teutonic Order and from later periods. Nearby, past Elbląg on the way to Ostróda, there is also one of the most interesting technical monuments to be found in Poland: the Elbląg-Ostróda Canal. In presenting the hydraulic engineering curiosities of this area, one could mention, among others:

The Gdańska Głowa Sluice: this was built on the River Szkarpawa in 1895 as part of the programme regulating the mouth of the Vistula. It allows ships to sail on the Szkarpawa and it protects the Żuławy region from flooding. Renovated in the 1990s, it is not open to visitors but the construction can be viewed from outside.

The Pumping Station in Chłodniewo (Rybina): this is a complex of hydraulic engineering appliances constructed in 1929-30. The equipment includes the original pre-war pumps and other appliances protecting the Żuławy region from an excess of water. The architecture of the pumping station itself is also interesting.

Historical drawbridges and swing-bridges in the Żuławy region: in Rybina there is a confluence of four rivers: the Szkarpawa, the Święta (also known as the Tuga), the Wisła Królewicka and the Linawa, which creates a water junction. Two road drawbridges and one railway swing-bridge for the narrow-gauge railway have been built across these rivers. In Nowy Dwór Gdański on the River Tuga (Świętek), there is another drawbridge, built before the Second World War.

The Biała Góra Sluice: a complex of hydraulic engineering constructions built since the 16th century in order to separate the waters of the Vistula and the Nogat, which until that time had been the main stream of the Vistula. This division was always a source of conflict between Gdańsk and Elbląg. The appliances, destroyed during the Swedish Wars, were rebuilt in the 19th century when the fork was moved 4 km lower to a place called Piekło. The system was enlarged at the beginning of the 20th century. It is formed by sluices and weirs and anti-flooding gates between the valley of the Vistula and that of the Nogat and a sluice on the River Liwa, which flows into the Nogat. It regulates the level of the water in the Nogat and enables ships to sail here. From the construction, there can be seen a wonderful view of the Vistula valley. The interior of the complex cannot be visited but the construction can be viewed from outside.
Sluices on the Nogat: the sluices in Szonowo, Rakowiec and Michałowo were built before the First World War in order to facilitate the passage of ships on the Nogat. They are typical of the hydraulic engineering appliances of the 19th and 20th centuries which were being built in numerous places at that time on the territory of the Prussian state.

The bridges in Tczew: the two bridges constructed in the 19th century, a road bridge and a railway bridge, were at the time of their construction among the longest in Europe. The road bridge, the older of the two, whose construction commenced in 1851, was originally 837 metres long and had ten towers and entrance gates. Next to it stands the railway bridge, constructed in 1888-91. After the Second World War, only the original part of the road bridge and four towers survived – the rest had either been destroyed or redeveloped. The road bridge takes you to the other side of the Vistula and it affords a view of the river valley and the town of Tczew.

Prabuty: a historical 18th-century water supply system is to be found under the market square and can be visited (by prior appointment). On show is an element of the complex of canals built in 1730.

The Elbląg-Ostróda Canal: a hydraulic engineering object of world-wide rank and fame. It is located in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship and, next to Gdańsk and Malbork Castle, it is one of the greatest tourist attractions in Northern Poland. Boat trips are organised from Elbląg to Małdyty and Ostróda as well as trips just to see the slipways in operation.

Hydraulic engineering monuments in Bory Tucholskie:

Among these terrains, broad and expansive and mostly covered with pine forests, there can be found many interesting objects serving to harness the power of water in the service of mankind. Examples of some such surviving monuments include:
The Great Brda Canal: Built in the 19th century, the Canal served to irrigate the deforested areas of Bory Tucholskie around Czersk. It is 21 km in length and begins in the place called Mylof (or Zapora). It is accessible to canoeists and in Fojutowo it crosses the valley of the Czerska Struga via an aqueduct.

The Wda Canal: like the Brda Canal, this was built in the 19th century to irrigate the area of Bory Tucholskie. It is 23 km in length. It was built by, among others, prisoners from the Franco-Prussian War. It begins below Lake Wdzydze and ends below Czarna Woda.

The aqueduct in Fojutowo: this was built in 1845-49, on the basis of the model of Roman aqueducts, to transport the waters of the Great Brda Canal above the Czerska Struga and it constitutes one of the most interesting monuments of hydraulic engineering in Pomorze. It is 75 metres in length and is the longest aqueduct in Poland. You can cross the river under the aqueduct either by a footbridge or by canoe.




Zapora (or Mylof): constructed in 1848 in order to improve the hydrological conditions in Bory Tucholskie by irrigating the fields and meadows thanks to the transportation of water along the Great Brda Canal. Next to the dam there functions a hydro-electric power station with a generating capacity of 800 KW and there is also a source of water for the needs of the fishing industry. This is one of the oldest dams in Poland and it possesses, among other things, a slipway for the launching of rafts.

The ruins of a mill on the River Chocina: these can be seen right next to the road bridge. You can also see, among other things, the remains of a great wooden mill wheel and a weir as well the building of the mill itself. This is the place where canoeing trails on the Chocina begin.

 

 

1. NOVOTEL MARINA HOTEL - Gdańsk

2. POSEJDON HOTEL - Gdańsk

3. GDYNIA HOTEL - Gdynia

4. SOFITEL GRAND SOPOT HOTEL - Sopot

5. MERCURE HEVELIUS HOTEL - Gdańsk

 

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