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Wejherowo

Spending one’s holidays at the seaside it is worthwhile to visit Wejherowo - a significant pilgrimage-Marian centre in Pomerania Region. The biggest tourist attraction of Wejherowo is the Calvary of Wejherowo - Sanctuary of The Passion with a tradition of over 350 years. Visited by throngs of pilgrims and tourists, it is called the Holy Mountains or the Jerusalem of Kashubia.  Located on morainic hills, the Calvary includes 26 chapels. According to a scientifically unconfirmed piece of information, the distances between individual chapels are the same as the distances between individual stages of the martyr’s way traversed by Jesus Christ in Jerusalem (5,936 paces). Under each chapel, there is a handful of soil from Jerusalem.

The Calvary of Wejherowo has for over 300 years been attracting throngs of pilgrims. In June of 1953, the Pope John Paul II (as priest Karol Wojtyła) prayed on the Calvary hills along with a group of Kraków students.

History

The Calvary of Wejherowo was the fourth Calvary founded in the Noble's Polish Republic times right after the Zebrzydowska's, Pakoska's and Zmudzinska's Calvaries. The main founder and initiator of its creation was voivode of Malbork Jakub Wejher.

Wejher started the efforts for the permission of church authorities probably along with the location of Wejherowska Wola, later known as Wejherowo. One of the Cistercians Robert from Werden who measured the distance between the stations of future Calvary basing on the actual measurement of Christ's route in Jerusalem and he also signed the locations of future chapels with crosses.

As soon as  Pomeranian biskhop M. A. Gniewosz from Aleksandrowo allowed for building the calvary (9 June 1649) the works were started at once. The founders were not only J. Wejher but also his family members, co-workers and voivode's friends.

It was not long for the Church to appreciate the value of the Calvary which was on the area of strong Reformation influence (most of the Pomeranians were Protestants). That is why at Jakub Wejher's request the pope Aleksander VII in 1661 issued the papal bull which granted plenary indulgence for 10 years for Calvary's pilgrims. As the number of the pilgrims was still growing, papal privilege was renewed up till 1717 when the Holy Congregation of Indulgences and Relicts decided to grant the plenary indulgence forever.

Religious ceremonies

The masses of the Way of the Cross, held every Good Friday of the Lent, attract crowds of the faithful to Calvary. The Way of the Cross in Calvary begins at 1600 hrs with an exit from the church and procession to Pilatus’ Chapel. Calvary banners and a cross are carried at the head of the procession which is made up of up to several thousand people. The Stations of the Cross are at the main chapels of Calvary.  
At Pilatus’ Palace there also begins the Mystery of the Passion of Christ – a theatrical production by an amateur group “The Kashubian Mystery Players”, portraying the Passion of Christ.

Planning a trip around Wejherowo, one cannot omit the Old Town with a historical market square and a pedestrian precinct, where the oldest historical sights of the town await enthusiasts of old architecture. These include the following:

- Town Hall - It is the architectonic landmark of Wejherowo. On the Town Hall tower, there is a ringing bell founded in 1649 by Jakub Wejher. A monument to the town’s founder stands in front of the Town Hall. Thanks to the efforts of the town authorities, the Town Hall was completely renovated in the years 2003-2004, for which the town gained “The Modernisation of the Year 2004”  title in the historical sights category. Quite an attraction for tourists is a model of the town’s historical centre, open for the public in the Town Hall’s room of tradition and history.

- St Anna’s Monasterial Church of Franciscan Friars - Sanctuary of Our Lady of Wejherowo - constructed by Jakub Wejher in 1650. It is one of the oldest historical sights of the town. The biggest ”treasure” of the Franciscan Church is the Painting of Our Lady of Wejherowo, Spirit and Body Healer, famous for its graces, crowned by Pope John Paul II at the hippodrome of Sopot on June 5, 1999.
The basement of the monastery of Franciscan Friars is occupied by the Franciscan Museum featuring three crypts and exposition rooms. In one of the crypts rests Jakub Wejher - the founder of Wejherowo town, whereas the exposition room presents the history of the Wejher family and the operations of the monastery in the field of education and organisation of the Calvary celebrations.

- Collegiate Church -  constructed by Jakub Wejher in the years 1643 - 1644. The church’s present shape from 1927 preserved its baroque character. Inside the church, it’s worthwhile to pay special attention to late-baroque altars, a rococo pulpit, a baptismal font and a wrought iron chandelier with the Polish eagle (18th c.), as well as rich stained glass windows. The Collegiate Church functions also as a concert hall, where artists, choir groups and orchestras with religious-cultural programs give performances, and where organ concerts are held.

- Palace of the Przebendowski and Keyserlingk families - seat of the Museum of Kashubian-Pomeranian Literature and Music.  Located in the municipal park, the palace presents its neo-Gothic style with distinct elements of the Renaissance. The body of the building, untypical of the palaces in Pomerania, refers with its shape and appearance to villas of southern Italy.

The wall paintings discovered during a renovation of the palace are the most unusual attraction for tourists and a riddle for art historians. They are in the Pompeian painting style and depict the charms of nature and architecture of Italy. All rooms of the palace are covered with polychromy of high artistic value.

The palace is presently occupied by the Museum of Kashubian-Pomeranian Literature and Music. The museum collects and propagates the Kashubian and Pomeranian historical literary and music pieces. The museum is the venue of literary competitions, conferences, meetings with artists and regional activists, concerts, book promotions, exhibitions, etc.  Looking for a hotel in Sopot? Check out Sheraton Sopot Hotel.