Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Understand

The area is a borderland between various historical, ethnographic and natural regions. Kuiavia is to the south of the Vistula river, with cities like Bydgoszcz, Włocławek, and Inowrocław. It is known for good lands for agriculture and salt. Located to the north-east, across the biggest Polish river, there is the Land of Dobrzyń that was under Cuiavian control for centuries. With no big cities, it is a land of fields, idyllic hills, small towns, and villages. Pomeranian is the northern part of the voivodeship with the south of historic Eastern Pomerania known also as Pomerelia and the Land of Chełmno. Both areas were in the 19th century part of West Prussia province and are linked by the medieval history of Teutonic Order State that began in the 1230s. This is why there are many medieval monuments across this part of the region, including world heritage old town of Toruń. Additionally, the western part of the voivodeship historically belonged to Greater Poland. The area in the northwest is known as Krajna which meant a borderland, as it is a part of lands separating Pomerania from Greater Poland. It is an agrarian, hilly land with many idyllic landscapes around small towns of Sępólno Krajeńskie and Nakło. To the south, there is an ethnographic region of Pałuki centred around Żnin, popular among tourists due to many historic sites from prehistoric and early medieval times. Also, the area around the town of Mogilno is a part of historic Greater Poland, being for centuries a part of Gniezno district.

History In the early Middle Ages, south-western part of the region was in the core of newly forming Polish state. In the 11th century, a bishopric was established in Kruszwica and later transferred to Włocławek. Poland was divided into several duchies from 1138 and the area became more and more divided. When the reunited Kingdom of Poland took back Kuiavia, the area retained its traditional division into two separate parts, The Inowrocław Voivodeship and the Brześć Kujaw

Getting there

By plane The only airport in the region with scheduled passenger service is the Bydgoszcz Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport (BZG IATA) [1], with a growing but a limited number of connections. One may also use the more major airports in the cities close to Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship - Poznań, Gdańsk, or Warsaw (the latter offers intercontinental connections).

By train With a well-developed railway network, travelling into Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship by train is a good choice. There are good train connections with most of the major cities in the country, as well as with Berlin.

By bus There are several bus companies offering connections with other major cities in Poland and Europe. Major ones are PKS Bydgoszcz, FlixBus, Sindbad.

Getting around

The majority of tourist sites are easily accessible by train or bus. Most cities and towns have a train and/or bus station offering long- and short-distance connections. Unfortunately, information about bus connections is often Polish-only and sometimes hard to find on the internet.

By train A train is a good option to travel around the region. Many local trains are new and comfortable. All major cities are well connected to each other, and many towns and villages along the major routes too, so one can get to sites like Brodnica, Mogilno, Tuchola Forest. Still, the majority of interesting towns and villages is reachable only by other means of transport. The service is provided by Polregio and Arriva. The train schedule for all train companies in Poland can be found here (the site is available in Polish, English, German and Russian).

By bus A bus is the best way to get to many interesting towns and villages in the region if one is using public transportation. The density of the network and quality may vary, and there are many companies providing their offer. Schedule for most of the buses is provided here.

By bike Biking is a great way to discover the region, especially during warmer days. There are many bike trails prepared, although sometimes it is better just to use your own creativity while looking on the map. The area is rather flat, and there are no denivelations bigger than 100 meters. There is a map of biking and hiking trails, created by the community, although only in Polish.

On foot There are many hiking paths across the region, although the density and state of preservation may vary. They are signed with Polish standard, with three rectangles: two whites and one colourful in the middle. There are five colours (red, black, green, blue and yellow), and two trails of the same colour cannot cross. The longest hiking paths are: blue Brda Trail from Bydgoszcz to Konarzyny in Pomeranian Voivodeship along Brda river through Tuchola Forest, and yellow

See

Old Town in Toruń brick Gothic town hall and churches form a unique medieval panorama at the Vistula shore. Nicolaus Copernicus was born in one of the fine Gothic houses. This picturesque and academic city is listed as a world heritage site. Old Town in Chełmno with nearly intact city walls, six Gothic churches (incl. relics of St. Valentine), renaissance city hall, and the best view in the world (a Polish wordplay meaning also the best view on the neighbouring town of Świecie pronounced the same way as the World in this case) View from the Mice Tower in Kruszwica on the Gopło Lake The largest graduation towers in Europe in the famous spa town of Ciechocinek

Do

Ride the Żnin heritage railway Kayak along Brda or Wda rivers Take a "water tram" boat on the Brda river in Bydgoszcz

Go next

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship borders five other Polish voivodeships:

Wielkopolskie, Łódzkie, Mazowieckie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, and Pomorskie.