“So what exactly are you doing in Mysliborz?!”, my Polish friend asks me, quite surprised. “Not off to Warsaw, Krakow, or Gdansk?”, he seems to be adding, naming the much more well-known travel destinations in Poland. My EuropeTour mission about developing sustainable cultural tourism in the rural areas of Europe has once again led me off the beaten track, and this time it’s near the German-Polish border, only about an hour away from Berlin. It is here that, thanks to the German-Polish assocation of monasteries “Klosterland“, I have once again discovered quite a few hidden gems for you.
Hungry? “Kurna Chata”, a restaurant located in Swinoujscie (Swinemünde) …
… will feed you Polish classics, such as this meat stew soup served right inside a loaf of bread …
… and even though Swinoujscie still feels cold to the touch now …
… the beautiful beaches give away a hint of spring, and summer.
Near Swinoujscie, you can watch European Bisons in a nature reserve near the beach …
… as well as this woolly fella, a wild pig found in the same national park enclosure.
Just near the border between Germany and Poland, you may visit two extraordinary cultural gems: The monasteries of Chorin & Angermünde in the cities of the same name.
Following the age of secularization, many of the area’s originally religious buildings have seen alternative uses, such as stables, warehouses, houses, as well as other dwellings. Fascinating for me as an Austrian, where this kind of secularization never happened! I am thus much more used to see pompous-looking, castle-like monasteries and abbeys. Yet here, in the far north of Poland or Germany, you may well see huge (and above all, empty) churches, which are mainly used as event and exhibition spaces.
Impressive even from a distance: Chorin Monastery …
… which nowadays serves as a modern conference centre, among other uses, such as for our EuropeTour meeting …
… we take a look around …
… discuss opportunities for rural cultural tourism development …
… and end up having our dinner here, at the “Eco Village Brodowin”: https://www.brodowin.de/ if you want to know more!
The former Franciscan Abbey at Angermünde, too, is worth your while, especially peeking inside its mighty church hall …
… checking out Angermünde, near the German-Polish border …
… where you will also find these wonderful hosts at “Kleine Schorfheide” …
… who have opened up a farm house of about 250 years of age and turned it into a modern organic lodge …
… love the food we’ve been served here: http://kleineschorfheide.de, in case you want to know more about it !
Back to Poland now, and the small town of Mysliborz. Perhaps some of you know by its historic (German) name, “Soldin”?
For many centuries, the city was called that way, and was part of German territory. During our visit, we ask the mayor of Mysliborz, whether it would be worthwhile to keep this well-known name in Polish? The answer, however, is a difficult and complex one, since it would involve many events in the recent history of Germany and Poland. We listen and learn how to better understand part of the sometimes difficult history: Through the miracle of Sister Faustina Kowalska (“Holy Mercy”) for instance, who served here about 100 years ago. The parish church of Mysliborz even shows a film teaser about her (inside the church!), complete with a flat screen TV hanging by the altar. Now that’s what I call a kind of modern church congregation!
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT5nRELhA6U” width=”800″]
Being welcomed by the local priest …
… we check out the local church in Mysliborz (complete with its religious TV screen) …
… complete with a statue honouring Sister Faustina …
… thank you for this interesting visit in Mysliborz …
… and here’s another tip if you’re still looking for nice accommodation in the area “W Sam Las” (literally translating to: Right inside the forest), a truly lovely countryside lodge with modern meeting facilities, and a restaurant as well.
Want to see even more travel photos from Poland? Here you go:
And in case you’d like to know more about our #EuropeTour project, check out this website here: http://www.europetour.tips !