The greatest attractions in Frombork
Most people associate the city of Frombork with a stunning, gothic cathedral and the adventures of Pan Samochodzik – the main character of the beloved children’s stories by Zbigniew Nienacki.
But this city has many other attractions to offer, which begin attracting an increasing group of tourists. What does Frombork have to offer and what attractions can we find there?
The historical origins of the city.
The oldest documents of Frombork tell us about the events from the late 13th century. At that time, after yet another battle with the warlike Prussians, the cathedral in Braniewo was completely destroyed. Henryk Fleming, who was the bishop of Warmia at the time, moved the chapter and decided to build a new cathedral in Frombork.
Where did the name of the city come from? The Polish Frombork is a phonetic recreation of the German Frauenburg, which means the City of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In fact, the documents written down by the clergy often mention Frombork as „The City of Our Lady”.
In the following centuries the history of the city was extremelty eventful. After the 1st partition of Poland, Frombork was within the Prussian border. It didn’t come back to Poland until after World War II in 1945. This was also the time, when the systematic process of rebuilding began.
Currently the main source of supporting the citizens is tourism. Beautiful monuments, beaches and seaside attractionse attract plenty tourists, who are eager to have a vacation by the Baltic Sea.
Attractions of Frombork – what should you see in Frombork.
Frombork is more than just fun at the beach and cruising through the Vistula Lagoon. The city has lots of attractions to offer, so any tourist can find something interesting.
The seaside atmosphere – the harbor and pier in Frombork.
The local harbor is located in the north-west part of the city. It combines the functions of a fisherman’s headquarters, a yacht harbor and a starting place for cruises through the Vistula Lagoon. Additionally, we can also go to Krynica Morska or the nearby Russian harbors.
While being in the harbor, it is worth going on a walk through the pier, which is located in the direct neighborhood of the harbor. The pier is approximately 380 meters long and is one of the favourite stops among tourists, who want to observe the sea and the coastline architecture.
The monumental city of Frombork – The archcathedral.
In this not to large city there are also plenty of high-quality architectural monuments. One of the greatest treasures of the baroque is the Archcathedral Basilic under the calling of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Andrew the Apostle.
This is a fortified gothic church, built from the first half of the 14th century for nearly 60 years. But it is worth seeing the rich and monumental interior of the cathedral, as well as the epitaph of Nicolas Copernicus, who was burried here in 1543.
An attraction for fans of classical Music – The Organ Music Festival
Each year in the summer season, the cathedral hosts the participants and listeners of the Festival of Organ Music – the most important musical event in the city. During the concerts, which last for
several days, you can listen to the greatest virtuosos from all over the world., who present the possibilities of the monumental cathedral instrument, originating back from 1683.
Apart from the festival rivalry, people who to listen to classical organ music inside this gorgeous cathedral,can get an additional chance to take part in concerts, organized periodically, in almost every Sunday in July.
A bit of science – the Nicolas Copernicus Museum
In a city so strictly connected to the Polish astronomer, there just had to be place for a museum dedicated to him. It is located in the cathedral complex.
While visiting the exhibit, you can see many artefacts directly associated with the famous scientist. Including those from the times, when he lived and worked. The museum organizes lectures, and time-limited exhibits. They might, for example, about the anatomical theatres or the furnishing of the former doctor’s workshop.
After seeing the exhibit you can go on a walk through the astronomy park, which is located next to the museum’s main building. The main goal of this place is to give visitors the possibility to observe the sky with the help of the tools, which were used by astronomers from the 16th century to the modern day. This is a great lesson in history and a chance to get moe familiar with Frombork in the evening.
More stargazing – the Frombork Observatory
Anyone, who wants to dig even deeper inot the mysteries of outer space can go to the Astronomical Observatory, which is located at the Crane Mountain. The complex consists of several pavillions, equipped in tools made for educational purposes and observation terraces, as well as a scientific background with a handy library. During the summer vacation there are educational meetings as part of the „Summer in the Planetarium and the Observatory” action.
The development of plumbing engineering – the Water Tower
In Frombork you can also find interesting places associated with the history of technology. One of such places is the renaissance Water Tower, in which a special plumbing machine was installed in 1571. It was meant to deliver water to the Cathedral Hill. The machine was created by an engineer from Wrocław – Walenty Hendel. It was the second solution of its kind in Europe after Augsburg. Currently the tower functions as an observation tower, from which extends the beautiful view at the picturesque, monumental architecture of the city.