Złotów: Architectural history and paths by Jezioro Miejskie

Złotów brings together a layered architectural and commemorative history with paths by Jezioro Miejskie and in Zwierzyniec Park. You can choose different focuses for your stay: architecture and historic sites, the museum’s collections, or outdoor activities.

Buildings from different periods

The Działyński Palace dates from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. It was built in the classical style with landscaped grounds and remodelled in the 1830s at the initiative of the Hohenzollerns, based on a design by Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The dates make clear the difference between the original construction and the later changes.

Beside the former Evangelical Church of St. Stanislaus Kostka stands the red-brick building of the former courthouse, built in 1866. Near the neo-Gothic Church of St. Roch, built in 1904, are a decommissioned Evangelical cemetery with a lapidarium established in 1998, and a military cemetery for soldiers who fell in the 1945 battles for the Złotowszczyzna region. The churches and their surroundings thus bring together different historical themes.

Another example is the building at 5 Domańskiego Street: dating from 1905, it has an Art Nouveau façade and once housed the headquarters of the Fifth District of the Union of Poles in Germany. The town hall was built in 1914 to a design by Adolf Behr. Together with the classical palace, these buildings showcase different architectural styles and periods of construction.

Memorial sites and collections

The outline of the synagogue destroyed in 1938 is marked on Plac Paderewskiego. Since 1957, the Piast Kołodziej monument has stood in front of the district administration building; it is described as the only one of its kind in Poland. The two places offer different kinds of remembrance: one recalls a destroyed building, while the other is a monument with a distinctive status.

The Muzeum Ziemi Złotowskiej holds archaeological, historical and ethnographic collections related to the town and its surroundings. Less than half of the holdings are on display. This is useful to keep in mind when planning your visit: the collection is larger than what can be seen in the exhibition at any one time. The altarpiece “Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary” in the Church of the Assumption of Mary also offers a specific art-historical connection; Paulus Hack painted it in 1666.

Paths by the lake and in Zwierzyniec Park

The 4 km pedestrian and cycle promenade runs along Jezioro Miejskie, which covers about 47 ha; the lake can be circled on foot or by bicycle. The promenade leads to Półwysep Rybacki. There you’ll find a plant maze and information boards on the town’s history, the noble families who ruled in Złotów, and archaeological finds. The promenade also has a wooden footbridge over the Głomia and a viewing platform overlooking the town.

In Zwierzyniec Park, five educational trails marked with information boards lead through the grounds: Poznawcza, Żabia, Łowiecka, Leśna and Dendrologiczna. Another way to explore the area is the Szlak Złotowskiego Jelenia. With nine stops and twelve information boards, it runs through the Old Town towards Zwierzyniec, a park-like woodland and recreation complex that is also home to the Złotów Forest District headquarters.

By the lake, the main attractions are the promenade, the option to walk or cycle around the lake, and views of the town; in Zwierzyniec, they are the named educational trails and the route with its stops. When planning your trip, you can decide whether to focus more on the town’s history and architecture or on paths and natural areas.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Jastrowie, Zakrzewo, Łąkie, Okonek, Głomsk, Skórka, Radawnica.

Back to the main travel overview: Flatow.