Nowe Miasto Lubawskie: Town Walls, Basilica and the Drwęca Valley

Nowe Miasto Lubawskie lies in the valley of the meandering Drwęca River. The river landscape gives the town a distinctive geographical setting, while historic buildings also shape the view of its past. The eastern part of the town lies within the Obszar Chronionego Krajobrazu Doliny Dolnej Drwęcy protected landscape area. The Camino de Santiago route also passes through Nowe Miasto Lubawskie. It runs through the Drwęca Valley and forests, as well as along the shores of the lakes of Warmia and Masuria. This gives you two distinct perspectives for your trip: the landscape along the Drwęca and the town’s historic architecture.

Landscape and Trails

There are specific route details to help plan cycling and hiking trips. A 12.8-kilometre cycling route runs between Kurzętnik and Nowe Miasto Lubawskie through the Drwęca Valley, which is protected as part of the Natura 2000 network. The 13-kilometre TO-2215 hiking trail connects the town with the yellow trail in the Drwęca Valley. The two distances are similar, but describe different activities and routes. A family cycling route starts at the market square, by the tourist information centre there. The town thus offers several starting points for planning a trip, from the cycling route between two towns to a hiking trail that connects with the yellow route.

Town Walls and Townscape

Construction of the town walls began in the 1330s. Surviving sections of the wall and the Gothic Brodnicka and Lubawska gate towers are examples of medieval defensive architecture. The urban ensemble was entered in the register of monuments in 1957. Despite later alterations, the Lubawska Gate Tower retains original loopholes and distinctive oriels. These details draw attention not only to the fortifications as a whole, but also to individual elements and their design. The historic market square also preserves the unique character of times gone by.

Basilica, Museum and Cemetery

Construction of the parish church, the Basilica of St Thomas the Apostle, began around 1300. Notable features include a late Renaissance chancel and an organ dating from the early 17th century. These different dates give the church a distinctive architectural perspective. The Muzeum Ziemi Lubawskiej has been housed in the Baszta Brodnicka since 1959. Its collections illustrate the history and everyday life of the region’s inhabitants over several centuries. Here, architectural history and regional ways of life emerge as distinct themes in the same place. The parish cemetery also preserves historic gravestones, a neoclassical mortuary chapel with adjoining burial chapels, and a cemetery gate. Together, these features offer another concrete glimpse of the town’s historic architecture.

Cultural Venues and Getting Around

Kinoteatr Harmonia has 197 seats and can accommodate up to 300 people for cultural events and concerts. The two figures distinguish the regular seating capacity from the number of people it can accommodate at such events. The tourist information centre is located at Rynek 23; the family cycling route starts at the market square by this centre. This makes it possible to connect a specific point of reference in town with a starting point for one of the routes described.

Discover more destinations: Pacółtowo, Olecki, Giżycko, Olsztyński, Mrągowski, Iławski, Olsztyn, Węgorzewski.

Back to the main travel overview: Warmia and Masuria.