Stargard: City Walls, Museum History and Culture

Stargard for Cultural and Historical Trips

If you are looking for a hotel in Stargard, your planned focus can guide your choice: medieval architecture, the city’s history, or routes that also take in places in the surrounding area. In the city, the Church of St. Mary and the medieval city walls offer an architectural perspective; a museum exhibition covers Stargard’s history. For your trip, you can combine these with a walking route through the Old Town, a cycling route or regional attractions. This lets you first weigh up which themes you would like to make the focus of your stay.

The Church of St. Mary and Stargard’s medieval city walls were recognized as a Monument of History by an ordinance of the President of the Republic of Poland dated 17 September 2010. The city walls are among the few examples of medieval fortifications in West Pomerania that have survived almost along their entire length, complete with defensive gates and bastions. The course of the walls, gates and bastions therefore provide a specific focus for a trip where the city’s architectural history matters.

A museum exhibition in Stargard presents the city’s history from its founding in the 13th century to the beginning of the 18th century. This historical span offers a perspective distinct from that of the buildings: you can plan city history and architecture as different but complementary interests for your stay.

Routes and Events

The “Stargard – Jewel of Pomerania” walking route passes through the Old Town and is about 3 kilometers long. The red cycling route “Through the Drumlins of the Stargard Region” runs from Stargard via Lipnik, Zieleniewo, Morzyczyn, Grzędzice, Żarowo, Rogowo and Lubowo, then back to Stargard. The routes differ in character: the walking route stays in the Old Town, while the cycling route passes through several named places before ending back in Stargard. This gives you two different starting points for planning a stay focused on the city or cycling.

The “In the Land of the Griffin” Historical Festival is aimed at entire families, history enthusiasts and people who want to spend an active June weekend. The Archaeological and Historical Museum has organized the festival since 2014 as part of Stargard Days, in Piast Park near the bastion. If you are considering making the festival the occasion for your trip, check the date for your June weekend in advance.

Surrounding Area: Landscape and Architecture

Nearby is Pęzino, about 13 kilometers east of Stargard, at the confluence of the Pęzinka and the Krąpiel. Pęzino Castle is considered one of the best-preserved residential and defensive buildings in Pomerania. The original structure was built by the Knights Hospitaller around the turn of the 15th century. In comparison with Stargard’s city fortifications, the castle offers a different architectural focus: here, the emphasis is on a single residential and defensive building, while there it is on medieval fortifications with gates and bastions.

The 4.7-hectare Ozy Kiczarowskie geological reserve, established in 1962, is located in Stargard Gmina. It lies south of Kiczarowo on Route 149 between Stargard and Chociwel. The inanimate nature reserve contains glacial sands and gravels that form ridge-like mounds and elongated hills. The landscape also varies by region: the western part of the gmina lies in the Pyrzycka Plain, and the eastern part in the Nowogardzka Plain. Lake Miedwie, one of Poland’s five largest lakes, is in the west; the Ina and its tributaries, the Krąpiel and Mała Ina, flow in the east.

Other cultural points of interest within the gmina include the murals of Grzędzice, which are among the unique and oldest murals in West Pomerania. In Poczernin, the Church of St. Michael the Archangel was built from fieldstones in the 15th century; its wooden tower cupola dates from 1850. The church also houses a Late Gothic altar with a 16th-century crucifix, as well as three Gothic portals. Barzkowice Castle is an eclectic 19th-century building, expanded in 1911, with Classical and Neo-Renaissance motifs. Barzkowice also has a 12.7-hectare park with notable tulip trees; a linden avenue and an elm avenue are recognized as group natural monuments.

Discover More Destinations

Insko, Dobrzany, Stargard Szczeciński, Rekowo, Żukowo, Rogowo, Granica, Morzyczyn, Chociwel, Koszewko, Oświno, Brudzewice, Pęzino, Sowno

For the regional travel overview: West Pomerania.