A TRIP ROUTE
INTERESTING STORIES
The beginnings of contacts between the inhabitants of today's Poland and Denmark date back to the Middle Ages. King Waldemar IV twice visited Kazimierz the Great in Krakow, also taking part in the convention of monarchs in 1364, which ended with the legendary feast at Wierzynek's. The king of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, Eric VII Pomorski, born in Darłowo, great-grandson of Casimir the Great on the distaff side, also visited Poland. As early as 1419, Eryk entered into an alliance with Poland against the Teutonic Knights, and in 1424 he came to Kraków for the coronation of Władysław Jagiełło's fourth wife, Zofia Holszańska. He then lived at Wawel, in the tower known from that time as the Danish tower. Inspired by Eric, a great worshiper of the Swedish mystic St. Brygida, Jagiełło founded the Bridgettines convent in Lublin. It was supposed to be a vote for the victory at Grunwald, because she lived in the fourteenth century. the holiday predicted the fall of the Teutonic Order. The controversial monarch also made plans to unite Poland, Lithuania and the Scandinavian countries under one scepter, but the idea was too fantastic to be accepted in Krakow and Vilnius.INTERESTING FACTS
At the end of the Swedish Deluge, a coalition of the Republic of Poland, Austria, Brandenburg and Denmark was formed against Sweden, supported also by the Netherlands. Hetman Stefan Czarniecki, at the head of the expeditionary force, set out to help Denmark, seized by the retreating Swedish army. His greatest achievements were taking the Koldyngi fortress by storm and crossing the cold waters of the Baltic Sea to the island of Als. Czarniecki, in recognition of his merits and incredible courage during the Northern War, received a golden chain from the king of Denmark, letters of praise from Pope Alexander VII and Emperor Leopold. The daring landing of Poles occupied a special place in the memory of the nation. At a difficult historical moment, he found himself in our hymn, designed to comfort the hearts of the soldiers of Dąbrowski's legions. When singing the words of the hymn "Jak Czarniecki to Poznań after the Swedish partition, for the motherland of rescue we will return by the sea", it is worth remembering about the events that were their source.IT IS WORTH KNOWING
Between the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century, Sweden waged constant wars with the Commonwealth. However, the invasion of our northern neighbors in 1655 during the Second Northern War, known as the Swedish Deluge. was the most tragic in consequences. The war and the occupation of almost the entire country by the Swedish army caused enormous material damage in the Commonwealth, great losses of cultural goods stolen by the occupant, as well as significant population losses as a result of warfare, starvation and disease, and finally the loss of control over Ducal Prussia and Livonia. Although most Polish castles and fortresses surrendered to the Swedes without a fight, they were destroyed and sacked as potential places of resistance. Many of the once great residences, such as Ogrodzieniec Castle, Chęciny Castle or Olsztyn Castle, they have never been rebuilt and have never regained their former glory. Not only were libraries and treasuries plundered, but also relics of saints, e.g. of St. Stanisław from Kraków or architectural details, e.g. marble dolphins from a fountain in the royal castle in Warsaw.IT IS WORTH SEEING
As a child, I loved watching the adventures of the resolute girl Pipi Langstrumpf, i.e. Pipi Longstocking. During the communist era, it was one of the few foreign children's films. Pipi is the title character of the series of novels by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren and their film adaptations. In the Polish language version, Pipi was voiced by actress Ewa Złotowska. Pippi is nine years old, with carrot red hair in two protruding braids and lots of freckles. She wears a short, patched dress, drooping stockings, and much too big black shoes. He lives only with a monkey, Mr. Nilsson and a horse, in Willa Zawodnotka, located in a small town. The girl, despite constantly committed awkwardness and a tendency to tell uncreated stories, is always guided by the good of others, rushing to save the weaker and the injured. While in Kneippbyn Park on Gotland, I took the opportunity to pay her a visit. Unfortunately, she was taking a nap in the afternoon.July 2016
I planned a trip to Denmark and Sweden on purpose in July to catch some sun. Unfortunately, the weather was not kind to me. While it was quite clear and sunny in Sweden, Denmark welcomed me with rain clouds. But what could be done, we have no influence on the weather.
Both Scandinavian countries are connected with each other by historical and cultural ties, such as Norse mythology, Lutheran religion or language. When planning my visit to Stockholm and Uppsala, I smiled to myself, hoping to finally see our national monuments looted during the Swedish invasion and other armed conflicts between our nations. However, when the Swede, who hitchhiked me to Gamla Uppsala, asked how I saw his country, I replied diplomatically that it was expensive and...green.DENMARK
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the most cosmopolitan of all Scandinavian capitals. The relaxed atmosphere is felt everywhere, which is especially evident in the Christiania district. Nevertheless, the city is full of monumental buildings from the heyday of the Danish state. I visited the capital city on foot and from the deck of a cruise ship during a canal cruise. An interesting Polish accent is the Thorvaldsen Museum, where I saw models of Warsaw's monuments to Nicolaus Copernicus and Prince Józef Poniatowski.
Roskilde
The former capital of the country of Roskilde, famous for its magnificent cathedral where most of the Danish monarchs rest, and a museum of Viking boats excavated from the bottom of the bay. The little house is impressive with its size and splendor, but I was most interested in the gilded main altar made around 1560 in Antwerp, commissioned by the Gdańsk patriciate. During the voyage, it was confiscated by the Danes in Helsingor. The modern authors of the information folder about the cathedral did not even stumble upon this fact.
Hamlet Castle
Helsingor is a quiet town on the banks of the Øresund, full of picturesque wooden houses. Its biggest attraction is Kronborg Castle, which owes its fame to the person of Hamlet, whose prototype was a certain Amled. Shakespeare transferred the plot of his work to the 11th century and placed the prince's seat in the local castle. While visiting Kronborg, I was a participant of the play performed by the actors all the time, which in itself is a unique experience.
SWEDEN
Stockholm
Stockholm is often called poetically "floating city" and there is no exaggeration in that. Its oldest part is located on the small island of Gamla Stan, a tangle of picturesque narrow streets, almost unchanged since the Middle Ages. It's easy to get lost here, and that's what's most enjoyable. While visiting the capital of Sweden, I could not deny myself participation in the changing of the guard ceremony and a visit to the museum of the ship "Vasa".
Uppsala
Uppsala was once the country's political, academic and spiritual center. The biggest attraction of the city is the Gothic cathedral, which is the place of coronation and rest of the Swedish kings. The temple is buried, among others Queen of Sweden Katarzyna Jagiellonka, wife of King Jan III Vasa of Sweden. Above her tombstone is the coat of arms of the Republic of Poland, and on the wall above a fresco depicting Krakow. There are also two huge bells in the cathedral, looted by the Swedes in Poland during the Northern War.
Gotland
Gotland is the largest island in the Baltic Sea. Due to the limited time, I only visited the capital Visby, a Unesco World Heritage Site. This beautiful, Hanseatic city, surrounded by perfectly preserved walls, simply charmed me. A stroll through the picturesque streets was an unforgettable experience, but I was most impressed by the ruins of medieval churches, which are the evidence of Visby's turbulent history.
Malmo
The city of Malmo along with the entire region of Skåne once belonged to Denmark. But in the mid-17th century, the Swedish army, which crossed the frozen Baltic Sea, forced the weakened Danish kingdom to return Scania, Blekige and Bohuslan. Malmo has a picturesque medieval old town, but I was most impressed by the drive to Copenhagen, 7845 m long Oresund Bridge.