Tourist attractions

Ciechocinek, one of the biggest and most popular SPA towns in Poland, is located within the so-called White Kuyavia region, in the middle of Ciechocinek Lowland, which is a part of Toruń-Bydgoszcz Valley. It lies on the left bank of the Vistula river between Toruń and Włocławek, about 40 meters above sea level, in the picturesque proglacial stream valley of the Queen of Polish Rivers.

The history of Ciechocinek’s saline springs dates back to the Middle Ages. However, the first records come from the XII century, when Konrad I, Duke of Masovia, issued a document granting Teutonic Order the right to perpetual usufruct to two saltworks in return for salt allowance in kind to Duke’s and Bishop’s courts.

The salt resources of Ciechocinek and Słońsk drew the attention of Polish officials of the new administration after the First Partition of Poland, when Wieliczka and Bochnia, two towns rich in salt deposits, became a part of Austrian—led Habsburg monarchy. The project of sourcing salt from salt springs was created at the instigation of Stanisław Staszic, who was the right hand of Prince Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki, the Minister of the Treasury in the Congress Kingdom of Poland. The undertaking was inspired by an industrialist – Konstanty Leon Wolicki.

In 1830 large saltworks were erected at the Słońsk parish. Then, between 1824 and 1833 the first two graduation towers were built and in 1859 the third was added, which resulted in creating a graduation tower complex that produced salt on an industrial scale.

A turning point in the history of Ciechocinek came in 1836, when four copper bathtubs were installed at a local inn. The brine bath was then used by 120 people. It opened the floodgates to the cure house, which later gave rise to a health SPA. Since that moment Ciechocinek has been known as a SPA town.

With a larger number of baths, a bathing complex was created and ‘A Committee for Acquiring Resources to Erect a Mineral Water Plant in Ciechocinek’ was called. Dr Roman Ignatowski began his fifty-year work and development of the therapy centre. Ciechocinek grew in popularity, new houses, villas and guest houses were built for the increasing number of patients. The town’s essential goals included construction of a railway connection with Warsaw and Bydgoszcz in 1867, erection of embankments in 1872, and in 1894 creation of the water intake facility in Kuczek providing water to Ciechocinek via water pipes. The town flourished and attracted distinguished visitors to its charming parks and gardens. Its popularity crossed the borders of the country, which contributed to the granting of municipal rights to Ciechocinek in 1916.

After World War I the town was taken over by the Polish government and subordinated to the Ministry of Health. During that period, destroyed during the war, healthcare facilities were rebuilt and restarted. In addition to that, new guest houses for holiday makers, guesthouses, post office, school, residential and commercial complex ‘Europa’, the Presidential Manor House and other facilities were built. At that time the Health Park was also created consisting of a thermal-saline pool, Dr H. Jordan’s garden, a sports field and vast green areas surrounding the graduation towers.

In the 1930s Ciechocinek began to transform into a garden city, which was a dream of a landscape architect, Zygmunt Hellwig’s, who created Ciechocinek’s flower carpets, flower clock, various parks and gardens. Following the outbreak of World War II Ciechocinek was renamed Hermannsbad and turned into a large military hospital for German troops. During the occupation the town also functioned as a health resort, only for German citizens. German experts comparing the local saline springs to the ones in the Second Reich highly valued their quality and named saline spring no. 14 ‘a wonder of nature’. After the town was liberated from occupation on 21 January 1945, it was quickly rebuilt. Luckily the town avoided significant damage. Despite the attempts to blow them up the most important buildings including Bathrooms (Health SPA buildings), the railway station and the church remained intact. Whole year therapeutic activities have been provided since 1950 and the town significantly grew in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

A lot of health resorts and preventoriums were built at that time. Just like a long time ago Ciechocinek still attracts patients and holiday makers not only with its healthcare services, but also with its picturesque location, green areas, parks, climatic cafes, bubbling fountains, tall graduation towers, and charming walking paths. Refurbished in 1998 greenery theatre again pleases the eye and holds cultural events. Nowadays Ciechocinek deserves its name of ‘Pearl of Polish Health Resorts’ and is one of the most popular SPA towns in Poland.

Unique and the biggest wooden structure in Europe that removes water from a saline solution by evaporation was designed by Jakub Graff – professor at the Academy of Mining in Kielce. Three such constructions forming a U-shape were erected in Ciechocinek. The construction of graduation towers no. I and II lasted from 1824 until 1828, the third one was built in 1859.

The foundations of the graduation towers are made of 7000 oak beams supporting a spruce and pine wall-like frame structure that was filled with bundles of brushwood. The salty water runs down the tower and partly evaporates.

The famous ‘Grzybek’ fountain is located in the centre of the town. It functions as a decorative element of the SPA as well as a part of the graduation tower complex.

The mushroom-shaped fountain is built over the spring no. 11, which is a 414-metre deep brine well. Brine is pumped from here to the Ciechocinek graduation towers.

The saltworks together with the graduation towers constitute a globally unique relic of technology.

Table salt, as well as Ciechocinek sludge and curative lye have been manufactured here for over 180 years. In the part of saltworks which is no longer used for manufacturing, a museum was established with exhibits not only related to salt making, but also showcasing the establishment and development of the health resort in Ciechocinek. Equipment for physiotherapy designed by Wilhelm Zander deserves special attention.

The flower clock is the work of Zygmunt Hellwig, who was the author and developer of the idea of transforming the town into a great garden.

The clock-shaped flowerbed was created in 1934. The dial is planted with several thousands of various colourful flowers every year hiding the clock’s electrical movements.

The Promenade of Fame in Ciechocinek was opened five years ago, and the unveiling of the commemorative plaques has permanently entered the calendar of outdoor events organised with the participation of celebrities in the field of film, music, sport and medicine.

The Concert Shell is located in the centre of the SPA park.

It was designed by Waldemar Piotr Fedders as a concert stage. It was built in 1909 in Zakopane style, unusual for Ciechocinek. A lot of well-known Polish artists performed here, including the famous Health Resort Orchestra. The Shell is full of life all summer with performances by artists of numerous Ciechocinek festivals: Kuyavia and Dobrzyn Land Folklore Meetings, National Festival of Firefighters’ Songs, the Polish Tenor Gala, the Opera and Operetta Festival, „Blues bez Barier” (‘Blues without Borders’), and Disabled Youth Song Festival.

The water playground for children in Ciechocinek is the third largest facility of this type in Poland.

It was built in Staszica Street, next to a rope park and tennis courts, in the immediate vicinity of the graduation tower. On 700 sq m, in two basins there are several water attractions, along with an impressive, several-metre high castle with fountains. There are 70 metres of water circulating in the water playground heated for the comfort of its users.

Situated in Mikołaja Kopernika Street, the XIX century Ciechocinek Summer Theatre is worth noticing among various Ciechocinek attractions.

The historic, art nouveau theatre was established in 1891 in according to the design of the architect Adolf Wilhelm Schimmelpfenning. The construction took only one year and the wooden building could originally hold 240 seats and six loges. In 1901 the stage was expanded with the use of bricks from old Russian stables. The auditorium was completed with a balcony and two loges and National Theatres handed over decorations and chairs.

The programme and tickets available at www.kupbilecik.pl

The programme available on the cinema website

The programme and tickets available at https://www.mck.ciechocinek.pl/

The Mineral Water Pump Room (so called „Kursaal”) located in the SPA Park was established in the years 1880 – 1881 in the form of an indoor walking gallery designed by Edward Cichocki.

Built of wood, in the ‘Swiss’ style, it still impresses with its facade, decorated with wooden openwork lace. It was rebuilt in the interwar period and now it also houses a concert hall „Bristol” cafe. The Mineral Water Pump Room is one of the oldest buildings in Ciechocinek.

The Ciechocinek Salt Cave is the only one in Poland and an uncommon in Europe natural salt inhalation cave inside the graduation tower.

The microclimatic chamber of the cave was built inside the graduation tower no 2 over a brine tank in the centre of the framework structure that was filled with bundles of brushwood. The inside of the graduation tower is a perfect place for inhalation of aerosol containing healthy salt particles.

Toruń-Ciechocinek-Nieszawa about 41 kilometres

Kuczek – Odolion – Otłoczyn about 11 kilometres

Podole – Ciechocinek – Wołuszewo – Aleksandrów Kujawski – Służewo about 24 kilometres

Ciechocinek – Kuczek – Raciążek about 8 kilometres

Ciechocinek – Słońsk dolny – Wołuszewo about 8 kilometres

Toruń – Ciechocinek – Włocławek about 63 kilometres