Green Velo

The city lies in the Warmia region, and is located on the River Wałsza, with approximately 3,000 residents. It was granted town privileges in 1312, and it belonged to the Warmia Chapter. For several years the city and the surrounding areas were administered by Nicolaus Copernicus. In 1945, the city was almost completely destroyed.

The Old Town’s main square with its Gothic town hall at the centre was soon surrounded by newly-constructed buildings. A neo-Gothic parish church, built in 1895, can be found nearby. It is characterised by a unique five-nave interior and its tower, built on a medieval base (which can be seen by comparing the shapes of the bricks). The ruins of Warmia Chapter Castle can be found near the church. The nearby staircase leads to the picturesque Wałsza River Valley nature preserve, one of the oldest preserves in the area, established in 1907. A steel railway bridge was built over the valley in 1884, and was rebuilt after the war, still using the original plans. It is 28 metres high and 157 metres long. The path under the bridge leads to the Missionary Ethnographic Museum at the Divine Word Seminary just three kilometres away. Grain elevators, visible in the city, indicate that agriculture makes up the majority of the region’s economy.