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Old Town Market Square
This is where your journey through the Gothic Constellation begins. Stand for a moment on the Market Square and look around – from this single spot you can see several different chapters of Stargard’s history.
- Town Hall - one of the most impressive Gothic town halls in Western Pomerania. Look at its decorative gable – one of the most characteristic features of Stargard Gothic.
- Main Guardhouse - the former guardhouse of the Stargard garrison. Today it is part of the Archaeological and Historical Museum.
- Baroque Townhouses No. 3 and 4 - notice how their later Baroque form contrasts with the Gothic Town Hall. Today they also serve museum and tourist purposes.
- Railwayman Monument - go up and say hello to the Railwayman. It is a tribute to Stargard's railway history and to the people who helped build the town after the war. Note the lamp and timetable in his hands. Every year on 12 May Stargard celebrates Pioneers' Day, commemorating its first Polish residents. It was on this day that the Polish town administration took over the whole of what was then called Starogród (Stargard).
Somewhere on the Market Square, one of the Stargard Griffins is waiting for you. Find it and see what it is holding in its paws. Its attributes lead to the story of the old physicate and one of Stargard’s most remarkable residents. Found it? Scan the QR code next to the Griffin and complete the task.
Does the Old Town Market Square have more history to tell?
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Collegiate Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the World
This is one of the most important points of the Gothic Constellation. Before you go inside, walk around the Collegiate Church and take in its monumental brick mass. Only then step inside – the interior reveals a completely different scale.
- Look up - the main nave is 30.2 metres high, making Stargard's Collegiate Church the church with the highest vault in Poland.
- Take a closer look at the details - tracery, rose windows, wimpergs and brick decorations show the skill of the Gothic builders. The eastern part of the church is particularly richly decorated.
- Look inside - don't stop at the façade. Inside, look out for the vaults, chapels, the ambulatory and the triforium gallery.
- Look around the Collegiate Church - right next to it stand three historic townhouses forming the Presbytery Complex. They are part of the historic Collegiate Church ensemble.
- Monument of History – the Collegiate Church, the presbytery buildings and Stargard’s medieval fortifications form a complex designated a Monument of History by the President of Poland in 2010. The official regulation describes the Collegiate Church as one of the finest Gothic churches in the Baltic region.
- Over 700 years of history – construction of the brick church began at the end of the 13th century, and it acquired its main medieval form at the end of the 15th century.
- European Route of Brick Gothic – the Collegiate Church lies on the European Route of Brick Gothic and is one of the most valuable monuments of its kind on the southern Baltic coast.
This star holds much more.
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Stargard's fortifications
Start at the Weavers’ Tower (also known as the Ice Tower) and set off along the surviving town walls. They will lead you through the next part of the Gothic Constellation, between towers, gates and traces of the town’s old defence system.
- Weavers’ Tower - look up – the 31-metre tower was one of the most powerful elements of the town's defences. Together with the Red Sea Tower, it is among the most impressive defensive towers in Poland.
- Town walls - don't look for the next stop – just keep going and follow the walls. In places they reach up to 8 metres high, and together with the gates, towers and bastions they formed an elaborate defence system.
- Bastion (Basteja) - stop here for a moment. It projected in front of the line of the walls and was adapted for firearms. In 2013 the 16th-century building was rebuilt and adapted for museum use. Today it is part of the Archaeological and Historical Museum in Stargard.
- Pyrzyce Gate - keep going and walk through one of the old gates into the town. Its origins date back to the 13th century.
- Red Sea Tower - now look up – at 34 metres it is the most impressive of all the surviving defensive towers in Poland.
- 2,260 metres – the full circumference of Stargard’s medieval walls. More than a kilometre of the old fortifications survives today.
- Not just walls – the medieval defensive walls together with St Mary’s Collegiate Church form a complex designated a Monument of History.
How did medieval Stargard defend itself? Discover the stories of the walls, towers and gates that guarded the town for centuries.
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Search for a Star
You have already visited several stars of the Gothic Constellation. Now it’s time to slow down, rest and get to know Stargard’s culinary side too. Choose a place marked with the Gothic Constellation Partner sign. A star in the window or by the entrance will show you where to stop for lunch, coffee or something sweet.
Discover places worth stopping at for a good meal, coffee or something sweet.
Discover the flavors of Stargard
Church of St John the Baptist
After your break, go back towards the Red Sea Tower and walk through Bolesław Chrobry Park towards the distinctive soaring tower of the Church of St John the Baptist. It’s hard to miss – you can see it from afar.
- The 99-metre tower - look up – it is one of the most distinctive features of Stargard's skyline.
- The Stargard blind niche - take a closer look at the tower's decoration. Here you will find the Stargard blind niche, a motif characteristic of the town's architecture.
- The crystal vaults - if the church is open to visitors, look inside. The chapels of the ambulatory have crystal (cell) vaults that are unique in Pomerania.
- The great bell Jan Maria - the church houses the largest medieval bell in Pomerania and the third of its class in Poland, dating from 1464 (weight: 3,876 kg, lower diameter: 178 cm). Jan Maria is the work of Stargard bell founders.
Keep your eyes open. Another Stargard Griffin is waiting for you nearby. Find it and see what part of the town’s history it tells.
Discover the story of this unique star.
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Mill Gate
Continuing along the Planty, you will reach the Ina River. On the town’s branch of the river, one of Stargard’s most distinctive buildings awaits you – the Mill Gate, the only one in Poland (and one of two in Europe) spanning directly over the river’s current. It dates from the mid-15th century.
- The view from the Ina - step back a few paces and look at the gate together with the river. Only from this angle can you really see how extraordinary its construction is.
- The two towers - look at the slender towers rising above the main structure and the characteristic Stargard blind niches.
- The old harbour quays - in the Middle Ages the Mill Gate protected access to Stargard's harbour within the fortifications. At night the portcullis was lowered straight into the Ina.
Why did a medieval town need a gate over the river?
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Białogłówka Tower
Continuing around the historic centre, you will reach the Białogłówka Tower. It is another highlight of Stargard’s fortifications – a 30-metre tower from the first half of the 15th century.
- The white top - it is what gave rise to one explanation of the name Białogłówka. Another links it to the legend of women who defended the town.
- Traces of the old gallery - the original entrance was at the level of the wooden hoarding that ran along the walls.
- The area behind the tower - it was in this area that the castellan's former seat stood; it was demolished at the end of the 13th century.
Find the Griffin, scan the QR code and see where its story takes you.
What stood here before the medieval town was built? Discover the oldest history of Stargard.
Discover the history
Rampart Gate
This is one of the last great fortification highlights of today’s walk. The gate dates from the first half of the 15th century, although its upper parts were later given a Renaissance form. Today it is home to the “Brama” Stargard Association of Fine Arts Enthusiasts, which runs its gallery here.
- Two eras in one building - look at the Gothic lower part of the gate, then at its later Renaissance gables.
- The latrine oriel - on the south façade a distinctive oriel has survived – a detail that is easy to miss.
Got more time? Drop in at FILARY. Right next door is the FILARY Stargard Science Centre – a place where the town’s history gives way to experiments, science and fun. It’s a great option if you want to step off the Gothic trail for a while or are travelling with children. Allow about 1.5–2 hours for your visit. Check opening hours and tickets.
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The Arsenal and Protzen House
From the Rampart Gate, continue your walk along the Planty. Two more places await you along the way, showing completely different sides of the medieval town – one linked to its defence, the other to the lives of its residents.
- Town Arsenal - built around 1500. Weapons needed to defend the town were made, repaired and stored here. Later the building served, among other things, as a prison, and today it houses an archive.
- Protzen House - look at its richly decorated gable and the characteristic Stargard blind niches. It is one of the most valuable late Gothic townhouses of its kind in Poland and a great example of the fact that Gothic Stargard is not just churches and fortifications. Today it houses the Witold Lutosławski State Music School (1st and 2nd level).
Not just defence – for most of the day you have been looking at monumental churches, gates, towers and walls. Protzen House shows another side of the Gothic town: burgher architecture.
What was life like in Gothic Stargard?
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Old Town Market Square
You are back where it all began. Behind you are Stargard’s most important Gothic stars – monumental churches, walls, towers, gates and traces of life in the old town.
Still have time?
Your day doesn’t have to end here. Go to the planner and choose what else you want to discover: Griffins, murals, culture, events or places marked with the Gothic Constellation Partner star.
Create your own plan