Discover Gryfice

Town fortifications and finding your way

Gryfice’s surviving medieval fortifications include remains of the town wall, as well as the Brama Wysoka, the Brama Kamienna, and the Baszta Prochowa. These structures are examples of the fortifications typical of a medium-sized Pomeranian town. Visitors interested in historic urban layouts will find several distinct types of structures here: wall remains, town gates, and a tower. They give Gryfice’s historical character a tangible form.

The urban tourist route “Dwóch Bram” is 2.5 km long. This stated distance offers clear guidance for travelers who want to include a named route in their plans. The route is a point of interest in its own right, alongside the individual structures; its length also provides a manageable framework for planning your day.

The Muzeum i Galeria Brama is located in the Brama Wysoka. A tourist information office is also housed in this gate. The Brama Wysoka therefore serves two different functions: it is one of the surviving remains of the medieval fortifications and is also home to a museum and gallery, as well as the tourist information office. Visitors chiefly interested in architectural history can view it as a historic structure; the museum is a separate point of interest for those interested in culture.

After its roof was renovated and a balcony was built at the top, the Baszta Prochowa became an observation tower. Its present-day function sets it apart from the two town gates mentioned above and adds a tower with an observation function to the picture of the surviving fortifications. If you are interested in the town’s history, you can distinguish between these different types of historic structures.

The narrow-gauge railway and its historical context

The narrow-gauge railway offers another way to explore Gryfice’s history. The full length of the Nadmorska Kolej Wąskotorowa line between Gryfice and Pogorzelica is 39.5 km. This should be distinguished from the first line of the Gryficka Kolej Dojazdowa, the Greifenberger Kleinbahn AG: it ran from Gryfice Wąskotorowe via Karnice to Niechorze and opened on July 1, 1896. The two details describe different aspects of the railway—the length of the full line and the route and opening date of the first line.

Another point of cultural and historical interest is the open-air museum “skansen gryficki.” In April 2010, it became part of the Maritime Department of the National Museum in Szczecin. This institutional affiliation is a distinct part of its history. Together with the museum and gallery in the Brama Wysoka, the open-air museum broadens the range of cultural themes associated with Gryfice; each of these places represents a different museum-related point of interest.

When deciding what to focus on during your stay, you can make a simple distinction: you can put the medieval fortification remains and the urban tourist route first, or focus more on the history of the narrow-gauge railway. The museum and gallery in the Brama Wysoka add another cultural dimension to the town. If you are looking for a hotel in Gryfice, these topics can help you choose the town based on your interests.

For further help finding your way around the area, you can also visit Rogowo, Rewal, Śliwin, Trzebusz, Czaplin Mały, Karnice, Darszyce and Niechorze.

For an overview of the wider area: Greifenberg.