On September 18, 2022, we celebrated the European Heritage Days.
It was an opportunity to summarize the activities of recent years related to Cistercian themes.
The main points of the program were: the opening of the Wągrowiec section of the European Cistercian Trail and the handover of replicas of the seal of the Wągrowiec Monastery from 1746 by the Director of the State Archives in Poznań.
The event took place in the hospitable premises of the Pauline Monastery and the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Wągrowiec.
In the cloister of the monastery, the Regional Museum in Wągrowiec presented the exhibition Cistercian Festival Wągrowiec 1998-2021: Retrospective, and right next to it there were presentations and workshops on herbalism and stained glass.
In the monastery church, the organ resounded and the interior was filled with the music of old European masters, performed by Jakub Pankowiak.
In two lectures, Małgorzata Kranc-Rybczyńska – director of the museum, and Marcin Moeglich – museum historian – presented the objectives and results of the activities carried out so far as part of the international project Cisterscapes – Cistercian Landscapes Connecting Europe, in which Wągrowiec is the only center representing Poland.
During the event, the Wągrowiec section of the European Cistercian Trail was opened, connecting the centers participating in the project.
Almost 100 people of different ages took part in the “In the footsteps of the Cistercians” tour.
The participants took a 5-kilometer walk “In the footsteps of the Cistercians”, which was prepared by the PTTK branch in Wągrowiec.
Waldemar Balcerowicz.
Despite the bad weather, many tourists, students and residents of our city gathered in the courtyard of the monastery, curious about the route of this new trail.
Punctually at 2 pm, the participants were welcomed by the organizers of the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Association and Marcin Moeglich from the Regional Museum in Wągrowiec.
The youngest participants carried the program’s mascot, a stuffed boar named “Bernie”, and a pilgrim’s staff.
Together with the invited guests, they made their way to the cemetery of the monastery parish, where the gravestones of the last Cistercians from Wągrowiec are located.
A wreath was laid here and candles were lit.
After a moment of reflection, we set off towards the bypass and on to the junction of the old road from Wągrowiec to the Ostrowo mill.
Then the guide led everyone through the oxbow of the Wełna River and then along Rogozińska Street – the former “Royal Road”.
The stop was still at the dam on Lake Durowskie – an example of the monks’ melioration activities and engineering skills.
After passing the former moat, the walkers reached the abbot’s house – now the regional museum – where a hot and nutritious meal, coffee and tea awaited them.
There was time to recap the journey, ask questions and compare the route with the map received with descriptions of 13 places along the 5-kilometer route relating to the history and activities of the Cistercians. At the end, commemorative gifts were raffled off among the participants.
The rally was organized as part of the “Cistercian Landscapes Connect Europe” project and co-financed by the municipality of Wągrowiec.