Chełmno

Chełmno is a walled town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region of northern Poland, sitting on a hill above the Vistula River. The old center is enclosed by brick fortifications and organized around a rectangular market square, with narrow streets radiating out toward the gates at each side.

The Teutonic Order established the settlement in 1233 and granted it a distinct legal code that was later adopted by many other towns across Central and Eastern Europe. The town joined the Hanseatic network and grew into a trading hub linking the Baltic coast with inland regions.

Local residents still refer to the main square as Rynek, where market stalls once gathered under the arches of the town hall, and this tradition shapes the way people move through the space today. The brick facades along the surrounding streets show how merchants built their homes close to the trading routes, leaving narrow passages that give the town its compact character.

Visitors can walk from the market square to the churches and wall towers on foot, with most points of interest within about 15 minutes of each other. The paved pathways in the old town are level, but cobblestones can become slippery after rain.

The Grudziądz Gate on the north side of the town walls still holds original wooden beams and iron fittings from the 14th century, revealed during recent restoration work. One of the bricks near the gate carries a scratched mark that may have been left by a stonemason.