Park On Wolności Hill, Bydgoszcz on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Freedom Hill Park (
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
: ''Park na Wzgórzu Wolności'') is a city green area covering almost , located on the heights of Bydgoszcz
Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
, Poland.
Location
The park covers a rectangular area, by , surrounded by Kujawska, Toruńska and general Stanisława Grzmot-Skotnickiego streets, in the Wolności Hill district ( pl, osiedle Wzgórze Wolności) of Bydgoszcz. The park is laid on two hills, south of the city, to above theBrda river
The Brda (; german: Brahe) is a river in northern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula. It has a total length of 245 km and a catchment area (all within Poland) of 4,665 km2. In the western area of the park has been built in 2001 the seat of the local television channel
From 1974 to 1980, on the eastern side of the park, the provincial hospital ''Jan Biziel'' has been erected. Today, the path does not go further east, wandering between too many private properties.
A revitalization project was prepared in 2016 and carried out between 2017 and 2019, associated to an EU funding. Works included, among others:
* planting meadows, trees, shrubs, herbs and flowers (681 species in total);
* installing small architecture elements (e.g. benches, information boards,
* ''Park on Naumann Hill'' (est. 1870), located between Szubińska, Seminaryjna and Wysoka streets. This park was created by Johann Gottlieb Naumann who was at the time president of Bromberg administrative region and chairman of the ''Society for the Embellishment of Bromberg''. He gave his name to the height ( ger, Naumannshöhe). In 1907, the park was divided between the newly built Catholic seminary and the deaconesses hospital established in 1885 (today's Regional Pulmonology Center);
* '' Henryk Dąbrowski Park'', called ''Park on Wissmann hill'' till 1920;
* '' Aleja Górska'', created in 1890 under the name ''Circular park'' ( pl, Planty Okrężne);
* ''Park on Wolności Hill'' (1913);
* ''Viewing points trails'' along hills on Wyżyny and Kapuściska districts (1950–1980).
Today, the path along Bydgoszcz hilly southern slopes offers a panorama of the city from ''Henryk Dąbrowski Park'' to ''Aleja Górska'' and Kujawska street. The trail continues east, up the stairs to the current park, reaching ''Jan Biziel'' hospital: further eastern segments of this panorama walking path are located in Wyżyny and Kapuściska districts.
Several dozen species of trees and shrubs grow in the park.
Two trees have been listed as Polish Natural Monument:
* an English oak with a trunk circumference of (2011). It has been named ''Oak of the
In the centre of the necropolis stands an urn containing the ashes of 100 inhabitants of Bydgoszcz shot in the village of Otorowo in October 1939.
One can find as well the symbolic graves of many local personages murdered by the Nazis:
* Leon Barciszewski and Bernard Śliwiński, presidents of Bydgoszcz during the
File:Bdg parkWzgWoln6 10-2014.jpg, Park path
File:Bdg parkWzgWolnosci 5 10-2013.jpg, Park slope
File:Park na Wzgórzu Wolności schody zima.jpg, Stairs to the hill
File:Park na Wzgórzu Wolności panorama 4.jpg, View of the city
File:Park na Wzgórzu Wolności widok zima 2.jpg, Winter, view of Saint Andrew Bobola's Church
File:CmBohaterowBydgoszczy 10 11-2013.jpg, Heroes cemetery tombs
File:CmBohaterowBydgoszczy 7 11-2013.jpg, Monument to the victims fallen in concentration camps
File:CmBohaterowBydgoszczy 8 11-2013.jpg, Monument to the Bydgoszcz Battalion of National Defense
Bismarck tower in Bydgoszcz
{{coord, 53, 7, 13, N, 17, 59, 22, E, type:landmark_region:PL, display=title Parks in Bydgoszcz
TVP3 Bydgoszcz
TVP3 Bydgoszcz is one of the regional branches of the TVP, Poland's public television broadcaster. It serves the entire Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as Cuiavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship or simply Kuj ...
.
History
The park was founded in 1911–1913, by incorporating the existing natural forest standing on the southern hilly terrain ofBromberg
Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
, geologically designated as '' urstromtal''. The park was designed as a mountain forest area, recalling the Tatra mountains. At its inception, it covered .
On 25 May 1913 a Bismarck tower
A Bismarck tower (german: Bismarckturm) is a specific type of monument built according to a more or less standard model across Germany to honour its first chancellor, Otto von Bismarck (d. 1898). A total of 234 of these towers were inventoried b ...
was unveiled in the park, based on a design by Paul Walther, an architect from Berlin. This ''Bismarck Turm'' gave its name to the elevation as ''Bismarck Hill'' ( ger, Bismarckhöhe). The massive squat stone building was high; it housed, among others, a memorial room to Otto von Bismarck
Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...
who died in 1898, and its highest observation deck offered a remarkable panorama over the entire city.
At the recreation of Polish state, the edifice, stripped from its commemorative plaques, was renamed ''Freedom Tower'' ( pl, wieża Wolności), giving the name to the site as ''Park on Wolności Hill''. A controversial project of converting the tower into a chapel crowned by a grand cross was drawn: the polemic raised by the scheme added to its cost led to the dismissal of the plan. On 12 April 1928 Bydgoszcz city council passed a contentious resolution on the liquidation of the tower. A month later (16 May) the ex-Bismarck tower was blown up using 30 tons of TNT. Nowadays, the only elements left of this building are the stairs from Toruńska street (between 86 and 88) and the cemented square platform in the ''Cemetery of Bydgoszcz Heroes''.
The years following, the park was redesigned by planting pines and silver birches. In 1938, an inventory listed the following species growing in the park:
* Bog pines;
* Norway spruces;
* Silver birches;
* Siberian dwarf pines;
* Savin junipers.
During the occupation, Nazis authorities restored the name ''Bismarckhöhe'', while the trail and the park, called ''Höhenweg'', extended farther east, reaching present day's Aleja Jana Pawła II.
After World War II, the ''Cemetery of Bydgoszcz Heroes'' was set up in the middle of the park to gather all the victims of executions from the city and its surroundings.
From 1974 to 1980, on the eastern side of the park, the provincial hospital ''Jan Biziel'' has been erected. Today, the path does not go further east, wandering between too many private properties.
A revitalization project was prepared in 2016 and carried out between 2017 and 2019, associated to an EU funding. Works included, among others:
* planting meadows, trees, shrubs, herbs and flowers (681 species in total);
* installing small architecture elements (e.g. benches, information boards, nest box
A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materia ...
es for birds and bats);
* replacing the lighting system;
* building new paths for pedestrians and bicycles.
The project also comprised the construction of new stairs leading down to Kujawska street.
Bydgoszcz council officially bestowed to the park the name ''Park Wolności'' thanks to a resolution passed on June 26, 2019.
An element in the historic green ensemble of the city southern hill
As early as the mid-19th century, the park was subsumed in a larger ensemble located on the southern hilly side ofBromberg
Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
. It represented a long walking trail, albeit partially interrupted, from where you could appreciate the panorama upon the city.
At that time, the ring of hills was crisscrossed by dry creeks and paths leading the parks. They were identified through time as:
* ''Park on Prince hill'' ( ger, Prinzehöhe) (est. 1834), located between present day Lubelska and Seminaryjna streets. On 15 June 1835 Frederick William IV of Prussia
Frederick William IV (german: Friedrich Wilhelm IV.; 15 October 17952 January 1861), the eldest son and successor of Frederick William III of Prussia, reigned as King of Prussia from 7 June 1840 to his death on 2 January 1861. Also referred to ...
, then crown prince to the Prussian throne, paid a visit to the park, giving it its name. Surviving plots can be found today along the green slope facing Seminaryjna street;
* ''Park on Naumann Hill'' (est. 1870), located between Szubińska, Seminaryjna and Wysoka streets. This park was created by Johann Gottlieb Naumann who was at the time president of Bromberg administrative region and chairman of the ''Society for the Embellishment of Bromberg''. He gave his name to the height ( ger, Naumannshöhe). In 1907, the park was divided between the newly built Catholic seminary and the deaconesses hospital established in 1885 (today's Regional Pulmonology Center);
* '' Henryk Dąbrowski Park'', called ''Park on Wissmann hill'' till 1920;
* '' Aleja Górska'', created in 1890 under the name ''Circular park'' ( pl, Planty Okrężne);
* ''Park on Wolności Hill'' (1913);
* ''Viewing points trails'' along hills on Wyżyny and Kapuściska districts (1950–1980).
Today, the path along Bydgoszcz hilly southern slopes offers a panorama of the city from ''Henryk Dąbrowski Park'' to ''Aleja Górska'' and Kujawska street. The trail continues east, up the stairs to the current park, reaching ''Jan Biziel'' hospital: further eastern segments of this panorama walking path are located in Wyżyny and Kapuściska districts.
Several dozen species of trees and shrubs grow in the park.
Two trees have been listed as Polish Natural Monument:
* an English oak with a trunk circumference of (2011). It has been named ''Oak of the Pomeranian Military District
The Pomeranian Military District (Polish acronym POW) was a military district of the Polish Armed Forces from 1945 to 2011. Formally it was subordinate to the Minister of National Defence in the operational matters of defense and detached governm ...
'' ( pl, Dąb Pomorskiego Okręgu Wojskowego) and stands at the level of Slowiańska street;
* a horse-chestnut with a trunk circumference of (2014), at 30 Toruńska street.Uchwała Nr LXII/1300/14 Rady Miasta Bydgoszczy z dnia 24 września 2014 r. w sprawie ustanowienia pomników przyrody na terenie Bydgoszczy
Cemetery of Bydgoszcz Heroes
The cemetery was founded in 1946 on a plot of 0.66 ha of the park, where used to stand the Bismarck tower, a symbol of Prussian nationalism, blown up in 1928. The graveyard houses 1169 inhabitants ofBydgoszcz
Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
, murdered during the Nazi occupation of the city. It includes the victims executed at the Old Market square, at the Valley of Death and in the surrounding forests. The corpses have been exhumed from 1946 to 1948 and solemnly buried there.
In the centre of the necropolis stands an urn containing the ashes of 100 inhabitants of Bydgoszcz shot in the village of Otorowo in October 1939.
One can find as well the symbolic graves of many local personages murdered by the Nazis:
* Leon Barciszewski and Bernard Śliwiński, presidents of Bydgoszcz during the interwar period
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...
;
* Konrad Fiedler, a journalist and councilor;
* Marian Maczuga, a merchant;
* Mieczysław Nawrowski, vice-president of Bydgoszcz;
* Józef Schulz, priest of the parish cathedral.
Nearby have been placed a commemorative plaque and an urn with the ashes of Bydgoszcz residents murdered in concentration camps.
There are also interred:
* city councilors (Kazimierz Beyer, Jan Góralewski and eng. Tadeusz Janicki) shot on 5 October 1939;
* several dozen teachers shot on 1 November 1939 in the Death Valley;
* priests, freelancers, craftsmen and workers.
In the northern part of the cemetery stands a cross with a field altar. In the north-west corner, a commemorative plaque on a pedestal (designed by Piotr Triebler
Piotr Triebler (1898–1952), was a Polish sculptor whose works are associated with Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in general and with Bydgoszcz in particular.
Biography Period in Silesia under German Empire rule
Piotr Triebler was born on 22 ...
) has been unveiled in 1949 in honor of the Jews of Bydgoszcz.
Close to the gate entrance one can find a monument uncovered in 1985, to celebrate 50 soldiers and officers from the Bydgoszcz Battalion of National Defense ( pl, Bydgoski Batalion Obrony Narodowej) murdered in Boryszew on 22 September 1939 for their alleged participation in Bydgoszcz Bloody Sunday (3 September 1939).
The gate is a donation from the craftsmen of Bydgoszcz in 1967: it is adorned with the Order of the Cross of Grunwald
The Order of the Cross of Grunwald (') was a military decoration created in Poland in November 1943 by the High Command of Gwardia Ludowa, a Polish resistance movement in World War II, World War II Polish resistance movement organised by the Polis ...
, Bydgoszcz coat of arms and two stylized crosses.
Gallery
See also
*Bydgoszcz
Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
* Henryk Dąbrowski Park and Aleja Górska
References
Bibliography
* * * *External links
*Bismarck tower in Bydgoszcz
{{coord, 53, 7, 13, N, 17, 59, 22, E, type:landmark_region:PL, display=title Parks in Bydgoszcz