I spent a wonderful evening, night, and morning in Ciechocinek when I was in Poland this past summer, and I have the pictures to prove it posted here: http://poland.leonkonieczny.com/Poland%202011/Ciechocinek/index.html.
Ciechocinek is a small town of about 11,000 people, but is well known for its healing abilities. From medieval times, its salt spring’s health benefits were recognized. In the 19th century, almost 2 km long worth of graduation towers were built. During World War II it was used exclusively for rehabilitation of German soldiers. Today it continues to be a spa area and many people come there for it’s healing benefits. You can read more about the history of Ciechocinek here.
Wojtek, Alicja, and I drove to Ciechocinek for an overnight stay and had a wonderful time. We arrived to our rooms around late afternoon. It was a nice place, not too far from the city center, just a bit of a walk. Soon after we got there, we set out for some fun. While Alicja went to have a pedicure and a spa treatment, Wojtek and I went to the pool where we enjoyed the therapeutic effects of moving water. It was a lot of fun.
Eventually we got dressed and headed out for the evening. We went to a dance hall and paid the admission price. We had dinner there, it was very good, as you can see from the pictures. We also ordered a bottle of vodka with our meal–only in Poland. And we dran kit. There was an admission price due to the gypsy band that was playing. It was very good and there was singing and dancing. In some of the later pictures you can see the posters that advertised the entertainment. So we ate and drank and danced the night away. We ended up with a nightcap in Wojtek and Alicja’s room, though truthfully did not need that last drink.
The next day we got up and set about touring the town. It’s a very picturesque town with lots of beautiful gardens and flowers. Of course one of the main attractions for us was the Tężnie, the graduation towers. They total about 2 kilometers in length. Their purpose is to concentrate the salt/mineral waters that come from the famous healing spring there. The wood sticks help aid in evaporation, thus concentrating the water and the minerals in it. Alicja and I climbed to the top where we had a nice view. They are pretty impressive, actually.
So, take a look at the pictures, and experience a bit of Ciechocinek with me, it was a fantastic time.
