Curious Traveler

- This city is known for its dukes, griffins, seven cloaks, a mighty river, and its fight for freedom.

(Christine speaking in Polish) (bright music) (bright music continues) "Curious Traveler" is made possible by the following.

(air whooshes) (gentle music) (bright music) (cheerful accordion music) This port city was once the capital of the Duchy of Pomerania.

It began as a small fishing village here along the Oder River.

But then, over the centuries, it grew and grew.

Today we're taking you to get curious about Szczecin.

Szczecin lies in the northwest corner of Poland about 40 miles from the Baltic Sea.

And it is this proximity to the Baltic Sea that made Szczecin thrive as a port city.

Szczecin is also very near the border of Germany, which has also shaped its history because the former Duchy, now Region of Pomerania, has nearly always included portions of both countries.

Over the centuries, Szczecin changes hands between Poland, Prussia, Sweden, and Germany.

In World War II, it is occupied by Nazi Germany, and it is heavily bombed by the Allies, destroying over 60% of the city.

After the war, Szczecin becomes part of the Soviet block of Eastern Europe.

During the Soviet rule in the 1970s and 1980s, Szczecin famously rises up against the communist regime.

These protests inspired other anti-communist uprisings across Polish and Baltic cities.

But before these many political upheavals and tragedies, Szczecin was that thriving capital of Pomerania, and it is this Golden Age legacy that the city looks back to today.

(bright piano music) So here's what I'm curious about in Szczecin.

Who is this little fella sticking his tongue out all over town?

What did this lovely lady do that ended an entire dynasty?

Where can you find a Polish explorer with a curious connection to the Americas?

Why is this called the Tower of the Seven Cloaks?

When did the Paris Opera House inspire a hardworking Szczecin citizen to build this?

And how does this clock represent Swedish royalty and possibly the Knight's Templar?

Who, what, where, why, when, and how?

So much to be curious about in Szczecin, Poland.

(bright piano music continues) We begin our curious exploration into Szczecin at the river, which shaped its history.

Many goods were shipped and many fortunes were made from this thriving port city.

To commemorate this seafaring legacy is the wonderful Maritime Museum built in the shape of a ship, and on the site of a former shipyard.

The exhibits chronicle centuries of ship building, sailing and trade, which led to the growth of the city.

And at the top is a beautiful observation deck, just perfect for pondering.

There were even a few navigators and explorers to come out of this region.

And to find one of them, we go just across the Oder River to another important landmark and beautiful symbol of the city.

This is the Chrobry Embankment, built on the site of an old fortress that used to be called the Haken Terrasse, named for the city's Lord Mayor Herman Haken, back when the city was under German rule.

But after World War II, once Poland reclaimed the city, many landmarks were renamed with Polish names.

So today this is the Chrobry Embankment, named for the legendary Polish King, Boguslaw the Brave.

Because brave roughly translates to chrobry.

This beautiful promenade is a 550 yard long observation deck with gorgeous panoramic views over the river.

Along your stroll, you will see the National Museum and the fancy West Pomeranian Governor's Office, which looks like a Northern Renaissance castle.

How'd you like to go to work here every day?

And once you go down to the lower level, along all these beautiful steps, you will see more than a few curious symbols.

This promenade was developed in the early 20th century as a testament to the city's wealth and power.

As you stroll along it, you'll get gorgeous views of the river as well as of some of the city's most important government and cultural institutions.

And, of course, some of its best architecture.

Here at the base of the promenade, you'll see this stunning fountain with important symbols of the city's important maritime history.

We have symbols of ships, we have fish, we even have little mermaids.

But what I really wanna tell you about are the two statues here.

One of the statues is of a local pirate, but the other one is pretty important to American history.

This is John Scolvus, possibly an early 15th century Polish explorer who possibly made it to the Americas before Columbus did.

Possibly!

Yeah, possibly is the key word here, because not a lot is known about good old John Scolvus, or Jan of Kolno, or Johannes Scolnus.

This guy had many names.

It is possible that he made it to Labrador, Canada in 1476 before any other European explorer.

It is also possible that he actually made it to Greenland and not Labrador at all.

It is also possible that he was actually Danish or Norwegian, and not even Polish.

But I like the fact that his statue sort of hangs out patiently here, gazing out to sea, just waiting for historians to figure out who he actually was and what his actual accomplishments were.

(bright plucking music) (water splashing) Speaking of symbols, there's another symbol here in Szczecin that might not be as large as the Chrobry Embankment, but there certainly are a lot of them, and it's a pretty important one.

On the old town hall, on the churches, even embedded into the streets, it seems like wherever you look, you will see this little red dude with a yellow beak, a crown, and he always seems to be sticking his tongue out.

Here at Old Town Hall, right there over the doorway, there is a curious symbol, and you can see it repeated on the door itself, carved into all of those wooden panels.

It is the Griffin, an ancient symbol that is half lion and half eagle.

And you can see another one right here on this beautiful 19th century water pump.

Now, the story of the Griffin is fascinating.

It was believed that the Griffin actually pulled the chariots of the gods, and just one of its feathers would actually cure the sick and the blind.

And, of course, we all know it's the best house for the "Harry Potter" series.

But it is also the royal symbol for the family of the Duchy of Pomerania.

And the reason why is a fascinating legend.

In the 12th century, the Duke saw it and said, "This creature is so powerful, so fascinating, and so frightening to our enemies that I'm going to adopt it as the family symbol."

And it has been thus ever since.

But there's one last piece of this story.

You have to have the Griffin topped by the crown to make it the official city symbol.

(enchanted music) And those original dukes liked the Griffin symbol so much that they changed their family name to, you guessed it, Griffin.

And that Griffin Dynasty becomes one of the longest reigning dynasties in Europe with nobility across Poland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and most importantly for Szczecin as the rulers of Pomerania, for more than 500 years, from the 12th through the 17th centuries.

Now, when those Dukes of Pomerania weren't going around picking out new family symbols, they were building their capital city, their castle, and making sure their city wall and towers kept the bad guys out.

Over the centuries, of course, the city walls and towers crumbled with only a few remnants still here.

But there's one tower that still stands proudly.

And wouldn't you know it?

It has a very curious legend attached to it.

This is the Tower of the Seven Cloaks, one of the few remnants left of those original Medieval walls.

And once upon a time it had a curious prisoner inside it.

The story goes like this.

There was a local tailor who was commissioned to create seven beautiful cloaks for the duke so that he could take his pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

And then the tailor's wife had a sneaky idea.

She said, "Honey, why don't you save the scraps from those cloaks to create a beautiful gown for me?"

And that's exactly what he did.

However, the duke found out, and he was none too happy.

So the duke imprisoned the tailor right here at the top of the tower.

But there's a happy ending to this story because the duke's wife said, "Honey, what are you doing?

You have to set the tailor free."

So the moral of the story is if you just let the ladies get involved, everybody will be peaceful.

(cheerful music) And today it's kind of fun to see that even with the super busy modern day highway zipping past, this little Medieval tower with its legend and little flag on top still proudly stands.

Now let's get to that castle, which our little tower used to protect so well.

The Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes dates back to the 14th century.

It has five wings, two huge courtyards, one curious astronomical clock at its center, and was built atop the foundations of an ancient Slavic fortress.

It was heavily bombed during World War II, but thankfully it has been reconstructed to its former glory.

Many of the beautiful rooms have been meticulously restored over the years, including this one, which was once a chapel.

And it's where we meet our host, Castle Curator and Art Historian, Damien Goretsky, who explains why the hall is named Duke Boguslaw the 10th Hall.

- His reign starts the period of the so-called Golden Age of Pomerania, and Pomerania flourished.

The castle flourished.

He was the first Renaissance builder of this castle.

- What a legacy.

What a legacy to leave.

- [Damien] Yes, it all began with Boguslaw the 10th.

- And with all this grand scale design and grand statement of power going on, there's a little architectural feature just above our heads that you might miss.

There's an interesting story about the balcony.

So behind us and also surrounding us, we can see not one but two levels of balconies.

And there's a reason for that.

Why do we have two levels?

- Yes.

Yes.

The reason is kind of mysterious, but I can call it a family reason.

So the first balcony was specifically result for the duke.

And the second balcony was specifically reserved for the duchess and her entourage.

- Now why were they separated?

- As we know, it was a part of the culture, their lives.

They actually have separate levels in the entire castle.

We know that that first floor was entirely the duke's floor and the second floor was entirely the duchess' floor.

- Hey, marriages last longer when you're separated like that and you see each other less.

Maybe that's partly what it was.

- Probably, you're right.

- [Christine] And there is one special room that was just for the duchess, way up at the tippy-top.

It's so lovely, it's fit for a princess or a duchess.

But you'd never guess what it used to be used for.

This used to be the prison tower?

- [Damien] Yes, we are the former prison tower.

- [Christine] I can't believe that!

I mean, this doesn't look like a prison tower at all.

- Doesn't look at all like a prison tower.

But it was the prison tower in the 15th century or so.

And in the later times it was incorporated in a castle.

As the castle building expands, this rooms, this space here was also incorporated in the castle.

And it was decorated with this beautiful al fresco decorations.

- [Christine] It's incredible!

It's incredible!

I see a lot of angels.

Was that something that was particular to a particular duke or a duchess?

- Because of the angels, some researchers speculated that this may be her oratory.

- Oh, okay!

- So the room where she could pray and spend the time alone.

- One more detail too.

The ceiling, the architecture of it looks so distinct.

Which time period would that have been from?

- Yes, the base is 15th century, of course, but it was later layers were added in the 16th century.

So we have this kind of a mix.

We have the Medieval vault with some Renaissance statues on it.

- It's so many layers of history.

And now looking around, these really beautiful furnishings we have really have nothing to do with the history.

They're in fact used for?

- For the opera.

Because we are, this part of the castle is also a part of Opera House.

So these are all props for the opera.

- I love it!

And I have to ask you once again, as a favor, if nobody's using this between the hours of nine and six, you know, Monday through Friday, if I can move in, have a little office time?

I mean, look at this view.

Look at this view I would have in my home office.

- [Damien] This could be your desk.

- That would be my desk.

That would be my desk.

(cheerful music) From prison, to chapel, to possibly my new office space.

Well, while I hold my breath for that one, there is one more curiosity of the castle I want to show you.

Overlooking one of the courtyards is this fantastic astronomical clock with a kind of cartoony-looking face, and it's full of wonderful symbols.

The sphere at the top shows the phases of the Moon.

These four masks represent the winds.

But why are there lions at the top instead of griffins?

Well, they are a symbol of Sweden who ruled over Szczecin in the 17th and 18th centuries.

And finally, why that funny looking face with the garland surrounding him?

Well, one theory says he's the pagan green man, a symbol of nature incorporated into the rituals of the mysterious Knight's Templar.

But why would he be here?

Well, possibly because one of the early Pomeranian dukes was a member of the order.

How curious.

Next, to learn more about Pomerania and the Griffin Dynasty, we visit a branch of the National Museum.

Here there's a wonderful exhibit called, "The Golden Age of Pomerania," which was in the 16th and 17th centuries.

And here we find rare artwork, costumes, even jewels of this important Polish dynasty.

To guide us through is Art Historian Bartosz Zasieczny.

We have centuries and centuries of their power and their rule.

And, my goodness, look at this glorious tapestry.

I can see Martin Luther at the top.

I can see some Latin, Old German, Hebrew.

What is the story that's being told here?

- Well, there are different languages because there were different people, different minorities in this country.

And so Martin Luther is important because it's the beginning of Lutheranism in Pomerania, and the marriage was very important because of that.

We have a Duke of Pomerania.

- Okay!

- And we have a Princess of Saxony, which is today's part of today's Germany.

And they became a very important, like royal couple.

- [Christine] And it was a very important union, and that really kind of changed things throughout the history and the legacy of this family.

Kind of turn around here.

Next, just across from the tapestry is this wonderful 17th century map showing Pomerania at its peak spreading over northern portions of both Germany and Poland, of course, along the Baltic Sea.

- That one as well!

- Yeah!

And one of the most treasured pieces here is this portrait of a VIP, a very important Pomeranian.

He is one of the most important dukes in the entire dynasty.

Who do we have here?

- This is Philip the First, who brought Renaissance, Renaissance art, Renaissance innovation to the dukedom.

He was very well known in Europe and also very rich.

And we can see his portrait made by Lucas Cranach.

- Okay!

- One of the most important Renaissance painters in this area.

- That's fantastic!

And so we go from him, who was perhaps the most important one, to his entire family tree.

It covers the length of the wall.

This is gorgeous!

So we have, from the 12th century through the 17th?

- [Bartosz] The half of the 17th century.

- This incredible family tree of the Pomeranian dukes was painted in 1598, and stretches a whopping 23 feet long with around 150 family members.

One of the things that I think is very fun looking at this family tree is so you can recognize the dukes and you know the male, you know, heads of the family.

And he'll be standing next to his wife, but sometimes there's a second wife and a third wife?

- Yes, because, well, sometimes women died the young age due to complications of birth.

Sometimes different reasons, sometimes, usually actually, marriages were political.

- Absolutely.

And the kinda expanding and expanding the duchy.

Okay, so he says, "Okay, I'm gonna take a wife from this region.

I'm gonna take one from this, and then one from that."

(bright enchanted music) And this section of the exhibition showcases the beautiful dresses and robes worn by the dukes and duchesses over the years, kept dark to protect these precious centuries-old fabrics.

And then there's this: The jewels of the Griffin Dynasty.

These would be placed onto a special type of hat, kind of like a crown, for special occasions.

And apparently this hat had magical powers.

This right here I think is fantastic because it's not a crown, obviously, but it was sort of used in place of a crown?

- Yes!

Because the crown was purely symbolical, and it was worn only for very special occasions because it was heavy and expensive.

And instead of this, dukes wore hats like that.

In Polish, it's called qalpaq.

- A qalpaq?

Okay.

There's a great story that goes along with it, of why they would wear it.

- Yes!

This one is more modern.

But in the Middle Ages, people believed that you have to keep your head covered because of the health.

But also they believed that different demons and bad things may come into your head.

- They would enter into your uncovered head.

- Yes!

Yes.

So it was important to cover your head.

(gentle cheerful music) - [Christine] And if you think that is a fanciful tale, I've got a doozy for ya.

- That's a noble woman, Sidonia Freeburg.

- [Christine] Okay!

- [Bartosz] And we think that she brought the end to the dynasty because she was probably in love with one of the dukes.

- [Christine] Okay!

- And he didn't want her as a wife.

- So like any jilted woman worth her salt, Sidonia puts a curse on the duke and the entire dynasty.

And the story gets even wilder.

Because Sidonia's curse seemed to work, she was accused of being a witch, and tragically she was imprisoned in the castle.

So, you know, she gets blamed for the end of the dynasty, but she didn't really cause it.

It was, there's like, "Oh, she's a witch.

She's gonna put a curse on the family."

And what was it?

Within 100 years, the dynasty would end.

Or what did she say?

"Within a few years?"

- A few decades.

It wasn't even!

- It really did end.

- It wasn't even 100 years.

It was like two generations.

– So the moral of the story: Don't toy with the affections of anyone named Sidonia.

Our final stop takes us to the Beverly Hills of Szczecin, the Pogodno District.

This elite neighborhood was built in the 1870s when Szczecin was thriving and its wealthy merchants, businessmen, and politicians wanted to show off their success with gorgeous mansions like these.

The neighborhood was sometimes called the West End, after London's West End, and was also called the Nouveau Riches' Dream Come True.

One of those nouveau riche was self-made man August Lentz, and this is his mansion.

August Lentz started out as a simple mechanic, but through hard work moved up to become the director and owner of the lucrative Szczecin Chamotte Brick Factory.

But between the 1870s and today, his beautiful home underwent many, many changes, including being a Nazi military office, a Soviet administrative office, a youth school for budding socialists, and there were even plans to use it as a bishop's residence.

But now, after all that history, thankfully it has been restored to its former glory and stands as an important reminder of the success of the city.

It is lovingly known as the Pearl of Szczecin.

So let's go back in time to the late 19th century when this magnificent villa was a hardworking man's not-so-humble home.

To show us around is local guide, Kinga Rabinska.

Oh, wow!

Yeah, my home looks exactly like this.

This is, I feel like I'm at home.

I feel like at home.

This is incredible!

This is one of the few homes that still looks like this?

- This like by miracle everything was, almost everything, especially interior, was saved after the Second World War, and even after that.

So we are very happy that all of that is still to be seen and to be viewed by the visitors who come to Szczecin.

- [Christine] Absolutely!

I see a little bit of an Italian influence, a little bit of a French influence.

Where did the architect go to get the styles that he or they used?

- [Kinga] Yeah, well, that was the time when the rich people were usually inspired by Italians or French.

The window at the very top, you see this is a villa.

And as Italian villa, some of them would have this rooftop open.

But since we are in Poland and it's raining very often.

- [Christine] Yeah?

- [Kinga] The completely open roof was not possible, so they put the white glass at the very top.

And this is inspired by the Paris Opera House.

- [Christine] Perfect!

- So you are almost in Paris here.

- Almost in Paris, right here!

A fun detail that you told me earlier, which is fantastic, 'cause I wouldn't have picked it up myself.

All around us, we see tans and browns and sort of earth colors.

And then as you look up, we have blue for the sky.

And that was intentional.

- Yes, that was a symbol of going up to the heaven, to the overlooked by God.

So color changes as you go up, up, and above to the rooftop when there's blue and white.

So the heavens.

- It's wonderful!

(bright piano music) Other wonderful and wow-worthy rooms include Lentz's office, this incredible Moroccan-themed room, and the dining room with these magnificent ceilings, with intricate wood carvings.

So if maybe those dinner parties became a little dull, one could always entertain oneself by gazing upward.

And cleverly hidden amongst all this over-the-top decor were a couple of pretty nifty innovations, for the 19th century that is, including this beautifully tiled steam heating system.

And: I know it's a lot of beauty, it is about decoration and imagery, but we have something here that's a little bit more practical.

- Yes!

August Lentz was also very innovative man, and he liked all the up to date technologies.

And this looks like a normal table.

- Yeah!

- But in fact, it's an elevator.

Elevator you said is?

- Dumb waiter.

- Dumb waiter!

Yeah.

So the elevator that taken the dishes out of kitchen to the dining room.

So it'll be easier for servants to bring the food to the family and their guests.

- And the guests, and they can get rid of dirty dishes without having to get up and they're disappeared.

Out of sight, out of mind.

- I wish I could have that.

- Oh, I wish I had all of this.

Let's be honest.

But the real beauty of the mansion is yet to come.

It is so incredible that it has to have these two giant doors.

And wait!

- Oh!

- Okay, okay.

Let's do it.

Ugh!

- Yeah, they're quite heavy.

- Oh, my goodness!

- But it's worth it.

- Wow!

Okay, so this would have been the salon or the receiving room?

- Yeah, the parlor, the place where people would maybe listen to some music, have some champagne under this beautiful chandelier.

(elegant orchestral music) - [Christine] Up on the ceilings, I keep seeing shells and imagery of the sea and of water.

- We're in Szczecin, so water, sea, and shells are all we are about.

- Everywhere!

Gosh, this is gorgeous.

I can hear the music playing as they're entertaining.

On this back wall here we have some teeny tiny details, just a couple little dots.

And they seem small, but they're pretty important.

- Yes, they were also innovation and something which August would introduce into his home.

This is the ventilation holes.

So you can imagine that this part of the room was the part when many plants were, and the ventilation allowed this plants to breathe and to, you know, give the air back outside and get the air inside as well.

- So yes, in addition to creating one of the most beautiful homes in the city to entertain the riche and the nouveau riche, this innovative mansion even had an early form of air conditioning.

How curious.

(cheerful accordion music) So from a duchy which crossed borders and produced one of the longest reigning dynasties in European history, to its tiny little symbol who always sticks his tongue out, to a soaring tower with a curious little history, which protected this mighty castle where the duke and duchess lived on separate floors, to a fascinating museum which holds the jewels and the legends of this character-filled family, including another character with some spooky powers, to a pearl of a home, a monument to the hard work and success of this thriving port city, Szczecin has so much to be curious about.

Thank you for joining us on our educational journey.

And hopefully now you're even more curious about the who, what, where, why, when, and how's of beautiful Szczecin.

As they say here: (Christine speaking in Polish) (bright music) How can I help you today?

I'm gonna have a stamp.

One that says, "No."

No!

No!

I have a yes stamp over here, but I never use it.

No!

Gotta take a very important call.

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(pen scratching) (bright music)