Old Town

In Starogród, on Castle Hill, one of the oldest Teutonic strongholds in the Chełmno Land was to be built in the 13th century. Starogród is also the original location of Chełmno, which was established in 1233. It was also the seat of the commandery. In the 13th century, the relics of St. Barbara were to be found in Starogród, to which the wife of the Lithuanian prince Witold arrived in 1400. In 1413, Starogród was also visited by the French traveler Gilbert de Lannoy. A parish also functioned here in the Middle Ages. After the Second Peace of Toruń (1466), the estate passed into royal hands. In the following centuries, Starogród belonged to the bishops of Chełmno. Today, the panoramic telescope located on Castle Hill, offering a view of the Lower Vistula Valley, is an attraction for tourists. In connection with the above, it is also worth mentioning the very important archaeological discoveries in Kałdus, on St. Lawrence's Hill, the site of a former early medieval settlement. In the light of ongoing research and discoveries, Kałdus appears to be an important settlement center of the early Piast state. It undoubtedly served as a center of worship, and the economic contacts of its inhabitants reached as far as Ruthenia and Scandinavia.