The hilly forest and lake country I had travelled through since crossing the Oder came to an end in Starogard. From here I continued to my actual destination: the settlement area of our Mennonite ancestors in the Vistula–Nogat Delta. First, I rode from Starogard to Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof), where I stayed for three nights. It is a convenient base for reaching all the interesting places on day trips by bicycle. Tiegenhof itself did not have a Mennonite congregation, but there were important congregations within a few kilometres: Rosenort (Rozewo), Orlofferfelde (Orłowo) and Ladekopp (Lubieszewo). Rakowiska (Krebsfelde), the village from which our ancestor from the Tissen family emigrated to Molotschna, is also nearby.
It was especially important to me to experience the landscape where our ancestors had lived. Unexpectedly, it reminded me more of my home region of Münsterland than I had anticipated. I had imagined something more like the North Sea coast in northern Germany and the Netherlands: flat marshland with many dikes, wetlands, heathland and the like. The Vistula–Nogat Delta consists mostly of flat fields of grain. A network of small villages is linked by tree-lined roads. Together with the wooded hedgerows, these avenues make the area look very much like Münsterland.
I found Nowy Dwór Gdański a very pleasant town. There are few grand buildings, but its historic character is still very much in evidence. A lovely park lies beside the river Tuja, from which the town takes its name. Most people live in the modern part of town, with its post-war buildings.
On the first day, I rode to Malbork (Marienburg) to see the old Teutonic castle. There is a striking contrast between the well-restored castle and the new town with its tall apartment blocks. Most of the city centre was destroyed. I planned my route to include several arcaded houses and Vorlauben houses—traditional houses with an open porch.
After that, I visited the Vistula Delta Museum (Muzeum Żuławskie). The first floor has an exhibition on the history of the Mennonites in the Vistula–Nogat Delta.
Photos for Part 3
Wind turbines and grain fields near Wielki GarcVillage street with a brick church in the background – Wielki GarcExpansive grain fields in the Vistula–Nogat Delta – Wielki GarcRoadside memorial – Małe Walichnowy
Memorial plaque commemorating Peter Rudolf Dirksen (1843–1904) of Małe Walichnowy, the dike reeve of the Walichnowy Lowlands dike association. It honours his great service during his term of office from 1883 to 1904.
It also honours the many generations of Polish, German and Dutch settlers of the Walichnowy Lowlands, who struggled with flooding for centuries and exemplify the fruitful cooperation of different nationalities.Concrete slab road on the dike – MiędzyłężHistoric dike sluice in RybakiCycle path across the Vistula bridge. Keep to the left here. You can cross through a tunnel to reach the service area, but then you have to come back again; the cycle path on the right does not continue beyond the bridge. – BałdowoView of the Vistula and its green banks – KończewiceFields in the flat Vistula–Nogat Delta – KończewiceLisewo Malborskie (Ließau)Lisewo MalborskieHistoric brick house in Lichnowy (Groß Lichtenau)Brick church in the village centre – Lichnowy (Groß Lichtenau)Market square with a tall church tower – Nowy Staw (Neuteich)Vorlauben house with half-timbering and an arcade – Nowy Staw (Neuteich)Vorlauben house – Nowy Staw (Neuteich)Vorlauben house with a half-timbered façade – Lubieszewo (Ladekopp)Wooden house in the village – Lubieszewo (Ladekopp)Orłowo (Orlofferfelde)Modern apartment blocks – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Wooden house in town – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Drawbridge over the Tuja, also locally known as the Tuga (Tiege). The bridge dates back to 1936 – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Green park beside the Tuja – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)My hotel, Villa Joker – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Large Vorlauben house on the edge of the village – Orłowo (Orlofferfelde)Historic Vorlauben house with a tall gable – Tuja (Tiege)Half-timbered Vorlauben house with an arcade – Tuja (Tiege)Cycle path through the countryside – Tuja (Tiege)Good cycle path towards Malbork – Tuja (Tiege)Historic brick farmstead in Malbork (Marienburg)Bridge over the Nogat with a view of Malbork Castle – Malbork (Marienburg)View of Malbork Castle from the Nogat – Malbork (Marienburg)Castle – Malbork (Marienburg)Brick Church of St Lawrence – Malbork (Marienburg)Medieval brick architecture of Malbork Castle – Malbork (Marienburg)View along the castle wall – Malbork (Marienburg)Church of St Lawrence and the castle – Malbork (Marienburg)Historic defensive tower near the castle – Malbork (Marienburg)Town street with post-war houses – Malbork (Marienburg)Houses in the modern town centre – Malbork (Marienburg)Brick house by the roadside – Malbork (Marienburg)View across the moat towards Malbork Castle – Malbork (Marienburg)Malbork Castle above the banks of the Nogat – Malbork (Marienburg)The Vorlauben house in Lasowice Wielkie – Lasowice WielkieDetail of the historic timber structure of the Vorlauben house – Lasowice WielkieHistoric farmhouse in the village – ŚwierkiThe lintel reads “Heinrich Thiessen”. It would be interesting to know how the current owner is connected to the person named. In any case, it is an intriguing trace of the Thiessen family. – ŚwierkiIt is not clear how old this house is, but it looks like a typical Mennonite house in Neu-Samara – ŚwierkiWooden house – ŚwierkiVorlauben house – Myszewko (Klein Mausdorf)Historic equipment in the Vistula Delta Museum – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Exhibition on the Stobbe distillery – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Museum room – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Exhibition on regional history – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Mennonite carpenters – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Museum – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Two house models: the famous Vorlauben house on the right and a typical Mennonite farmhouse on the left, of the kind Mennonites brought to Russia – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Żuławski Museum – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Water lilies in the town park – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Footbridge over a pond in the park – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)House by the water – Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof)
