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136 FROMBORK
Located in the province of Warmia about 100km east
of Gdańsk, evidence suggests that Frombork (German,
Frauenburg) was settled long before the town known as
Civitas Frowenburg was first mentioned in a document dated
1278. Established as the seat of the Warmia bishopric in
the same year, Frombork received its civic (Lübeck law)
rights in 1310. A once much coveted defensive stronghold,
Frombork has seen more than its fair share of war, plunder
and destruction, having been ruled by the Teutonic Order,
Royal Prussia, Germany and Poland to name but a few over
the centuries. Traditionally the home of merchants, farmers
and fishermen, Frombork’s most illustrious inhabitant was
the astronomer and mathematician Nicolaus Copernicus
(Polish, Mikolaj Kopernik), who lived and worked as a priest in
Frombork as well as writing his De Revolutionibus Orbium
Coelestium in the town. Almost completely destroyed during
WWII, since becoming reincorporated in Poland Frombork has
developed into a peaceful seaside tourist destination with
an intriguing astronomical twist. Less than two hours from
Gdańsk, Frombork is a pleasant and decidedly quirky place
to visit any time of year.
Arriving in Frombork
You can get to Frombork from Gdańsk using one of the 4 daily
PKS buses which leave from the main bus station. Between
mid-May and mid-September there is also a ferry service
which runs from Krynica Morska.
By bus
Buses leave Gdańsk’s main PKS bus station at 09:50, 13:00,
16:35 and 19:15, returning at 07:12, 08:43, 12:53 and 15:28.
The journey time is just under two hours. Taking the earliest
bus to Frombork and the latest one back gives you about
four hours in town, which is just about enough to cover the
main sights without having to stay the night. Please note that
the schedule is due to change at the end of June so please
check with the bus station.
By car
Take the E75 out of Gdańsk in the direction of Warsaw. At
Elbląg your luck runs out and it’s a series of thin and bumpy
roads the rest of the way. Take a right onto Route 22 just
after Elbląg then a left onto the tree-lined, pothole-ridden
Route 505 a few kilometres further along. Route 505 takes
you all the way into the centre of Frombork. Depending on the
traffic, the journey takes somewhere in region of 90 minutes.
What to See
Besides the opportunity to enjoy the coastline around Frombork
the only real draw is the spectacular Cathedral Hill, which
offers a number of attractions from the Cathedral itself to
an array of Copernicus-related treats.
Cathedral Hill
Cathedral (Archikatedra Warmińska) ul. Katedralna
8, tel. (+48) 55 244 44 24, www.frombork.info.pl.
Frombork’s massive 14th-century Gothic Cathedral (1329 -
1388) is the main focal point of the town. A masterpiece of
brickwork, the breathtaking interior is packed with Baroque
altars and tombstones, and features a gigantic 17th-century
Baroque organ, one of the most famous organs in the country.
Recitals are often given, and the Cathedral plays host to
an annual organ festival during the summer. The key sight
now is the grave of Nicolaus Copernicus himself which can
be found in the South Nave. Located in the spot where the
remains were discovered that were finally proved to be those
of Copernicus, the grave features a black granite tombstone
which identifies the great man as a canon and the man who
discovered the heliocentric theory. The tombstone bears a
representation of Copernicus’ model of the solar system - a
golden sun encircled by six planets. Q Open 09:00-15:30,
Sun 10:00-18:00. No visiting during mass please. Last entrance
30 minutes before closing. Admission 6/3zł. Sun free.
Cathedral Hill. Cathedral Hill (Wzgórze Katedralne) is the
collective name for Frombork’s famed development complex
composed of a medieval cathedral, bishopric palaces, diocesan
chanceries, defensive walls, towers and keeps. Dating from at
least the 14th century, this was where Copernicus was believed
to have worked, and is therefore something of a shrine for
Copernicus fanatics the world over. Remarkably, Cathedral Hill
was practically the only part of Frombork left standing at the
end of the Second World War. With no explanations in English
you might wish to consider using a tour guide. Local expert
Stanisław Kuprjaniuk is the very man for the job. Call him in
advance one day before you want to visit on tel. 609 68 33 13.
Copernicus Museum (Muzeum Kopernika) ul. Katedralna
8, tel. (+48) 55 244 00 75, www.frombork.art.
pl. Housed in the former Bishop’s Palace, this rather sparse
collection of Copernicus-related paraphernalia includes
several likeness of the great man including Teodor Rygier’s
eerie 1893 miniature of Copernicus dead in a chair. Other
treats include samples of Copernicus’ writings, telescopes
and medals, all of it unfortunately explained in Polish and
German only. Q Open 09:00 - 16:30. Closed Mon. Last
entrance 30 minutes before closing. Note opening hours may
be extended in July. Admission 6/3zł. Wed free.
Radziejowski (Belfry) Tower (Wieża Radziejowskiego)
ul. Katedralna 8, tel. (+48) 55 244 00 75,
www.frombork.art.pl. Inside is what many believe to be the
best planetarium in Poland, equipped with precise Carl Zeiss
machinery that projects images of the sky onto the eight-metre
domed ceiling, and a replica of Focault’s pendulum, proving
beyond doubt that the earth is in a state of permanent rotation.
Maps & Money
The excellent Pilot map of Elbląg is available in most
bookshops in Gdańsk for about 9zł, and includes street
plans of several towns in the area around and including
Frombork, and also has an excellent map of the Polish coast
from Gdańsk to the Kaliningrad border. There is just one
ATM in town at ul. Mickiewicza 5 and many of the places in
town (including Cathedral Hill) only accept cash. Make sure
you take enough money with you to cover your expenses.
Frombork In Your Pocket frombork.inyourpocket.com
The 70m viewing platform provides wonderful views of the town
below and the Baltic Sea. Q Open 09:30-17:00. Last entrance 30
minutes before closing. Scheduled shows at: 09:50, 11:30, 12:20,
14:00, 15:40, 16:30. Additional shows at 10:40, 13:10, 14:50
if there are enough people. Admission 6/3zł, sky show 10/6zł.
Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus was born the youngest son of a copper
trader in Torun on February 19, 1473. His father died when he
was just 10, and in 1488 the young Nicolaus was sent by his
uncle, the canon at Frombork Cathedral Lucas Watzenrode,
to the Cathedral school of Wloclawek where he received a
first class humanist education. In 1488 Copernicus began
his studies at Krakow University (then the capital of Poland),
where he studied Latin, mathematics, astronomy, geography
and philosophy, learning his astronomy from Johannes de
Sacrobosco’s 13th-century book, Tractatus de Sphaera.
It was at Krakow University that Copernicus, still known as
Mikolaj Kopernik, started using the Latin version of his name.
Nicolaus Copernicus finished his studies in Krakow after four
years without formally graduating, and, encouraged by his
uncle, travelled to Bologna in 1496 to take a degree in Canon
Law. Whilst studying in Bologna Copernicus received official
notification of his appointment as a canon at Frombork, a
well-paid job that didn’t initially require his presence in Frombork.
Alongside his official course Copernicus also studied
Greek, mathematics and astronomy, renting rooms in the
house of the university’s professor of astronomy, Domenico
Maria de Novara. Assisting him with his observations, on
March 9, 1497, Nicolaus Copernicus witnessed the Moon
eclipse the star Aldebaran. After an obligatory year in Rome
in 1500 Copernicus travelled to Frombork and was officially
installed as canon of the Ermland Chapter on July 27, 1501.
Having still not completed his studies in Canon Law Copernicus
was soon back in Italy, this time choosing to study law and
medicine in Padua, being granted permission to study the latter
as his elders felt it would be a useful skill to possess when he
returned to Frombork. However, Copernicus had another motive
for returning to Italy, that being to continue his studies of
astronomy. The rather fickle Nicolaus finally decided to complete
his Canon Law studies, which he completed in Ferrara in 1503.
There is no record that he ever finished his medical studies.
Back in Frombork Copernicus was granted leave from his official
duties to allow him to be physician to his uncle, who was
now the Bishop of Ermland. Acting more as his uncle’s private
secretary, these duties were carried out whilst living for about
five years in nearby Heilsberg Castle, the official residence of
the Bishop of Ermland. In 1509 Copernicus began publishing
serious works, the first being Latin translations of the work of
an obscure Greek poet, Theophylactus Simocattes. In 1512
Copernicus’ uncle died. Returning to his duties as canon in
Frombork, Copernicus dedicated more and more of his time
to the study of astronomy. It’s believed that he lived in one of
the towers in the Cathedral complex and built an observatory
there, but no proof exists that this was ever the case.
In 1514 Copernicus published a hand-written book, The
Little Commentary, setting out his theories of a universe
with a sun at its centre, and it’s generally believed that he
started writing the book that made him so infamous, De
Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, in the same year.
His fame as an astronomer had by now reached the highest
circles, and in 1514 (the same year he published what was
essentially a heretical work) Copernicus was approached by
the Pope for his advice on improving the calendar, which was
known to be out of phase with the Moon.
frombork.inyourpocket.com
FROMBORK
With a war breaking out between Poland and the Teutonic
Knights in 1519 Copernicus’ now peaceful life was once again
disrupted, and he found himself constantly on the move and unable
to dedicate himself fully to his work. During this period more
strings to his bow were added, with Nicolaus Copernicus playing
the (unsuccessful) role of delegate in the peace talks that tried
but failed to end hostilities. When peace did eventually arrive
Copernicus was appointed Commissar of Ermland and given
the task of rebuilding the district after the war. Finally returning
to Frombork Copernicus was again free to work on his observations
and to perfect the ideas around his heliocentric theory. De
Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium was eventually published
in Nuremburg at the very end of Copernicus’ life in March 1543,
almost 30 years after he started writing it. Although many before
him had hinted at the unthinkable, that the Earth wasn’t the
centre of the Universe as the Church believed, it was Nicolaus
Copernicus who first stated it so publicly.
Nicolaus Copernicus outlived the publication of is masterwork
by just two months. His final resting place was never
recorded. Shortly after WWII workmen in Frombork Cathedral
discovered human remains hidden under the floor. Originally
believed to be the remains of Copernicus, the bones turned
out to be those of soldiers from the 20th century. However,
during further work in the building in 2004-5, scientists discovered
a skull and other bones of a male of about 70 years
old, the same age as Copernicus when he passed away.
Subsequent forensic facial reconstruction of the skull revealed
a startling similarity with portraits of the great man,
an event that led to a subsequent series of DNA tests. In
November 2008, Polish scientists matched the DNA of a
tooth and femur bone from the remains with several strands
of hair found inside a book in Sweden’s Uppsala University
that once belonged to Copernicus and confirmed these were
in fact Copernicus’ remains.
On February 19, 2010, on the 537th anniversary of his birth,
chemical element #112 was named Copernicium and onn
May 22, 2010 Copernicus was reburied with a full funeral
ceremony in the Cathedral here in Frombork. A tomb marks
the spot where he is buried - the same spot where his remains
were originally discovered.
May - July 2012
137