Wolin is the bigest Polish island. Wolin as city become the target of our trip mainly from one isue: I wanted to compare polish culture of Vikings and Slavs with Scandinavian one, which I had opportunity to observe last six months. City didn't make big impression on me: small center, besides which life freezes. Behind the center city is awfully run-down and it shows that West Pomerania except direct shore of Baltic Sea is not richest part of Poland. Everywhere we can see poverty and alcoholism.
On the way we stopped at two curious places. First from them was village Jarszewo, where not far away from main road (which also wasn't one of main roads in Poland) there is a church from 1913, with wooden belfry and curiously painted interior. Wooden ceiling of this church is half-round and also covered by paintings.
Similar construction has chapel we have seen in village Siwin. Unfortunately it is very run-down and if nobody takes care of it soon only ruins will left.
In Wolin we planned to see reconstructed practically from ruins St. Mikolaj church (walls was built to this part which remained in 1993, one wall of church tower remained crooked, and even the new doors are constructed to save this remained construction), Vikings village and barrows on Hangmen Hill. We wanted also to visit museum of the city, but despite of assurances that it is opened every day - on 15 august wasn't.
Vikings village looks presentable - it is showed perfectly from marketplace. Apart from wooden and clayed huts there are also two runic stones, on which except runic writing there are other paintings and this is the difference from those which I've seen in Sweden.
To Hangmen Hill we went, when already was raining. Fortunately, that only rain, because, as we have known from our family, through our home region went whirlwind at this time.
From barrows left, probably, only earth hills. All content stayed managed by archaeologists long time ago, and erlier by treasure-diggers and adventurers in XIX century.
You can read more and see photo at
http://www.adventure.go.pl/pomorze2008.php?english=1
