A regional city holding the world's largest Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz collection in the White Granary. Next to it, the 16th-century Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes and a medieval penitence stone from 1387 by the museum entrance.
Słupsk is 40 minutes by car from Rowy and the classic day out when the weather by the sea rules the beach out. The main draw is Muzeum Pomorza Środkowego, the Museum of Central Pomerania, split between two buildings: Biały Spichlerz, the White Granary, holds the largest collection of Witkacy's work in the world, and Zamek Książąt Pomorskich, the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes, dating from 1507, houses an exhibition on the Griffin dynasty. A combined ticket for both buildings costs 49 zł, or 38 zł reduced, and the complex is open all year with one free day a week.
How to get to Słupsk from Rowy
By car it takes about 40 minutes. Słupsk lies inland on the Słupia river and is a regional city with proper museums, which none of the seaside villages nearby can match. It is the classic destination for a day out when the weather by the sea rules the beach out.
The Museum of Central Pomerania: two buildings
Muzeum Pomorza Środkowego, the Museum of Central Pomerania, is split between two buildings, and that is the first thing to plan before you come. Zamek Książąt Pomorskich covers the Griffin dynasty and the art of old Pomerania, while Biały Spichlerz, which dates from the early 19th century, holds the Witkacy collection. Allow three to four hours for the full set of exhibitions.
The largest collection of Witkacy's work in the world
Biały Spichlerz holds the largest collection in the world of work by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, known as Witkacy: portraits from his Firma Portretowa, the Portrait Painting Firm, along with drawings, photographs and letters. It is the one reason to come to Słupsk even in fine weather, and something you will not see anywhere else.
The Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes and the penitential stone of 1387
Zamek Książąt Pomorskich dates from 1507 and was extended in Renaissance style between 1580 and 1587. By the entrance lies a medieval penitential stone from 1387, the only one of its kind preserved in Pomerania. It is easy to walk straight past, because it looks like an ordinary boulder, so it helps to know about it beforehand.
Museum tickets and opening hours in Słupsk
A ticket for the castle and Młyn Zamkowy, the Castle Mill, costs 24 zł, or 18 zł reduced. Biały Spichlerz is 30 zł, or 24 zł reduced. A combined ticket for both buildings is 49 zł, or 38 zł reduced, which works out cheaper if you are seeing both. The complex is open all year round, and one day a week is free, though which day that is changes with the season, so check it before you set off.
What else to see in Słupsk
Fragments of the town walls have survived, along with Baszta Czarownic, the Witches' Tower, and there is an Art Nouveau town hall and the riverside boulevards along the Słupia. It makes a calm follow-up to the museum for the afternoon, when the children have had enough of exhibitions but you do not feel like heading back to Rowy just yet.
