The best traffic-free bike rides around Pułtusk

gravel

The longest market square in Europe, whose main function is parking. A filter that cuts out cars from souvenir photos will come in handy in your camera :)

"The history of the town hall dates back to the early 15th century. Bishop Jakub of Płock is said to have funded the seat of the town authorities in 1405. The Gothic tower added to the town hall fulfilled both judicial and penitentiary functions as well as defense. Initially, it reached a height of 15 m and was built on a rectangular plan. During the 15th and 16th centuries, it was gradually raised, with additional storeys built on an octagonal plan. A new town hall was also built - lower, more modern - in the Renaissance style, topped with a crested attic. The 30-meter tower at that time gained a domed spire with a lantern, and a clock was also ordered for it. During the wars in the 17th and 18th centuries, the town hall burned down several times. In 1728, it was rebuilt with funds from Bishop Andrzej Stanisław Kostka Załuski. The two-bay building surrounded the tower in a horseshoe shape from the east. The entrance was located on the north and covered with a wooden arcade. The tower roof was changed to an octagonal one, and the clock was abandoned. In this form, the town hall survived until the end of the 19th century. At that time, in addition to the city authorities, the army was quartered here, and there was a prison and even warehouses for Pułtusk merchants. At the end of the 19th century, a shelter was organized in the ruined building, and from 1880, the ground floor and the tower were put into use by the Volunteer Fire Department. After 1902, a new, smaller building was erected on the site of the former building, in the neo-Gothic style, only for the use of the fire department. The tower was deprived of its roof, replacing it with an uncovered platform. It turned out to be completely non-functional and the original roof covering of the tower top was quickly restored. Also at that time, a clock was placed on the north side, on the seventh floor." Source: https://arch.pultusk.pl/wieza-dawnego-ratusza-gotycko-renesansowa/

The market square is located in the old part of the city, between the Basilica and the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene. Currently, the market square in Pułtusk is 400 meters long and 50 meters wide. It received a rectangular surface of these dimensions during the great expansion of the settlement in the 15th century.

Opposite is a bar-cafe. You can eat and drink coffee. In the summer, good ice cream with a view of the locals who meet on the benches nearby.

Natural monument 800-year-old Uparty Mazur oak – protected as a natural monument, a pedunculate oak tree growing in the village of Młock near Ciechanów, in the Mazovian Voivodeship. The oak is one of the largest trees of this species in Poland (seventh or eighth thickest). In 2014, its trunk had a circumference of 900 cm, while its height was 28 m. The wide and healthy crown is also characteristic (32 x 27 m)

A museum with a nice park

The oak is called "Uparty Mazur" in memory of the people who used to live here. You may not all know that the inhabitants of northern Mazovia were called Mazurs. Although today this term refers to the people living in the land of lakes. The oak has a circumference of over 10 meters, is 28 meters high, has very spreading branches, it is difficult to encompass them with the lens. The trunk is straight, stocky, its mossy branches from a distance resemble chain mail, ancient armor. Its powerful silhouette makes you want to hug it, unfortunately it is surrounded by a small fence. It is such a special experience to get close to a tree that remembers the Battle of Grunwald and has the potential to outlive our great-great-grandchildren. This natural monument grows about 20 kilometers from Ciechanów, far from popular tourist trails, it is not easy to get to it, fortunately navigation will take us there. It grows just behind the village of Młock on the edge of the Łydynia river valley, a mighty pedunculate oak with a healthy appearance for its 800 years. This is what is written on the plaque next to the tree, funded by the Society of Friends of the Ciechanów Land and the residents of Młock. https://muzeumciechanow.pl/niemy-swiadek-historii-polnocnego-mazowsza-uparty-mazur-spod-mlocka/