Ciechocinek is a town located in so-called Kujawy Białe (White Kujawy), which has become the most-famous health-resort in the regions of Pomerania and Kujawy, resulting from discovering a source of brine in the region, back in the Middle Ages.
The history of brine springs in Ciechocinek dates back a long time, as the oldest chronicle notes come from as early as the 13th Century. In 1235, Prince Konrad I Mazowiecki issued a document, by force of which he granted the right of the perpetual lease of two saltworks to the Teutonic Order, the latter of which he himself had invited to settle in Poland. The year 1836 turned out to be a crucial date in the history of Ciechocinek, which resulted from installing four copper curative baths at a local inn. Back then, there were around 120 enthusiasts of brine baths. That marked the beginning of a Spa House, which would later turn into a full-scale health resort.
In the 1930s, Ciechocinek started transforming into a garden town.
It was the fulfilment of a vision born in the mind of Zygmunt Hellwig, the then landscape architect and creator of flower carpets, the flower clock, and many parks and squares, in Ciechocinek. You can find the famous flower carpet in front of the former Baths No. 3, along the full width of the green square – its arrangement is changed every year. In 1934, Zygmunt Hellwing designed a promenade running along ul. Nieszawska. The promenade was named after him, and planted with carpets of flowers along its entire length. It is certainly the most-favourite place for all users.
However, Ciechocinek is first of all a place for meeting people and for gatherings which one will always remember, it is walking through Park Zdrojowy with a pump room located in the Swiss-style wooden pavilion, and it is also the Grzybek Fountain (in the shape of a mushroom), a symbol of the resort.
Each year, the town is frequented by thousands of visitors, who come here not only looking for therapeutic treatments, but also for social gatherings – this is exactly the picture you will find in the beautiful film made by Bydgoszcz native Macieja Cuske entitled Kuracja. Ciechocinek was also visited by another film director, Rafał Kapeliński, who shot a number of scenes for his Konfident/The Informer .
However, nothing will change the fact that the most-popular film in recent years shot within the area of the heath-resort in Ciechocinek was Excentrycy, czyli po słonecznej stronie ulicy (Eccentricity, or on the sunny side of the street), by Janusz Majewski. In this film, one will see the famous Bristol restaurant, spa hospital, train station, and the bandshell located at the heart of Zdrojowy Park, the latter of which was designed by Waldemar Piotr Fedders, as a stage for concerts, and erected in 1909, in Zakopane Style, quite untypical for Ciechocinek.
Many popular Polish have artistes performed in that bandshell, and today it is used by artistes and performers participating in numerous festivals taking place in Ciechocinek, including Spotkania z Folklorem Kujaw i Ziemi Dobrzyńskiej (the Festival of Folk Music from Kujawy and Dobrzyń Land), Ogólnopolski Festiwal Piosenki Strażackiej (the All-Poland Festival of Fire-fighters’ Songs), Gala Polskich Tenorów (the Gala of Polish Tenors), Festiwal Operowo-Operetkowy (the Festival of Operas and Operettas), Festiwal Blues bez Barier (the Blues Without Barriers Festival), and Festiwal Piosenki Młodzieży Niepełnosprawnej (the Festival of Songs Performed by Disabled Youth). These are the festivals that fill the cultural life of Ciechocinek.
