MUSEUMS AND HISTORICAL BUILDINGS

The tourist values of Kutno are still not well known, however the most noteworthy places in town are:    

The Regional Museum (Marshall J.Piłsudski square) has been built in classicist style in a former Town hall from years 1842 to 1845. The museum has been opened for public in 1981. There are collections of memorabilia connected to the history and natural environment of Kutno town and region. There is also a permanent exhibition called "eclectic interiors" with neo-mannerist and eclectic furniture, graphic arts and portraits of townspeople and peasants, Polish, Czech and German chinaware.
Museum runs educational activity. There are lessons and lectures as well as the museum circle which aims to popularise knowledge about our city and region along with optional subjects. Currently there is another regular exhibition in the museum, called "Kutno - history of the city". There are many interesting materials dealing with the development of Kutno over a span of centuries, including old documents, maps, photographs as well as archeological findings.
Beside permanent exhibition museum presents temporary shows of various subjects.

 

The Museum of Battle of the Bzura River is a branch of the Regional Museum, situated in the Wiosny Ludów park. Since 1969 a permanent show dedicated to two Polish armies has been presented there. The armies: "Poznań" and "Pomorze" fought in the battle of the Bzura river on September, 1939. One can see there: uniforms, weapon, elements of Polish soldiers equipment, photogrammetric pictures and replicas of lances and standards. Outside the museum there is a "wall of remembrance" with plaques commemorating general T. Kutrzeba and the units that took part in the battle. Activity of museum includes history lessons on the spot, showing battles and military accessories from World War II.

 

The Museum of Period Interiors at Oporów (14 km from Kutno) located a gothic castle erected in the years 1434 to 1449. The edifice is situated at a man-made isle, surrounded by a moat. In spite of many renovations the castle has not been deprived of its historical style. A prevailing part of the decorations comes from the Baroque. Plentiful collections of paintings, military accessories and chinaware have been gathered in the museum. It is notable that in the 1640's Rev. Augustyn Kordecki, the future famous defender of Jasna Góra who was in such a vivid way depicted by Henryk Sienkiewicz in "The Deluge", resided at Oporów.

 

The Saxon palace (the house "Under the Crown") is a former post estate of king August the III from 1751, built in the so-called "Prussian wall" method. It is the oldest monument of architecture in Kutno.

  
The Gierałty palace complex in the Wiosny Ludów park, built in Rococo style in from years 1775 to 1791, used to be the seat of former owners of the city. Many eminent personalities were hosted there, such as Napoleon Bonaparte (twice), the Prussian king Frederick August, Henryk Sienkiewicz and Charles de Gaulle who stayed there as a young captain on diplomatic mission to Poland in 1920. In the park near palace complex there is a former chapel - family mausoleum of the Rzędkowski and Mniewski family (photo 36) from the first half of the 19th century, built in the Neo-Renaissance style. Now it houses the Museum of Battle of the Bzura River.

 

The Farm Granary (on Bema street) from the 18th century, later rebuilt to be used as barracks.

St. Wawrzyniec`s church erected in the Neo-Gothic style at the end of 19th century. This magnificent edifice, towering in the center of city consists of three aisles. There is an interesting altar dedicated to the patron of the church. There are also commemorative plaques on the walls inside, with the names of priests who used to work there and were generous with efforts for the sake of their parish. The church was built on the site of its predecessor, having the interior partially decorated with what remained of the old one.

The Old Town part in Kutno embraces two market squares joined with Królewska street. Traces of the medieval municipal arrangement with the old market place (Wolności Square), the church and tile-stove makers' market (Zduńska and Teatralna streets) have been visible up until now. Some of the tenement houses at Królewska street date back to the 18th century. The present buildings in the new market square and Królewska street were erected in the first half of the 19th century. Certain tenements have still preserved their stucco decorations and original shapes, thus composing a rare and valuable architectural structure from the period of the Kingdom of Poland.

The Hotel and Inn, the so-called "Nowa oberża" on 2, Sienkiewicza Street, make the most interesting example of the classicist architecture of Kutno. It is an impressive two-story building, decorated with pilasters and axial projection crowned with a tympanum. The provisional government had its seat here during the early days of the January Uprising in 1863.

Other monuments of historical architecture which are: a larch manor house with column porch from the first half of the 19th century (Narutowicza street), the manor house of Szomański family from the end of the 18th century, moved from the farm at Gnojno in 1887 (Kościuszki street), the building of a former inn called "Wygoda" from the 18th century (Toruńska street) and the former theatre (Rynek Zduński). The oldest part of municipal cemetery, with oldest gravestones from the half of 19th century is also worth visiting (Cmentarna street).