The world is full of beautiful legends. Sometimes, even adults want to believe in them, like the local city legend of the picturesque town Pelplin, whose history is closely connected with the brotherhood of the “gray monks,” the Cistercians. According to legend, the construction site for the ancient monastery was chosen by a donkey, the monks’ means of transport in the Middle Ages. Having entered Pelplin, it refused to go further, and if they tried to budge it, it brayed, scaring all the neighborhood. So the monks decided to stay in this beautiful place, in the fabulous valley of the Wierzyca River. Of course, all this is just a funny tale. The Cistercian monks were given a stretch of land in northern Poland by Duke Mestwin II and erected their abode here. It was 1274, and since then, the monastery had expanded rapidly.

Once, at the end of the 17th century, even the King of Poland, John III Sobieski, visited it. King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden had also enjoyed the interiors of the monastery and authentic medieval artworks until he lost these fertile lands. The 19th century gave the monastery a seminary and the Collegium Marianum school.

Currently, the majestic Pelplin Abbey is the main attraction of the Polish town of the same name. The construction of the brick giant continued for three centuries until it was completed in 1557. But even after that, they continued erecting monastic buildings, as every Polish prince and king wanted to donate them new lands. The last changes in the expansion of the majestic Gothic landmark took place in the 19th century, and since then, nothing has changed here. You can even see old paintings that adorned the abbey walls in the 15th century and the works of great medieval authors in the monastery library.