„Sulech – a journey through time”
The origins of many cities and the etymology of their names are often linked to rulers or former landowners who founded them. Just as frequently, the names and beginnings of old settlements are associated with legendary figures. This is also the case with Sulechów, a town located in the Lubusz Voivodeship in western Poland.
“Sulecha: A Journey Through Time” is a film that presents a creative approach to promoting the city. This unconventional idea for showcasing the town earned both the filmmakers and the city the first prize in the Tourism Communication – City Promotion category at the 20th anniversary edition of the FilmAT Festival, an international festival of tourism, corporate, and television documentary films.
Time travel is a powerful theme that captures the imagination and frequently appears in cinema and literature. In the French comedy “The Visitors”, Jean Reno plays the knight Godefroy, who is unexpectedly transported through time. Amazed by modern-day reali- ties, he struggles to understand the contemporary world, and the stark contrasts betwe- en the Middle Ages and the present day land the likeable hero in a series of amusing pre- dicaments.
Fortunately, the knight Sulech in Sulechów’s promotional film does not face the kinds of dangers that befell Godefroy in the famous film series from the 1990s. Instead, the film’s main character—the knight Sulech—discovers the charming corners, history, and culture of the region, weaving together stories of the past with elements of modern life. In his narrative, he presents the most interesting monuments and attractions of the town of Sulechów and the surrounding area. He also mentions the municipality’s convenient loca- tion and transport connections—thanks to the S3 expressway and the modern railway line that runs through the commune.
The backdrop for the knight’s journey through the town includes notable landmarks such as the castle, which since the 14th century served as the administrative center of the surrounding lands, and the Neo-Gothic town hall, from whose tower the knight admires the panorama of Sulechów.
Let us pause for a beautiful moment by one of the walls of the town hall, where we find a plaque commemorating the visit of Frédéric Chopin to the town. In our imagination, we travel back to the summer months of 1828.
The young Fryderyk is returning with the renowned zoologist Professor Feliks Paweł Ja- recki from the international congress of naturalists in Berlin. They are traveling by stage- coach along the old route to Warsaw via Frankfurt, Cybinka, Krosno, Sulechów, Kargowa, and Poznań, and they make a longer stop in Sulechów. The stagecoach requires a change of horses, and the travelers must wait while the team is replaced.
“Upon hearing that the stop would be longer, the travellers decided to take a short walk around the old town before returning to rest. The postmaster, already aware that he was hosting extraordinary guests, took special care of them. He invited them to his private home at 13 Sukiennicza Street (now Handlowa Street), where after lunch he led them into a small room with a piano. At the sight of the instrument, the young pianist visibly brightened.
Sitting down on a small stool, he began to play spontaneously, forgetting everything aro- und him. His playing grew ever bolder, as if he were hypnotized, filling the household— and even passersby outside—with astonishment. Everyone stopped in silent admiration, for never before in their lives had they heard tones so beautifully melodic. More and mo- re curious listeners gathered, the crowd in the street thickened, and Chopin continued to play with passion, evoking universal delight…”
Can you hear it? From the open windows come the sounds of a piano. It is a piece by Frédéric Chopin! The town remains faithful to the memory of this meeting between the legend of Sulechów and the great Polish composer.
Meanwhile, the Film Knight continues his journey, exploring the surroundings of Sule- chów. He shows us the pearl of wooden architecture—the church in Klępsk—as well as Cigacice, picturesquely located on the Oder River. The beauty of the region can also be enjoyed thanks to a well-developed network of cycling paths.
Both medieval knights and modern tourists, however, cannot live on monuments and natural beauty alone. Sulechów lies in the very heart of the Lubusz Voivodeship, not far from Zielona Góra. The capital of the region is also known as Poland’s wine capital, fa- mous for its annual Winobranie (Wine Harvest Festival), which attracts visitors from all over Poland—and beyond.
It is therefore no surprise that vineyards can also be found in the Sulechów municipality, reviving a tradition of producing this noble drink that dates back more than 800 years. Local wineries are not only gaining increasing recognition, but are also becoming an im- portant tourist attraction of the region.
And so we leave Sulechów full of impressions, after conversations with the city’s authori- ties about the annual Fryderyk Chopin Music Festival in Sulechów, and with an invitation extended to all of you:
“Chopin has already been to Sulechów—when will you come?”
The material includes excerpts from regional reportages: one written by Tadeusz Zimecki, an editor of Gazeta Zielonogórska; the other published in the monthly magazine Nadodrze in July 1958, authored by Henryk Przybylski and Janusz Koniusz.