Stare Czarnowo: Local History in Stages
Accommodation in Stare Czarnowo
Stare Czarnowo can be discovered through several stages of its history: the early name Cirnowe, its connection with the Cistercians of Kołbacz, its church history and its market rights. A 9 km cycle route offers another connection, linking Stare Czarnowo with Kołbacz and Szczecin. This gives you different interests to consider when planning your trip: the town’s history and a cycle route between three places. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Stare Czarnowo, you can consider whether historical themes, cycling or both suit your travel plans.
File:Kościół MB Wspomożenia Wiernych w Starym Czarnowie 01.jpg
Photo: Herooine92 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl
Early Name and Monastic History
Stare Czarnowo was first mentioned under the name Cirnowe in a document dated 1179–1181. A later event is recorded for 1226: Duke Barnim gave the town to the Cistercians of Kołbacz. The two dates refer to different events: an early mention of the name and a later grant, not a single year of foundation. This distinction helps you read the town’s history chronologically. It begins with the name Cirnowe and then moves on to the grant of the town to the Cistercian order, without treating the two events as one.
Before 1326, the Cistercians turned Stare Czarnowo into a monastic grange, that is, a monastic estate farm. This adds another historical phase: the town’s development included both the grant and the later conversion. Stare Czarnowo had also been a parish village since at least the 13th century. The grange and the parish village describe different aspects of its medieval history—the monastic estate farm and the village’s ecclesiastical status. Those interested in classifying places by their historical function can consider these two aspects separately.
Church and Village History
The first church was built in the southern part of the village at the end of the 12th century. A fire destroyed the church in 1531; it was rebuilt in the 16th century. The first church building therefore belongs to an early phase of the town’s history, while the fire and rebuilding came later. The southern part of the village is the specific location associated with the construction of the first church. The three stages of the building’s history can thus be distinguished chronologically: construction, destruction and rebuilding.
Market Rights and the Historic Fair
Around the middle of the 13th century, Stare Czarnowo received market rights; the Latin term for these is forum liberum. A fair was held under these rights. It began on 11 November; if that day fell on a Saturday or Sunday, the market began on the following Monday. This rule turns the name of the market rights into a specific historical practice. Two different details are involved: the market rights are dated to around the middle of the 13th century, while the fair’s start is specified by a particular calendar date.
The town’s history offers several perspectives: an early mention of its name and a grant, a monastic estate farm and a parish village, church construction and market activity. The cycle route adds another travel option alongside these historical themes. Which of these aspects matters most to your plans depends on whether you are mainly interested in the history of Stare Czarnowo or would also like to include the route to Kołbacz and Szczecin in your travel plans.
Discover More Destinations
Discover more destinations: Steklno, Binowo, Stare Brynki, Moryń, Kolbatz, Cedynia, Chojna, Nowe Czarnowo
For the main travel overview: Greifenhagen.
