The "Dorothy" Tower - Centre of Kalisz Fairy Tales and Legends

ADDRESS: plac Jana Pawła II
62-800 Kalisz
E-MAIL: atomaszewska@um.Kalisz.pl
At the back of Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sanctuary of St. Joseph) there is a semicircular, brick tower, which is a fragment of the town wall from the medieval times. The tower was built around the mid-15th century and it served as "carceres" – a prison. It has been called "Dorothy" from the mid-19th century. Currently, the "Dorothy" Tower is the Centre of Kalisz Fairy Tales and Legends and Town's Foundation.

This is the only tower that remained after the defensive walls that once surrounded the city. Because the history of Kalisz during the reign of the Piast dynasty is associated with a rich and colorful history, and also four legends relate to this time - collected by Eligiusz Kor-Walczak and included in the book " Kalisz fairy tales and legends" (“Silent Frogs”, “Curse of St. Wojciech” ,”Dorothy” and “King and Matt”) - in the Center you can get acquainted with the latest scientific findings of archaeologists and historians, as well as enter the world of local fairy tales and legends.

The lower floor of the "Dorothy" Tower is devoted to the historical past of the city, where you can see a multimedia presentation about the early medieval castle in Zawodzie, the location of the city and its oldest buildings, as well as events that took place in Kalisz during the Piast times. It is accompanied by a mural made by Damian Kwiatkowski, placed on the wall near the tower.

On the other hand, in the upper room of the tower one can see animated films depicting four Kalisz legends accompanied by sculptures made by the artist dr Jolanta Wdowczyk, depicting foreman’s daughter Dorothy imprisoned in the tower and her beloved shoemaker Martin kneeling in front of the tower and four "Silent frogs", placed around the tower, from the side of the city park, enchanted by Saint Adalbert for disturbing him in prayer.

 

 

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photos by Krystian Chęciński
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