The defensive city walls surrounding Kalisz must have made an enormous impression in the past. Their construction is attributed to King Casimir the Great, who also built a brick castle in Kalisz. Although this castle no longer exists, you can still admire more than 500 meters of medieval fortifications that have survived to the present day. Especially noteworthy is the only remaining fortified tower, known as “Dorotka”. Today, it’s one of the attractive landmarks on the Piast Trail.
Legend
Where does this unusual name of the tower come from? The answer to this question can be found in many legends and folktales. One of them tells the story of the unhappy love between Dorotka, a beautiful daughter of the district governor of Kalisz castle, and Marcin, a poor shoemaker. The girl cared little for fancy clothes and jewels, but she had a fondness for beautiful shoes. That’s why skilled Marcin visited her regularly, and in time Dorotka fell in love with him. The girl’s cruel father didn’t want his daughter to marry a shoemaker of humble origin and ordered to wall her up inside the tower. The unfortunate girl died there of hunger and longing.
Center of fairy tales and legends
This and many other legends can be explored and relived by visitors at the Center of Kalisz Fairy Tales and Legends, which is housed in Dorotka Tower. Among other stories gathered here, there is an equally interesting legend of silent frogs. These are believed to have been miraculously silenced by Saint Adalbert so they wouldn’t disturb him while he was preaching.
