Old Town – Haller

Our glass blowing business is located in a more than 700 year old tenant house on the historic market square in Puck. The oldest still visible building parts date back to 1450. The historic ceramic oven in our place found during the excavations dates from 1570.

Today it is under glass so you can walk on it. It is the oldest such kind of oven in the North of Europe a real archeological sensation. The whole inner area of the town is one of Poland’s most important excavation sites. If you will come in the summer you will surely see excavations on going. The city keeps its structure from the 14. century it was never destroyed by fire or war so lots of historic structure has survived up to today. The city is not only very old it lies also very uniquely close to the open sea with its marvelous gothic red brick basilica right on the edge of the cliff overlooking the bay. It is the so called Basilica of the Sea. It is consequently a well asked for wedding church. There is another famous reason. The Polish General Haller celebrated here in Puck in 1920 the so called wedding of Poland with the sea. Actually on 10. 02. 1920. That was the date when the Versailles treaty came into being and the local cost line became again part of the newly born Polish Republic. A very important date in the rich Polish history. For foreigners this might be a bit less important so we give here only a short summary of this very important piece of Polish history. The general reached this area with his troops in the morning of February 10th, 1920.

Last Prussian retreating troops were pushed out and he descended on the bay and threw one of two rings into the water to symbolically celebrate the newly forged union of the country with the Baltic Sea. Paintings hanging all over Poland show a well dressed General Haller on a horse surrounded by lots of troops and trumpets. The story is first class school history. Every kid knows this. In reality it was a bit less posh. He came by train and mounted one horse at the local train station some soldiers were at hand but the bay was frozen. Fishermen had to cut a hole into the ice. He threw the ring missed the hole and the ring ended on the ice instead. Only with the help of a kick of a shoe of a fisherman the wedding was concluded. A bit less romantic but still an enormously important moment for the young Republic. Again she had an access to the sea which was extremely important at that time. More about this major event you will find in books in local shops also in English language. In the essence Haller secured symbolically the union of the land with the sea and Puck was an ideal place to do so especially with the church close by. It goes without saying that a major mass was held to commemorate the event and every year on that date you can watch the General on a horse performing this act. In 2020 we will celebrate the 100 year anniversary with great pomp.