A glacial erratic, the St. Nicholas Church and several wooden houses more than a hundred years old give Starzno a distinctive character, combining nature, sacred architectural history and historic residential architecture. This picture is complemented by two routes through the village—a yellow-marked hiking trail and the Szafirowy Szlak. For trip planning, both specific architectural details and clearly distinguishable route features are relevant.

St. Nicholas Church: timber construction and history

St. Nicholas Church dates from the late 16th or early 17th century. It was built on the site of an earlier church dating from the period when the area belonged to the Pomerelian princes. The date of the present building is thus linked to an earlier phase in the village’s history. The church has a wooden log construction. At the west end stands a post-and-beam tower with an onion-shaped cupola. It has a single nave, and its gabled roof is covered with wooden shingles. The combination of log construction and post-and-beam framing describes two different building methods used in the church.

Historic furnishings with their own dates

Several different periods can also be distinguished inside. The late Baroque high altar dates from the late 17th century and is richly decorated with acanthus ornamentation; it features two pictures painted on leather. Two bells date from 1648 and 1824—their dates of origin are almost two centuries apart. The chalice-shaped baptismal font with a lid dates from the first half of the 18th century. A crucifix dates from around the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, and there is also a late Baroque pulpit. Together, these details show that the church’s furnishings do not all date from a single period.

Wooden houses and routes through Starzno

Starzno also preserves several wooden houses that are more than a hundred years old. They complement the sacred architecture with historic residential buildings. The village’s architectural heritage thus includes not only the church but also older houses with histories of their own—another point of interest for anyone interested in the architecture of a travel destination.

Different routes through Starzno are available to hikers and cyclists. The yellow-marked hiking trail runs through the Brda Valley from Miastko to Przechlewo, passing through Starzno and Nowa Brda. The Szafirowy Szlak is 26 kilometres long and passes through Dymin, Dźwierzno, Starzno and Ostrówek; Koczała is listed as both its starting point and endpoint. The route is rated as moderately difficult. Its surface alternates between cobblestones, asphalt, unpaved paths and concrete slabs. The Starzeńskie Lake is also among the sights listed along the Szafirowy Szlak. If you are choosing between the routes, the Szafirowy Szlak offers specific information about its length, difficulty rating and surface. The yellow-marked hiking trail, by contrast, is defined by its course through the Brda Valley and its route from Miastko to Przechlewo.

Discover more destinations: Swieszyno, Dolinka, Gwieździn, Koczała, Debrzno, Polnica, Wierzchowo, Dąbki

For the broader travel overview: Schlochau.