Kolberg stayed in this town with the Czarnecki family. The classical palace which was built at the end of the 18th century is still standing there. At present, it is a renovated hotel surrounded by a landscape park.
In the material from this town, Kolberg included accounts of various local customs; the following excerpt is related to Christmas:
“On Christmas Eve, just after the supper, a round of house calls starts. There are two people, two men or a man and a woman. One person, called Santa Claus, wears a sheepskin coat turned inside out, a high hut from paper, a paper mask and big shoes with some small bells attached to them; moreover, he is holding a big club and a whip. The other person is called a Star. It can be a man or a woman wearing white shirt. He or she holds a birch and a bell (the latter one announces their visit from a distance). Moreover, they bring a basket with delicacies (apples, nuts, gingerbreads, candies) and toys for children. When they approach somebody’s home, the Santa Clause knocks on the door with his stick, and the Star rings the bell. After entering, they first praise the Lord and ask if children were well-behaved”.
In the monograph of this region, there is a passage from 1875, which illustrates some customs related to the carnival:
“On Fat Thursday, one man dresses up as a bear. He is wearing a sheepskin coat turned inside out and an artificial muzzle and ears. His hands are extended with sticks, as if he had paws, and he roars. He is accompanied by a small boy dressed up as a monkey. They boy sits on the man’s back as though the man was a horse. They walk around the village, play some pranks on people and collect money”.
The materials from this region include the account of the custom connected with Whitsun:
“In the past, i.e. around 1839, on Whitsun boys took a pine from woods and put it in front of a tavern. They hewed out the branches, attached some ribbons and clothes on it and put a bottle of wine or honey on the top of it. The one who managed to climb to the top won the bottle”.
