Wejherowo Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Wejherowo

Wejherowo is a city located in northern Poland's Pomeranian Voivodeship, where it serves as the capital of Wejherowo County within the region of Gdańsk Pomerania. Situated in the ethnocultural territory of Kashubia, the municipality rests in the broad glacial valley of the Rheda River at an elevation of 30 meters above sea level. It lies roughly 35 kilometers northwest of Gdańsk, 11 kilometers west of Rumia, and 32 kilometers east of Lębork. As of 2021, the city recorded a population of 48,735 inhabitants.

The settlement was established in 1643 under the name Wola Wejherowska by Jakub Wejher, a Polish nobleman and voivode of the Malbork Voivodeship. Operating under Kulm law, the town received civic privileges that were formally confirmed in 1655 by King John II Casimir Vasa of Poland. During its foundational period, Wejher constructed the churches of The Holy Trinity and Saint Ann, invited Franciscan friars, built a monastery, and created a notable religious complex. Built between 1646 and 1655 along the edge of the municipal forest, this calvary features 26 individual chapels.

Following the First Partition of Poland in 1772, the city was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia and administered within West Prussia under the German name Neustadt in Westpreußen. Its expansion during the 19th century was aided by its designation as an administrative district seat in 1818 and its connection to the Danzig–Stettin railway line in 1870. Local Polish and Kashubian residents resisted 19th-century Germanization efforts through secret patriotic societies, regional publishing, and economic organizations. By 1905, the town contained Protestant and Catholic churches, a synagogue, several educational institutes, a brewery, sawmills, cigarette manufacturing, and active trading in livestock, timber, and grain.

Following World War I and the restoration of an independent Poland, the city rejoined the Polish state and served as an administrative center for the maritime economy. After surviving occupation and severe casualties during World War II, it was reintegrated into Poland in 1945. Modern visitors to Wejherowo can explore its cultural heritage at the Museum of Kashubian and Pomeranian Writing and Music, located within the Przebendowski Palace. Other landmarks include the city's 17th-century religious structures and forest calvary, alongside institutions such as the Kaszubsko-Pomorska Szkoła Wyższa and the local sports club Gryf Wejherowo.