The area of the Old Town

Up to the present, Pyrzyce preserved the historic, 13th-century arrangement of the Old Town. The beginnings of the Old Town can be dated back to the times of early Slavs, which makes Pyrzyce one of the oldest centres of urban settlement in Poland. The name of the city comes from an Old Slavonic word “pyro”, which means “wheat”. The event, which formed the current appearance of the town, was the granting a town charter by Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania, in 1263. The perfectly visible up to this day, characteristic oval network of streets with two high roads (presently 1 Maja and Jana Kilińskiego Streets) and a centrally situated market square, neighbouring on a square with the Blessed Virgin Mary church was then marked out. The town was surrounded by a stone and brick wall with gates and towers, which – in spite of the complete destruction of the town in 1945 – have survived almost intact. Other important buildings within the area of the mediaeval town arrangement are the town hall, located in the north frontage of the market square, and the Holy Spirit chapel, formerly a part of the Holy Spirit hospital. The entire Old Town arrangement has been entered into the provincial register of historic monuments.