Resort with a medieval history
Medieval roots
Legend says that Rowy was founded by refugees from Wolin, which was attacked by Vikings. The oldest document is from 1282, which gave the ownership of Rowy to bishops from Gniezno. In the 14th century, Henry Derby landed twice in Rowy during the crusades to Latvia. Like in every town, there was a church built in Rowy. The first church was built in the 14th century near Gardno Lake (which is now part of the Słowiński National Park). Unfortunately, no documents describing the building or its successor remain. The current neoroman church was built between 1844-49.
A pirates' harbour
From its founding, the Slavic population, which was related to the Kashubian, lived in Rowy. In the 14th century, the Witalian Brothers used the village as one of their bases. At first the pirates lived an honest life, but in time decided to change their profession and became known as bloodthirsty Baltic pirates.
Wooden Sculptures
All across Rowy, tourists can find beautiful wooden sculptures that remind everyone of the local legends. One talks about an odd couple - a man in a leather suit and a beautiful woman who demanded the priest to give them a wedding. The man was allegedly the heir of the Swedish throne. Another legend speaks of how the mayor tricked the devil to build him a church in one night. The devil agreed to do it at the cost of the mayor's daughter's soul. The devil carried the rocks to build the church from Garda village flying over Gardno Lake. The mayor pretended to be the rooster and woke up all the other roosters in Rowy which caused the devil's power to vanish and the falling rocks created the Rock Island on Gardno. The devil didn't finish the church, so the mayor's daughter was saved. The angry demon left his devlish mark on the church. The fishermen always check the stone before going to sea. If the stone is dry, the weather will be great, but if it is wet, there will be a storm.