Włocławek - Bazylika katedralna Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Maryi Panny

In the 11th century a settlement existed on the Vistula River, which since 1123 has been the seat of a bishopric subordinate to the Archbishop of Gniezno, and in 1261 received town rights. At that time the town's name was Leslau. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the town was destroyed and subjugated several times by Teutonic Knights. Only the Peace Treaty of Thorn in 1466 finally secured peace.

After that, the grain trade flourished until the Swedish invasion in 1657 partially destroyed the town.

After the Second Partition of Poland, Włocławek fell to Prussia in 1793, and after the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the town became part of the newly formed Congress Poland, which belonged to Russia.

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When Wloclawek became a bishopric the chapel in the castle may have been used, but soon a Romanesque cathedral was set up. It lasted until 1329 when the Teutonic Knights destroyed it.

After an agreement between the Bishop and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, the erection of the current cathedral started in the 1340s. It was consecrated in 1411, but was still under construction in the 15th and at the beginning of the 16th century, until its completion in 1526.

In the 19th century, the cathedral got renovated.