Like how the German border town of Frankfurt an der Oder is frequently mistaken for Frankfurt am Main, the Polish border town Kostrzyn nad Odra is sometimes confused with the smaller Kostrzyn near Poznan. The name is a mouthful for anyone who can’t speak Eastern European languages so I know it by its German name, Küstrin. Just a half hour away from Slubice, music fans may know it for hosting one of the largest music festivals in the world – Polish Woodstock.
Although I am a fan of disco polo, I wasn’t there for the music. Chen and I passed through Küstrin on our way to Slubice on our epic scooter road trip. Like Slubice, it had a fort from the 16th century and grew as a trading town on the Oder River when it was in the Holy Roman Empire. Don’t ask me about it, the Holy Roman Empire is beyond my limited understanding of European history.
This was the first place where I actually had authentic Polish cuisine where I had my first real down of soljanka, none of that fake Ossi stuff. The sour cheese and oily texture made all the difference! In town there aren’t too many businesses, but we could see that prices here were significantly lower than in Germany. There were some odd arrangement of houses that seem detached from the rest of the block, perhaps a result of allied bombing? The Soviets rebuilt the further areas with iconic plattenbau, much like my little Soviet apartment.
For two lost motorcyclists looking for adventure the biggest draw was the train station. The imposing red brick station house looked as it it was built yesterday but the bridges, water towers, and platforms were reminiscent of the steam age of yesteryear. It looked as derelict as the S-Bahn station of Marzahn, perfect for a hipster photoshoot.
