Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland

Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland Reviews

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5.0 | 240 reviews
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Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland
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Janet W
Janet W 2025.10.24
     
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HIGHLIGHT OF OUR TRIP - AMAZING EXPERIENCE I contacted Thomasz via email after reading all the great reviews on Trip Advisor. Thomasz had some great ideas for our tour in Poland. He took us to two different areas, where my ancestors came from. He had planned some great surprises for us. Thomasz is easy to talk to, a truly lovely person and knowledgeable, who went out of his way to make us feel comfortable. At the end of our Tour we felt like we were saying goodbye to a special friend. Thanks so very much Thomasz for proving us with an amazing unique experience, we will carry the memories with us always. J and C.
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2025.10.26
Dear Janet,Thank you for your kind and heartfelt review! The feeling is absolutely mutual – exploring with you and Chris felt like being with friends. It was an honour to help you and Chris discover the land of your ancestors. Crafting that unique experience and planning those little surprises was a joy.Thank you for trusting me with your family story.I wish you all the best with your future travels, and I hope to meet you one day – maybe in Australia.Warm greetings from Poznań, Poland! Tomasz
Chris W
Chris W 2025.10.21
     
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Fantastic tour My wife and I recently took an ancestry tour with Tomasz into Western Poland. Tomasz was not only a great guide, his knowledge and investigative work was first class.He was also fun to spend time with and put a lot of effort into making our experience very special. Highly recommended. Chris
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2025.10.26
Thank you so much, Chris! It was a genuine pleasure guiding you and Janet. I'm thrilled you enjoyed the 'investigative work' – that's the heart of designing a personalized ancestry tour. Helping you connect with your roots in Western Poland (in cities like Klępsk, Chlastawa, Nowy Tomyśl) and making it fun was a truly special experience for me too. All the best to you both!It would be great to see you again one day.Best,Tomasz
Michael
Michael 2025.09.11
     
I can’t say enough about Tomasz. He did a phenomenal job researching our family history in Poland. Not only did he uncover records and details we never knew existed, but he also brought them to life by taking us to the exact places connected to our story. His knowledge, preparation, and passion made the trip unforgettable. Thanks to him we left Poland with a much deeper connection to our roots. I highly recommend him to anyone interested in genealogy or cultural tours.
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2025.09.16
Hi Michael,
Wow, Thank you so much for this amazing review.
Reading it has truly made my day!

It was a privilege to help you with your genealogy research in Poland and bring your family's story to life. Starting the tour in Poznań and travelling to the easternmost parts of Poland, including Międzyrzec Podlaski, Radzyń Podlaski, Lublin and Kraków, was an unforgettable journey.
Hearning stories about your family history and your perspective on many things was also a great experience for me. Thank you!
That's what I love about planning heritage tours in Poland — linking the dots on a map to actual people and locations.

Your kind words motivate me to continue providing the best possible genealogy tour services in Poland.

All the best,
Tomasz
Robin S
Robin S 2025.09.11
     
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Best tour guide and Genealogist in Poland! I had the most incredible experience in Poland with our tour guide/genealogist Tomasz Laskowski. He went over and above to give us the best tour of Poznan and of multiple other towns to see first hand, where my grandfather grew up. He is smart, resourceful, funny and a pleasure to be around. He made our 10 day trip to Berlin/Poland one of the most memorable we have had! I highly recommend Tomasz for both his historical knowledge, a fantastic tour guide, and a creative genealogist. Thank you thank you Tomasz!
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Garth Asay
Garth Asay 2025.09.06
     
It is rare that you truly encounter a life-changing experience, but that is indeed the way we feel after working with Tomasz. Prior to meeting Tomasz, we had only a vague knowledge of my wife’s Polish heritage - with only a few names and places written down. After working with Tomasz and his team, she now has a comprehensive family tree that, in some cases, extends back 7 generations. Tomasz also put together a tour of tiny rural villages that included the birth house of her great, great grandfather in 1823 and the actual parish churches where several ancestors were baptized and/or married in. Our family will be forever grateful for the work of Tomasz and his team!! Thank you Tomasz!!
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2025.09.09
Thank you, Garth, for this incredible review!
Your kind words are a testament to why we do what we do.

It was an absolute privilege to accompany you on your journey to the Żerków and Skulsk areas.
Helping you and Melanie to uncover your family's heritage (Jaśkowiak and Stangerciak) through our genealogical research in Poznań, and guiding you on a meaningful tour of your Polish ancestry, was a powerful experience for us, too.

Seeing Melanie find the home of her great-great-grandfather was an unforgettable moment.

Your positive feedback inspires our team to continue providing the best tours in Poznań and Poland!

We wish you and your family all the best as you explore this new chapter of your history.
I hope our paths cross again one day!
gfasay
gfasay 2025.09.06
     
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Sets the gold standard for excellence! Working withTomasz was an amazing experience!! From our early e-mail planning stages all the way through our recent two-day family history tour in Poznan and several surrounding villages, Tomasz set the gold standard for excellence. His passion for Polish history and vast knowledge of genealogy research was incredible. And he is a genuinely nice guy with an engaging personality. He treated my wife and I like we honored guests. He is well-deserving of the more than 200 5-star reviews he and his team have received. I share so many of the extremely positive comments that have been noted in previous reviews. Don’t think twice about it - hire Tomasz and Poznan Tours!!
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2025.09.09
Hi Garth! Thank you for this wonderful review!Your kind words are a testament to why we do what we do - bespoke tours.It was a real privilege to accompany you on your journey to the Żerków and Skulsk areas. Helping you and Melanie to uncover your family heritage (Jaśkowiak and Stangerciak) through our genealogical research in Poland, and guiding you on a meaningful tours in Poznań and the next day to your Polish ancestry sites, was a powerful experience for me, too. Seeing Melanie find the home of her great-great-grandfather was an unforgettable moment.Your positive feedback inspires our team to continue providing some of the best genealogy research and tours in Poznań and Poland.We wish you and your family all the best as you explore this new chapter of your history.I hope our paths cross again one day! Best,Tomasz
Robin Steiner
Robin Steiner 2025.08.12
     
Thomas was truly one of the greatest guides we have ever had. He is personable, knowledgeable and interesting and engaging and really knows his stuff. He shared wonderful information and on top of being a great tour guide— he helped me trace my grandfathers roots. He is a fantastic genealogist as well!! We had to change up our trip based on the new information he uncovered for us on where my grandfather grew up, and he planned everything with the greatest amount of care and thought. He is warm and funny and did an excellent job for us. Would highly recommend!
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2025.08.18
Wow, thank you for this amazing review!
Making discoveries and adapting the trip on the fly were just as exciting for me. As your private guide, I'm so glad I could help make your genealogy tour of Poland such a special adventure.
I really appreciate what you said, it means a lot to me.
Best wishes,
Tomasz
Joe Miller
Joe Miller 2025.07.08
     
Tomasz arranged a wonderful trip to my wife's grandmothers hometown an hour east of Krakow and connected us with a fantastic guide and genealogist in Zbigniew. And when it was time to travel from Krakow to the Czech Republic, Tomasz put us in the capable hands of Sebastian. Thank you, Tomasz!
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2025.07.10
Dear Joe!
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.
It was a pleasure organizing the visit to your wife's ancestral hometown near Krakow and your onward journey to the Czech Republic.
Building a trusted network of fantastic guides and drivers is key to creating these memorable trips and I'll be sure to pass your kind words on to them both.
We hope to see you in Poland again someday!
All the best,
Tomasz.
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Ondrea M
Ondrea M 2025.06.30
     
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Local, candid and knowledgeable You turn the corner and are speechless by the wonder and beauty of the square and town hall. Tomasz brought all of Poznan’s history and more to light for our family. The tour was engaging and informative - he also provided delicious dining recommendations and insta- worthy photo locations. Highly recommend this as it is customized to you and not a generic group tour. Very worth it!
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2025.07.01
Hi Ondrea,Thank you for your warm words. I'm really happy to hear the tour made an impression and that you enjoyed discovering Poznań's stories (and its food!). It was a pleasure showing your family around and tailoring the experience just for you. Hope you left with great memories—and some good photos too!All the best,Tomasz
Stephen Monthie
Stephen Monthie 2025.06.28
     
Thank you so much for the tour, Tomasz. Laura and I both deeply appreciated your warm and knowledgeable guidance throughout the tour. It was truly a meaningful experience—seeing the places connected to the family history and learning things we never could have discovered on our own. You brought the past to life in such a personal and engaging way. We’re still talking about the insights you shared and the moments that connected us more deeply to family roots. Wishing you all the best, and thank you again for making our journey so special. Warm regards, Stephen
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2025.07.01
Hi Stephen,
Thank you so much for your kind words.
It was truly a pleasure to guide you through the places connected to your family's story. I'm glad the tour helped you see and feel the history behind the names and documents.

Your openness and curiosity made it a meaningful journey for me as well.

Wishing you all the best in your continued search—and I hope our paths cross again someday!

Warm regards,
Tomasz
Kirk Jordan
Kirk Jordan 2025.04.07
     
Tomasz is the best...full of knowledge and information, and a great personality to tour with over 2 days. I was reseaching my Polish heritage and he was definitely the right choice.
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2025.04.08
Thank you so much, Kirk!

I truly enjoyed our 2-day ancestry tour exploring Wągrowiec and Rozdrażew together. It was wonderful helping you discover your Polish heritage and sharing those meaningful moments.

I appreciate your kind words and wish you all the best with your continued family research!
It would be great to meet each other in some other place soon.

Best,
Tomasz
KirkJordan
KirkJordan 2025.04.07
     
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Highly Recommended! Had an incredible 2 days with Tomasz; he is the ultimate professional, full of knowledge and ideas, and a great person on top of that. I was researching my Polish heritage and picked the perfect person to take me on that journey. I highly recommend Poznan Tours!
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Lisa Smith
Lisa Smith 2025.03.23
     
We hired Tomasz for a private tour of Poznan which is where we thought my grandmother was born. I had an old document from my cousin which had “Poznan” on it and everyone assumed it was her birth certificate. When I shared it with Tomasz, he quickly realized what it was not her birth certificate and was able to research information about my grandmother. We quickly pivoted and changed our tour and were able to visit the village she actually was born in. Tomasz was able to find her real birth certificate and an old map of the village. It was so special! We even visited the church she was baptized in and her parents got married in. Tomasz made an effort to contact the priest to see if we could get inside the church but unfortunately, the priest was unavailable at this time. Tomasz’ deep knowledge of Poland’s history and his own personal life experience made this such an enriching and wonderful tour. Thank you, Tomasz!
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2025.04.01
Dear Lisa!
Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad I could help you discover your grandmother's real birthplace.
When I saw the document you sent me, I was happy to redirect our tour to her actual village - Sokółki.

Finding your ancestor's true place of origin and seeing the land they walked and lived on was a special moment.
These are the things that make genealogy tours a unique kind of tourism.

Thanks for noticing my knowledge of Polish history. I hope my explanations were useful and shed some light on your ancestors, their daily lives and their hardships.

I hope to see you again some day!
Kind regards,
Tomasz
Bronwyn F
Bronwyn F 2025.01.27
     
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I cannot speak highly enough of my personalised genealogy tour in Poland with Tomasz. It was beyond all my expectations. So much fun learning about my family history. The research, communication, tour plan and linking to my family that Tomasz arranged was fabulous. You will not be disappointed.
Katherine DeCaria
Katherine DeCaria 2024.12.25
     
I feel fortunate to have discovered Tomasz and Poznan Tours last year when I was considering a custom tour of Poland. I wanted to arrange an ancestry tour to meet family members as well as visiting important sites in Poland. Tomasz worked diligently to contact my Polish family and arrange meetings. He also put together a comprehensive tour of the country. From the moment he met us at Brandenburg airport in Berlin, we knew we were in good hands. He chose really nice hotels, was our guide, driver, and translator, and made sure that our needs were met. He treated us like family and we had a wonderful time. He is also an outstanding individual, hardworking and a really nice guy! Highly recommended!!!!
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2024.12.27
Hi Katherine!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and kind words! 😊
It was an absolute honour to help you reconnect with your family and explore the rich history and culture of Poland.
I'm glad to know that you felt well looked after and enjoyed the experience - it really means a lot to me.
It has been a pleasure getting to know you, your family history and finally being part of such a meaningful journey.

I wish you all the best and hope we'll cross paths again someday!
Katherine D
Katherine D 2024.12.24
     
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Ancestry trip to Poland (and some sightseeing, too!) We spent 18 wonderful days with Tomasz visiting Poland and Berlin. He arranged a comprehensive itinerary that included visits to meet recently discovered family members in Poland as well as a tour of many of the major sites in Poland and in Berlin. From the moment he met us at the arrival area in baggage claim at Brandenburg airport in Berlin, we knew we were in great hands. He treated us like family and made sure all our needs were met. He arranged for our hotel accommodations, choosing well-located and comfortable places . He was our tour guide, translator (when meeting with my Polish family as my knowledge of the Polish language is limited to a few phrases), and driver ( he has a comfortable VW SUV). Tomasz was always adapting to unexpected situations- we made some last minute changes to the itinerary when new family members were discovered and when southwest Poland was under the threat of flooding- and he did a great job! For anyone interested in a trip to Poland (or Germany), whether it is ancestry-related or just a vacation, I highly recommend Poznan Tours and Tomasz.
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adrian426
adrian426 2024.09.06
     
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Genealogy Success I was looking for help from Australia to trace my family tree on my father’s side in south eastern Poland as I knew very little apart from my father’s name, his parents names and the village they came from. I also wanted to visit this area to see the countryside where my ancestors came from. I found Tomasz and Posnan tours online and established email contact and hooked up with a whatsapp facetime call. My trust in Tomasz and his team was fully justified and paid off. The work carried out on the genealogy and the final family tree report was terrific and I was very happy with the result - much more detailed than I expected, in fact it was so detailed it threw up many more questions. What happened to these people, where did they go in the war, why did some of them die so young etc etc. I cannot speak highly enough of Zbigniew who was my contact in Krakow where I was based. He was not only a driver/translator, but was tech savvy, a detective in hunting down information and clues, and a psychologist in dealing with people, extracting information and reassuring people and managing their concerns. In addition an all round nice guy. He even managed to track down a living relative - a 91 year old aunty I never knew I had, which was a wonderful surprise. Would highly recommend Tomasz and his team if anyone were to do something along the same lines.
Joseph R
Joseph R 2024.09.04
     
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Memorable Ancestry Tour My niece and I recently returned from a tour of Poland with Tomasz. He had done genealogy research for me a number of years ago and due to unforeseen circumstances we were unable to take the tour we had planned in 2018. This long-awaited trip was very special. Most special was the day spent touring all of the towns where my mother's family once lived, visiting the beautiful churches where they were baptized and married, and learning about the history of those areas. Throughout our time together, Tomasz paid close attention to timing so that we were always able to get to sites and events that were important to me - attending Mass in Chodziez, one of my ancestry towns, seeing the veiling and unveiling of Our Lady of Czestochowa, and visiting the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Krakow. In addition, we found that Tomasz has an amazing knowledge of history and we learned much (in spite of ourselves and thanks to his patience) and saw many historical sites. Tomasz has a great sense of humor, so we also had fun, sharing some wonderful Polish food, lots of "cake" and very interesting conversation. We loved our time in Poland and are thankful to Tomasz for putting together a wonderful itinerary, and for being attentive to even the small details of our trip. I highly recommend Tomasz, both as an excellent resource for genealogy research and as a private tour guide.
Rose Jungkind
Rose Jungkind 2024.08.20
     
My sister and I just returned from a private eight day ancestry tour of Poland and Germany with Tomasz Laskowski. Our tour exceeded all expectations and we thank Tomasz for everything he did for us. Most especially for the deep dive research and time spent readying for our visit to our mother Zofia’s small ancestral village of Huta Chodecka, Poland. Her family was of German origin but she, and at least four previous generations on both her mother and father’s side, were born and lived in this area. We lost our mother in February of 2023 and since then felt the great need to see where she was born and lived as a young girl. I first contacted Tomasz for help with genealogy research. I provided him information, documents, and pictures I had as a starting point. After meeting on FaceTime, getting to know him, and seeing the results he produced, my sister and I decided to also use his services for a private tour of Poland and Germany. The main purpose and goal of our trip was to visit and better understand the complex history around where our mother was born and lived until the age of fourteen, when she immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. With the remaining days we had available, Tomasz customized a touring plan for other places of interest we provided him. It was a packed wishlist that had us moving at a fast pace, but he found a way to make it all happen. It’s important note is that we don’t speak Polish and no one in her ancestral village that we met with spoke English, so in addition to being our guide, historian, and driver, Tomasz was also our translator and did a fantastic job with that too. We could tell everyone really enjoyed talking and being with Tomasz. He put them at ease and they really opened up to him. Visiting this area would not have been possible without Tomasz by our side. He was also our photographer, always ready to take pictures documenting our trip. We will be forever grateful for finding Tomasz; we had the trip of a lifetime! His genealogical research kicked everything off and helped fill in gaps with names, dates, and villages going back many generations. He is professional, friendly, easy to work with, enthusiastic, a great communicator, researcher, tour guide, driver, translator…everything we were looking for and more. If you are looking for help with genealogical research, a private tour, or both, be sure to contact Tomasz. We very highly recommend him and know he will do a great job for you too.
Reply from Great Tours Tomasz Laskowski - genealogy and private tours in Poznan & Poland 2024.09.05
Hi Rose!
Thank you so much for your great, detailed review of our trip to Poland and Germany.
We had a very interesting time full of attractions. We covered a lot of miles and saw a lot of places.
Your family history is fascinating and it felt good to follow it. We followed the modern, post WW2 history.

I hope you find all the answers you are looking for.

Have a great time travelling and I hope we get a chance to meet soon!

Warm greetings from Poland!
Tomasz
Rose J
Rose J 2024.08.12
     
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Private Ancestry Tour - Trip Report and Review My sister and I just returned from a private eight day ancestry tour of Poland and Germany with Tomasz Laskowski, owner of Poznan Tours. Our tour exceeded all expectations and we thank Tomasz for everything he did for us. Most especially for the deep dive research and time spent readying for our visit to our mother Zofia’s small ancestral village of Huta Chodecka, Poland. Her family was of German origin but she, and at least four previous generations on both her mother and father’s side, were born and lived in this area. We lost our mother in February of 2023 and since then felt the great need to go to Poland to see where she was born (in 1936) and lived as a young girl. I first contacted Tomasz for help with genealogy research. I provided him information, documents, and pictures I had as a starting point. After meeting on FaceTime, getting to know him, and seeing the results he produced, my sister and I decided to also use his services for a private tour of Poland and Germany. The main purpose and goal of our trip was to visit and better understand the complex history around where our mother was born and lived until the age of fourteen, when she immigrated to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. With the remaining days we had available, Tomasz customized a touring plan for other places of interest we provided him. It was a packed wishlist that had us moving at a fast pace, but he found a way to make it all happen. This was our itinerary: We flew into Krakow and spent our first three nights there before meeting up with Tomasz. Places we toured include Wawel Hill and Cathedral, the Old Town, Market Square, and St. Mary’s Basilica. We walked the Kazimierz District and Podgorze with visits to The Eagle Pharmacy and Schindler’s Factory. On our last day we toured Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. Early the next morning, we took a fast direct train to Warsaw where a smiling Tomasz was waiting for us at the platform. After dropping our bags at our hotel, we headed out on a walking tour that included the Royal Route, St. Anne’s Church, Castle Square, Old Town Market Place, the Uprising Monument, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Saxon Garden. We were planning to end our day at Lazienki Park but a wind storm had knocked over trees that made getting there difficult. The next morning we drove north to Wolf’s Lair (Wolfsschanze). This was Adolf Hitler’s eastern front military headquarters and where the famous assassination attempt depicted in the movie "Valkyrie" happened. We had a very interesting tour that included where the assassination attempt occurred, Hitler’s destroyed bunker, as well as other camouflaged bunkers and barracks. Then we continued on to to Gdansk for two nights, with a quick detour first to see the Bezledy border crossing with Russia. Sights visited in Gdańsk include the Old Town, Museum of the Second World War (outside only), Rajska Street where you find a section of the original shipyard’s brick wall standing next to a section of the concrete Berlin wall. The inscription “Roads to Freedom” is written on the pavement in various languages and leads to Solidarity Square. We also visited the European Solidarity Centre, the Shipyard, Westerplatte, Oliwska Cathedral including the organ concert, and Sopot. After our time in Gdansk we drove drove south, with a short stop in Torun, to the small village of Huta Chodecka (about 30 minutes driving time south of Wloclawek). This is where our mother was born. Tomasz had made an advance trip to this area a couple months before our arrival, which was instrumental to the great success of our visit. We were warmly welcomed by the many contacts Tomasz had already made. These included people familiar with the history of the area during and after the time our mother (and her parents) lived there. The brick house our grandmother, mother, and her two sisters were born in is no longer standing, but neighboring houses where other family members once lived were still there. We were invited inside and given tours of these properties. We were told our mother’s ancestral house, barns, garden, orchard, and farm had the same look and layout, so it was possible to imagine what it looked like when our mother was a young girl. We were treated like family, invited for meals, presented with gifts including books about the area, and personally shown around the bigger main town of Chodecz. At the registry office, copies of birth, death, and marriage records were waiting for us; all arranged in advance by Tomasz. He even managed to do the nearly impossible and get the birth and death records for our mother’s younger sister Anna who had died in Poland at the age of nine. We visited the Evangelical cemetery where Anna and other generations of relatives were buried. Their headstones no longer exist, but we were shown the old section that was used during their time. We stopped at the farmers market to buy flowers and placed them there in remembrance. We were also shown the location of our great grandfather’s brick factory. He built our mother’s ancestral home with the bricks he made. We drove to several neighboring villages including where our mother’s father, grandfather, and grandmother were born. These villages are all within a few kilometers of each other, with farm land in between. It’s important note is that we don’t speak Polish and no one in these small villages we met with spoke English, so in addition to being our guide, historian, and driver, Tomasz was also our translator and did a fantastic job with that too. We could tell everyone really enjoyed talking and being with Tomasz. He put them at ease and they really opened up to him. Visiting this area would not have been possible without Tomasz by our side. He was also our photographer, always ready to take pictures documenting our trip. There’s so much more I could write about the time we spent in the Huta Chodecka area. We didn’t know what to expect when we first started planning our trip with Tomasz. How warmly we would be received, who all we would meet, what we would see. We spent two very busy days there. Seeing where our mother was born, walking where she once walked, viewing the same landscapes, and meeting so many wonderful friendly people created unforgettable memories that we will treasure forever. Next we headed to Wroclaw for the night. We started the next morning with a walking tour of the Old Town and Cathedral Island. Then we started driving again with a stop at the Church of Peace in Świdnica, arriving in Leutersdorf, Germany that evening. This was a very long day of driving for Tomasz, but after checking into our pension he was still eager to start exploring. Visiting this area was the second most important reason for our trip. Our great grandmother Helene, grandmother Olga, mother Zofia, and her older sister Adele, all lived here from 1947-1950 after they fled from Poland. They were trying to get to Canada but got stuck in the Russian sector of the divided up Germany, where they remained almost three years before escaping and making their way to Bremen, where they stayed in a refugee camp until it was their turn to take a ship to Canada. We had one evening and most of the next day in Leutersdorf and the surrounding area. We found the house in Hetzwalde my mother and her family lived in during this time, the church she attended and was was confirmed at, the school she went to, the now abandoned sewing factory her sister worked at making Russian uniforms, and the nursing home they had to leave her grandmother at before they made their escape onwards to Canada. We also visited the cemetery she was buried at when she died in 1959. Tomasz found everyplace we knew about and wanted to see, and we left that afternoon feeling a deep connection to the area. The last stop of our tour was Berlin. As we arrived Tomasz pointed out the famous Kiss Mural at the East Side Gallery and drove us through Museum Island on the way to our hotel for the night. The next day we used public transportation and visited the Topography of Terror, stopped at Check Point Charlie, and then continued on to the Berlin Wall Memorial. We also stopped at the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, and the Fuhrer Bunker as we walked the city. We said goodbye to Tomasz outside the Reichstag Building where we were booked for a a 5pm guided tour, followed by an audio tour of the Dome. The next day we took a flight back to Portland, Oregon USA, exhausted but very happy. We will be forever grateful for finding Tomasz; we had the trip of a lifetime! His genealogical research kicked everything off and helped fill in gaps with names, dates, and villages going back many generations. He is professional, friendly, easy to work with, enthusiastic, a great communicator, researcher, tour guide, driver, translator…everything we were looking for and more. If you are looking for help with genealogical research, a private tour, or both, be sure to contact Tomasz at Poznan Tours. We very highly recommend him and know he will do a great job for you too.
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