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Tourist attractions of the Lubelskie Region
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TOURIST ATTRACTIONS OF THE LUBELSKIE REGION – tourist guide
TOURIST
ATTRACTIONS
OF THE LUBELSKIE
REGION
WOJEWÓDZTWO
LUBELSKIE
Editorial co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the framework
of Regional Operational Programme of the Lubelskie Region 2007–2013.
tourist guide
Tabele
Introduction
of contents
Places worth seeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Lublin. Old Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Gates: Krakowska and Grodzka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Dominican Basilica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Lublin Cathedral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
The Castle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Holy Trinity Chapel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Jews of Lublin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Catholic University of Lublin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Academic district . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Open-Air Village Museum in Lublin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Botanical Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Zemborzyce Reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Zamość. Renaissance city . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Great Market Square and tenement buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Collegiate Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Arsenal and stronghold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Zoological Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Chełm. Cathedral Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Chełm Chalk Tunnels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Church of the Sending Out of the Apostles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Museum of Chełm Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
“Dyrekcja” District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Biała Podlaska. Castle and park complex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Museum of Southern Podlasie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
St. Anne’s Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Kazimierz Dolny. Parish Church and Market Square . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Tenement houses and granariese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Castle and fortified tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Summer festivals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Gorges of Kazimierz Dolny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Biłgoraj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Hrubieszów . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Janowiec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Janów Lubelski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Janów Podlaski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Kock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Kozłówka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Krasnystaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Kraśnik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Lubartów . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Łuków . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Opole Lubelskie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Puławy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Radzyń Podlaski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Siedliska i Hrebenne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Szczebrzeszyn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Tomaszów Lubelski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Włodawa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Wojciechów . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Wojsławice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
1
Introduction
Biographical museums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Romanów. Józef Ignacy Kraszewski Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Wola Okrzejska. Henryk Sienkiewicz Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Nałęczów. Bolesław Prus Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Stefan Żeromski Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Kazimierz Dolny. Maria and Jerzy Kuncewicz Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Hrubieszów. Fr. Stanisław Staszic Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Lublin. Wincenty Pol Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Other museums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Dęblin. Air Force Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Żmijowiska. “Żmijowiska Gord” Archaeological Open-Air Museum . . 119
Hola. Open-Air Museum of the Heritage of Chełm and Podlasie Regions . 120
Kazimierz Dolny. Muzeum Przyrodnicze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Sanctuaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Kodeń. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Kodeń . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Jabłeczna. St. Onuphrius’ Orthodox Monastery Complex . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Pratulin i Kostomłoty. Sanctuaries of the Blessed Martyrs of Podlasie . . . 129
Leśna Podlaska. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Leśna Podlaska . . . . . . . . . . 131
Wąwolnica. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Kębło . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Krasnobród. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Krasnobród . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Radecznica. Sanctuary of St. Anthony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Piotrawin. Sanctuary of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Górecko Kościelne. Sanctuary of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr . . . 138
Wola Gułowska. Sanctuary of Virgin Mary, the Patron of September
Soldiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
Defence structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Dęblin Stronghold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
Forts of the Brest Stronghold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Bunkers of the Molotov Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Museums of martyrology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Majdanek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Bełżec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Sobibór . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Rotunda in Zamość . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
National parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Roztocze National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Polesie National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Health resorts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Nałęczów . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Krasnobród . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Other attractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Vistula Narrow-Gauge Rail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
White Fleet in Kazimierz Dolny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Goth Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Slavic Gord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Studzianka – a Tatar Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Land of Chamomile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Land of Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Magical Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
The Park of Labyrinths and the Park of Miniatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
ZOOM Natury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
“Dinosaurs” Educational Trail in Krasnobród . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Events calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Tourist information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
2
Introduction
Situated in eastern Poland, bordering with Ukraine and
Belarus, the Lublin Region is a worthwhile place to discover
and explore. Its varied landscape, along with the rich cultural
and natural assets, provide for a memorable and exciting
holiday experience.
The Lublin Region boasts a clean environment with pristine nature protected within two national parks, 17 landscape
parks and 87 nature reserves, and 122 Natura 2000 European
protected areas.
Adding to this natural wealth is the great cultural heritage of a mosaic of many eastern and western traditions
and religions. Some of the most popular historical sites and
monuments include the “ideal” Renaissance city of Zamość,
the picturesque hotbed of painting and filming Kazimierz
Dolny, the Old Town and Castle in Lublin, Cathedral Hill in
Chełm, the castle and park complex in Biała Podlaska, the Palace Complex in Puławy, the magnate residence in Kozłówka,
the Orthodox monastery in Jabłeczna, the horse stud farm
in Janów Podlaski, the health resort park in Nałęczów, etc.…
These historical assets are supported by the ever-expanding
range of new tourist products, such as family theme parks,
themed villages, farmsteads and trails, as well as festivals,
fairs and a variety of cultural events, often in the open-air
settings of towns and cities like Lublin, Zamość, Kazimierz
Dolny, Nałęczów, Zwierzyniec and in other interesting places
in the region.
The Lesser Poland Gorge of the Vistula River, the Podlasie
Gorge of the Bug River, the Powiśle region, Roztocze, Puszcza
Solska (a primeval forest), the Janów Lubelski Forests – these
provide some outstanding opportunities for hiking, biking,
kayaking and horse riding. Facilitating this are marked trails
and paths – the Lublin Region is one of Poland's leading regions in terms of the number and length of marked tourist
trails that connect the most attractive places of the region.
Leisure opportunities in the Lublin Region are further
backed by a robust network of hotels, motels, guest houses
and agritourism farms, offering their visitors regional delicacies, and also providing them with more and more enticing
holiday packages which often tap into local traditions.
Useful websites
www.lubelskie.pl
www.lubelskietravel.pl
www.lubelskie.agroturystyka.pl
3
Places
worth seeing
Chapter 1
4
Places worth seeing
A bird’s eye view of the Old Town, photo by P. Maciuk
LUBLIN
Old Town
Developed between the 13th and 16th centuries, it is one of the
best-preserved historical urban complexes of this type in Poland.
Around the market square and by the Royal Route, which leads to
the neighbouring Castle Hill, tenement buildings were erected for
the most affluent citizens. Many of them were home to some very
prominent figures in Polish history, art and literature (such as Sebastian Fabian Klonowic, Jan Kochanowski, Henryk Wieniawski and
Wincenty Pol). In the middle of the market square lies the former city
hall. In 1578, it changed its function to become the Crown Tribunal.
In the 18th century it acquired its Classicist look that it has now.
The historical Lubomelski Tenement House, with its preserved
Renaissance polychromes in the cellar, is home to the Fortuna
The Fortuna Cellar Multimedia Museum, photo courtesy of the LRTO archive
6
The Old Town – a view of Grodzka St. from the Market Square, photo by P. Maciuk
Cellar multimedia museum where you can learn about the city’s
history spanning 700 years, including many legends and stories
related to Lublin.
Exhibited along the Lublin Underground Route, which runs
through dungeons and basements under the Old Town, there are
maquettes illustrating the city in various periods of its history.
Each year, this oldest district of Lublin, along with the adjoining
areas of the city centre, hosts annual festivals and other mass
cultural events, such as Carnaval Sztuk-Mistrzów (Magicians’
Carnival), the Jagiellonian Fair and the European Festival of Taste.
Lublin Tourist and Cultural Information Centre, ul. Jezuicka 1/3, 20-016
Lublin, tel. 81 532 44 12; info@loitik.eu, www.lubelskietravel.pl
Fortuna Cellar, Rynek 8, 20-112 Lublin, tel. 81 444 55 55, piwnica@lrot.pl,
www.piwnica.lublin.eu,
Lublin Underground Route, Rynek 1 (Trybunał Koronny), 20-112 Lublin,
tel. 81 534 65 70, 600 502 930; podziemia@tnn.lublin.pl, www.tnn.lublin.pl
The Crown Tribunal (the former Town Hall) on the Old Town Market Square,
photo by P. Maciuk
7
Places worth seeing
Gates: Krakowska and Grodzka
The Old Town complex ends
with Krakowska and Grodzka Gates, within the axis of
the Royal Route. They were
both built, along with the
now gone defensive walls,
in 1341 after the Tatar
invasion.
Krakowska Gate connected
the old part of the town
with the major suburb leading to Kraków (Krakowskie
Przedmieście). Krakowskie
Przedmieście is now a pedestrian precinct in the city
centre and a central street of
Lublin. Despite being reconstructed many times, this
structure has preserved its
original features of a Gothic Krakowska Gate, photo by S. Turski
and Renaissance defensive
structure and continues to be Lublin’s best-known landmark.
Its distinctive Gothic brick body with a gatehouse is crowned by
an octagonal retable with a bulb-shaped dome. The gate passage
functions as a street art gallery, with painters and young musicians
presenting their works for passers-by. Inside the building is the
Lublin History Museum.
Grodzka Gate, which connects
the Old Town to Castle Hill, exhibits a new Classicist image that it
acquired after a reconstruction in
the late 18th century, as designed
by the King’s architect Domenico
Merlini. This monument is home
to the “Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre” Centre, known for its artistic
activities and efforts to document
and promote the city’s and region’s history.
The Dominican Basilica, photo by S. Turski
Dominican Basilica
One of the oldest and most valuable churches and monasteries in
Lublin. Due to its imposing proportions and class, it came to be
called the Wawel of Lublin. Dominicans came to Lublin as early as
the 13th century, and in the first half of the 14th century Casimir
the Great donated the church of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr.
In the great fire of Lublin in 1575, the entire complex was destroyed,
to be later redeveloped in the Renaissance style. In later years, 11
chapels were built onto the church. Among these, the Renaissance
chapels donated by the Firlej and Ossoliński families, and the Baroque chapel, donated by the Tyszkiewicz family, are regarded as
particularly valuable. In 1569, the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
Lublin History Museum in Krakowska
Gate, Pl. Łokietka 3, 20-109 Lublin,
bramakrakowska@muzeumlubelskie.pl,
tel. 81 532 60 01
Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre, ul. Grodzka
21, 20-112 Lublin, tel. 81 532 58 67;
teatrnn@tnn.lublin.pl, www.teatrnn.pl
Grodzka Gate, photo by P. Maciuk
8
The Interior of the Dominican Basilica, photo by P. Maciuk
9
Places worth seeing
and non-Christian religions, and also the annual Saint Hyacinth
Fair and the Old Town Christmas Eve, which attract throngs of
Lublin’s residents and tourists.
Dominican Basilica, ul. Złota 9, 20-121 Lublin, tel. 81 532 89 90;
info@dominikanie.lub.pl, www.lublin.dominikanie.pl
Lublin Cathedral
A painting depicting “The Fire of Lublin”, photo by P. Maciuk
and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania signed the Union of Lublin. As
per tradition, the oath of ratification of the Union was taken in the
Basilica, in the Gothic refectory. A Renaissance crucifix has been
preserved to this day as a commemoration of this event.
The newest, southern, wing of the monastery houses the
H. Ch. Andersen Theatre.
Dominicans in Lublin avidly engage in the spiritual and cultural
life of the city. The Basilica hosts the Debate of Two Pulpits, a recurring event participated in by representatives of various Christian
The Dominican Basilica with the Tyszkiewicz Chapel, photo by P. Maciuk
10
The Cathedral and Trynitarska Tower, photo by P. Maciuk
Originally, it was one of the first Baroque churches in Poland,
designed on the model of the Church of the Gesù in Rome. The
Church of Saint John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, along
with the Jesuit Monastery buildings, was constructed as early as
at the turn of the 17th century.
When the Lublin diocese was established in 1805, the former
Jesuit church was designated to serve as a cathedral. Most of the
monastic buildings were torn down to leave an expansive courtyard.
The Cathedral – interior polychromes, photo by P. Maciuk
11
Places worth seeing
A view from the aisle to the high altar, photo by P. Maciuk
The famous architect Antonio Corazzi added a Classicist portico
with a terrace to the Baroque façade of the church. Also, he transformed the former monastery gate into a lofty bell tower, called
the Trinitarian Tower, which presently houses the Archdiocesan
Museum of Religious Art. In addition to the sculptures, candelabra
and other obsolete items of cult, the museum’s prime attraction is
a 40-metre-high observation deck.
The Cathedral’s interior is covered with magnificent illusionistic
polychromies by Józef Mayer, the court painter of Augustus III of
Poland. Of all the valuable furnishings, particularly notable are the
Baroque paintings by Franciszek Lekszycki and Szymon Czechowicz,
as well as the massive 17th-century high altar (as high as 25 metres!).
The treasury and acoustic vestry, with its unique sound properties offered by the special vault design, are adorned with several
The crypts of Lublin’s bishops, photo by P. Maciuk
12
illusionistic frescos. These leave the spectator with the most powerful impression of the depth of perspective and the dynamism
of the figures they illustrate. Abounding in pieces of sacred art,
both rooms are open for sightseeing.
Tourists can also see the burial crypts spanning from the 16th
to the 20th centuries. Archaeologists have found there many burial
sites of clericals and laymen, with finely preserved liturgical vestments, żupans, kontuszes, dresses and numerous other historical
garments. The best-preserved garments are put on exhibition in
the crypt under the western aisle. In other crypts, visitors can see
the graves of Lublin bishops.
The Lublin Cathedral also operates as a Marian sanctuary, a
place where the special cult of the image of the Black Madonna of
Częstochowa, also called Our Lady of the Tears, has thrived since
1949. Right by the altar with this miraculous image, there is the
Blessed Sacrament Chapel, with its altar featuring a crucifix called
the Tribunal Cross, which once used to grace the courtroom of the
Crown Tribunal.
Archcathedral Parish, ul. Królewska 10, 20-109 Lublin, tel. 81 532 11 96;
www.archikatedra.kuria.lublin.pl, katedra@diecezja.lublin.pl
Archdiocesan Museum of Religious Art, ul. Królewska 10, tel.
695 475 152
The Castle
The first stronghold had already been established here during the
reign of the Piast dynasty, around the year 1000. In the 13th century,
a Romanesque tower of stone (donjon) was added, and a Gothic
castle was erected here, in the 14th century by Casimir the Great.
In the years 1823-26, in the days of Congress Poland, the castle was
converted into a prison. The prison operated as long as into the
Lublin Castle, photo by P. Maciuk
13
Places worth seeing
Lublin Castle, photo by J. Opiela-Basińska
times of the Occupation of Poland and early communist Poland
(until 1954), seeing thousands of Poles tortured and executed.
The Castle is administered by the Museum of Lublin, featuring
galleries of Polish and Western European paintings, its showpieces being Jan Matejko’s “The Union of Lublin” and Hendrick ter
Brugghen’s “Pilate Washing His Hands.” Also, the Museum has an
extensive collection of modern Polish paintings, militaria and
military art, antique handicrafts and coins, and also ethnographic
and archaeological resources.
The donjon houses an exhibition devoted to the martyrdom of
the Lublin Castle prisoners. Atop the tower, an observation deck
has been arranged for visitors.
The interior of the Holy Trinity Chapel, photo by P. Maciuk
Holy Trinity Chapel
In addition to the 13th-century donjon, this 14th-century chapel
donated by Casimir the Great is the oldest building of the Lublin
Castle. Incorporated into a system of defensive walls, it has two
storeys, with the upper one’s walls, abutments and vaults being
fully covered with frescos. These frescos, mostly themed around
the Old and New Testament, but also featuring the saints and
fathers of the Eastern Church, were created in 1418 by Ruthenian
painters under the guidance of Master Andrew. They were commissioned by King Władysław Jagiełło, who had himself painted
twice on the chapel’s walls. The chapel is a top-class monument
Lublin Museum, ul. Zamkowa 9, 20-117 Lublin, tel. 81 532 50 01 – 03;
kancelaria@muzeumlubelskie.pl, www.muzeumlubelskie.pl
The Donjon and Chapel on the Lublin Castle bailey, photo by P. Maciuk
14
“Three Men visit Abraham”, photo by P. Maciuk
15
Places worth seeing
exhibiting a harmonious marriage of western Gothic architecture
and eastern Byzantine-Ruthenian painting. As regards the chapel’s
external features that have been preserved, there is a portal on
the former gate on the first floor and the top section of the façade, both dating back to when the Castle was reconstructed in
the Renaissance style.
Lublin Museum, ul. Zamkowa 9, 20-117 Lublin, tel. 81 532 50 01 – 03;
kancelaria@muzeumlubelskie.pl, www.muzeumlubelskie.pl
Jews of Lublin
In the past, Lublin would be called “The Jerusalem of the Kingdom
of Poland.” The first Jewish settlers came here in the 15th century
to erect their own town at the foot of the royal castle. Later, they
settled in the suburbs of Lublin, including Kalinowszczyzna, Piaski
and Wieniawa. Lublin was the leading centre of Judaic (including
Hasidic) culture and religion, with the most prominent figures
including the zaddiks Yaakov Yitzchak of Lublin, also known as the
“Seer of Lublin” and Reb Judah Lejb, also known as the “Weeping
Zaddik.”
Established by Rabbi Yehuda Meir Shapiro, the world-famous
Talmudic academy Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva (The Lublin Academy
The Ohel (grave) of the Seer of Lublin at the old Jewish cemetery, photo by P. Maciuk
16
Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin, photo by S. Turski
of Sages) operated in Lublin in the 1930s. Lately, it has once again
become a centre for the Jewish community and for tourist visitors,
housing a memorial room, a synagogue and a hotel.
In the years 1942-43, the Germans tore down the Jewish town,
slaughtering its inhabitants in the extermination camps in Majdanek, Bełżec and Sobibór. A Heritage Trail of the Lublin Jews has
been established to help preserve and find the traces of the Jewish
community in Lublin. Among the stops on the trail is an old Jewish
cemetery in the Kalinowszczyzna District, with matzevas, dating
back to the 16th century (!), and the 19th-century ohel of the “Seer
of Lublin”, and also the new Jewish cemetery in Walecznych Street,
The Memorial Room in the new Jewish cemetery, photo by P. Maciuk
17
Places worth seeing
with the Memorial Chamber of the Frenkiel family Foundation,
the Chewra Nosim Synagogue on Lubartowska Street and Grodzka
Gate, formerly called the Jewish Gate, as it separated the Castle
Hill, along with the Jewish district that spread at its foot, from
the Old Town.
Jewish Community of Warsaw – Lublin, ul. Lubartowska 85, 20-123 Lublin,
tel. 81 747 09 92; Lublin@jewish.org.pl, www.lublin.jewish.org.pl
Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre,, ul. Grodzka 21, 20-112 Lublin, tel. 81 532 58
67; teatrnn@tnn.lublin.pl, www.teatrnn.pl
Catholic University of Lublin (KUL)
The best-known university both in Lublin and the region. In
2005, it was named after John Paul II. Cardinal-Priest Karol
Wojtyła was associated with this University for almost a quarter
of a century – from 1954 to 1978, when he was elected to the
papacy, he ran the Ethics Department at the Faculty of Christian
Philosophy. In 1982 KUL established the John Paul II Institute
to study his thought and works. A monument to the Pope and
Stefan Wyszyński, Primate of the Millenium, was placed in the
university courtyard a year later (it was masterly crafted by the
brilliant sculptor Jerzy Jarnuszkiewicz).
KUL was founded in 1918, after Poland regained its independence,
and has since cherished the maxim of “Deo et Patriae – For God and
Students enjoying a break between classes in the University courtyard,
photo by P. Maciuk
the Fatherland.” The Catholic University of Lublin has a museum
devoted to presenting the history of KUL, which spans almost
100 years, and the life of its great patron. Also named after John
Paul II is JP II Collegium, a new educational facility, designed by
Stanisław Fijałkowski, an acclaimed architect from Warsaw, which
lies in close proximity to the University’s building complex on the
site of the former Dominican monastery.
The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin – Museum of History, al.
Racławickie 14, 20-950 Lublin, tel. 81 445 41 53; muzeum.kul@kul.pl,
www.kul.pl
The Catholic University of Lublin – the courtyard with a monument to Pope
John Paul II and Primate S. Wyszyński, photo by S. Turski
Academic district
The new building of John Paul II College, photo by P. Maciuk
18
KUL lies in the academic district, so while you’re there, it’s also
worth visiting the neighbouring sites and buildings of two other
public universities – Maria Curie-Skłodowska University and the
19
Places worth seeing
The University Campus, photo by P. Maciuk
University of Life Sciences (formerly operating as the Higher School
of Agriculture, from 1955 to 1972, and the Agricultural University,
from 1972 to 2008).
The fine urban layout and the superior architecture of the
campus, which has been developed in the spirit of modernism and
post-modernism for nearly 70 years, has been achieved through the
contests of the Polish Association of Architecture (SARP), organised
since as early as 1947 and 1948. The most credit for creating the
academic district in Lublin is due to Czesław Gawdzik and Tadeusz
Witkowski, who applied the rules of modern and functional urban
planning proclaimed by the father of modernism, Le Corbusier,
during the 4th World Congress of Architects in 1933. The academic district is divided by Sowińskiego Street into two zones with
The UMCS Main Library, photo by P. Maciuk
20
The “Chatka Żaka” Academic Centre of Culture, photo by P. Maciuk
different functions. One is intended for broadly defined study and
teaching facilities, and the other is designated for socialising and
service venues. The former, located on the eastern escarpment,
features the buildings of the Rector’s Office, individual faculties
and the library. In the latter zone, located on the western escarpment, there are dorms, an assistant lecturer’s hotel, cultural and
sporting centres and a park (which was originally intended as an
academic botanical garden).
In addition to the two mentioned architects, major contributors
to developing the academic district also included Krystyna Tołłoczko-Różycka (who designed the “Chatka Żaka” Academic Centre of
The University Campus with UMCS and UP buildings, photo by P. Maciuk
21
Places worth seeing
Culture in Radziszewskiego
Street), Stanisław Fijałkowski
(who designed, among other
things, the building complex
housing the Rector’s Office
and the faculties of Economics and Law of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in
Sowińskiego Street).
With five public and several private universities, Lublin ranks as the fifth largest
academic centre in Poland,
and its campus district is recognised as one of the best
across Poland.
Maria Curie-Skłodowska University
(UMCS)
Museum,
ul. Radziszewskiego 11, 20031 Lublin, tel. 81 537 58 31;
muzeum@umcs.lublin.pl
An elegant gate in the estate section, photo by P. Maciuk
The new UMCS IT Faculty building,
photo by Piotr Maciuk
Open-Air Village Museum in Lublin
It is situated in a very scenic, hilly area of the Sławinek District,
in the Czechówka River valley. Covering an area of a few dozen
hectares, there is a section devoted to old architecture found in
the geographical and cultural areas of the region, including the
Lublin Upland, Roztocze, Powiśle, Southern Podlasie and Polesie
Lubelskie, and the Bug River region. Also, there is a section of
estate buildings, with a grand 18th-century manor house from
The entrance to the Lublin Open-Air Village Museum, photo by P. Maciuk
22
Żyrzyn and a small-town section, with a reproduced paved market
square featuring a town hall from the nearby Głusk and many more
buildings from provincial towns across the region.
The Museum’s identifying features include an early 20th-century
tower windmill from Zygmuntowo near Puławy, which continues to
mill cereals into flour, and an 18th-century Uniate church from the
borderland village of Tarnoszyn. This beautiful three-domed building, restored by the joint efforts of the Museum and the believers
of the Lublin Parish of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, is intended
both as a museum and a place of the Julian-calendar-based cult of
the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Situated in the small-town
section, a 17th-century wooden church from the nearby village
of Matczyn, also has this dual function. It is attended to by the
priests of the Roman-Catholic Parish from the Sławinek District.
The manor house in Żyrzyn, photo by K. Wasilczyk
23
Places worth seeing
A demonstration of field works in the open-air village park, photo by P. Maciuk
The Open-Air Village Museum in Lublin is a perfect place to go
for a walk and, at the same time, a journey in time. Many of the
Museum’s exhibits, including in particular those in the newest
small-town section, feature meticulously reproduced interiors to
make them feel as if they were in the interwar period of the 1920s.
In addition, from spring to autumn, the Museum plays host to a
variety of events, including demonstrations of life and work on a
farm, meetings with masters in dying trades and professions, and
outdoor events, such as church fairs, horse fairs and other fairs
that bring back the memories of the past.
Open-Air Village Museum in Lublin, al. Warszawska 96, 20-824 Lublin, tel.:
81 533 85 13, 533 31 37; skansen@skansen.lublin.pl, www.skansen.lublin.pl
At the Lublin Open-Air Village Museum, photo by G. Jaworski
24
Afternoon at the Lublin Botanical Garden, photo by P. Maciuk
Botanical Garden
Located in the Sławinek District, close to the Open-Air Village Museum, there is another place at least as nice for going for a walk to as
the Museum – it is the Botanical Garden of Maria Curie-Skłodowska
University. It stretches on the former property of the Kościuszko
family, with some of the older garden layouts, including the linden
and ash alley, designed personally by Tadeusz Kościuszko, who
would come here to visit his uncle, Jan Nepomucen, and test his
engineering and garden-landscaping knowledge he gained during
his studies in Paris.
One of the Garden’s landmarks is a replica of the 1720 manor
house of the Kościuszko family, with its interiors open for visitors.
The Kościuszko Manor House, photo courtesy of the UMCS BG archive
25
Places worth seeing
A sightseeing group in the Botanical Garden in Lublin, photo courtesy of the
UMCS BG
An arboretum in the Botanical Garden in Lublin, photo courtesy of the UMCS BG
Situated nearby is a manor-styled garden, called the Palace Garden,
set up in the place where Tadeusz Kościuszko put up earthworks
in 1790 for defence against the Austrians.
There are many more such historical curiosities involving
the Botanical Garden. For example, when a mineral spring was
found in the vicinity of the Kościuszko family’s manor house,
which was sometime around 1820, Sławinek became a health
resort for almost a hundred years. The Wagner family, the then
proprietors of Sławinek, established here a suburban bathhouse
for the residents of Lublin. In 1860, following the fashion of the
more reputable Nałęczów, the bathhouse became a baths facility
intended for health resort visitors from across the Lublin Governorate and the Kingdom of Poland. Nowadays, the remnants
of the past glory of this health resort can be found in the Swiss
Chalet, whose basement houses the “Baba Jaga” café, a popular
venue among the Garden visitors.
Stretching over almost 22 hectares on a high (40 metres) bank
slope of the Czechówka River, cut by several scenic loess ravines,
the area of the Botanical Garden has been divided into a dozen or so
theme sections, including the Arboretum, the Alpine Garden, Polish
Flora, and the Flora of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. There are
also some more exotic sections, including Biblical Plants and Tropical
and Subtropical Plants. In total, the Garden has a collection of over
1600 tree and shrub species, 3300 species of herbaceous plants and
1600 species of greenhouse plants. Colourful carpets of crocuses,
daffodils, hyacinths and tulips (several hundred species) are a major
attraction in spring, whereas colour- and variety-rich lines of roses
are the highlight of summer. Enthusiasts of exotica can go to the
greenhouses to see hundreds of species and varieties of the Mediterranean Region, Africa, both Americas, Australia and New Zealand.
UMCS Botanical Garden, ul. Sławinkowska 3, 20-810 Lublin, tel. 81 743 49
00, 743 49 45; botanik@hektor.umcs.lublin.pl, www.garden.umcs.lublin.pl
An old lane from the times of the Kościuszkos, photo by P. Maciuk
26
Blooming peonies, photo BG UMCS archive
27
Places worth seeing
The “Słoneczny Wrotków” Centre, photo by P. Maciuk
Zemborzyce Reservoir
Situated on the southern edge of the city, surrounded by forests,
Zemborzyce Reservoir is the favourite place for many Lublin residents to go on a pleasure trip or engage in active pastimes. Created
in the Bystrzyca River valley, Zemborzyce Reservoir has an area of
approx. 280 hectares and a varied shoreline of more than 13 kilometres. Laid out around it there is a bicycle trail that goes along
the Bystrzyca River towards the centre of Lublin.
The Bystrzyca River and the Zemborzyce Reservoir are also often
used for kayaking trips. Situated by the Reservoir are a couple of
recreation centres, including the “Słoneczny Wrotków” centre,
with its swimming and recreational pools, wading pools for children, and a big tube slide. On the sandy beach, there is also a fun
playground, made in the format of a “Treasure Island”, featuring
Cyclists near the Reservoir, photo by P. Maciuk
28
By the Zemborzycki Reservoir, photo by P. Maciuk
a model of a ship and a lighthouse, and a pirates’ village. Those
who prefer active leisure can use a ropes course and rent water
equipment from a local rental.
In the close vicinity there is the “Reland” Water Sports Centre with
one of Poland’s most exciting water ski lifts. It has been the venue of national and international water skiing and wakeboarding competitions.
The western side of the Reservoir features lodging and F&B
facilities which were established earlier, with a camping site in the
“Marina” centre, a marina, and sailing and kayaking enthusiasts clubs.
Słoneczny Wrotków Recreation Centre, ul. Osmolicka 1, 20-523 Lublin,
tel. 81 466 51 70, 744 06 59; bok@mosir-lublin.pl, www.mosir.lublin.pl/
wrotkow. MOSiR „Bystrzyca”, ul. Krężnicka 6, www.mosir.lublin.pl/zalew.
“Reland” Sports and Recreation Centre, ul. Żeglarska 5A, tel. 81 745 63 43,
605 232 325; reland@poczta.onet.pl, www.nartywodne.pl. Marina – Funsail
Centre (water equipment rental, cruises, kayaking trips), ul. Krężnicka
6, tel. 81 444 84 44, 660 007 660; info@kajaki24.com, info@funsail.com.
The Zemborzycki Reservoir, photo by P. Maciuk
29
Places worth seeing
The Zamość Museum – exhibits in the historic interior of an Armenian
tenement, photo by P. Maciuk
The Renaissance town of Zamość – a UNESCO monument, photo
by J. Gorlach
ZAMOŚĆ
Renaissance city
Zamość – the only place in the Lublin Region that is inscribed
on UNESCO’s World Heritage List – is a popular destination for
tourists both from Poland and abroad. Each year in summer, the
city becomes an important cultural centre, hosting major outdoor
events, such as the Hetman Fair, the Zamość Film Festival, the
Zamość Harlequin Culture Festival – the “arte, cultura, musica
e…”, the Eurofolk International Folk Festival and the International
Jazz Vocalist Meetings.
Zamość – the Old Town, photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
30
Zamość is a an “ideal town,” built in accordance with the Renaissance treatises by the Italian architect Bernardo Morando for
Chancellor Jan Zamoyski. In the second half of the 16th century,
these two great people, an outstanding architect and a patron of the
arts and an intellectual, completed their lifework – a unique city that
combines beauty with functionality (like the ideal human organism).
Zamość Tourist and Historical Information Centre, Rynek Wielki 13, 22400, Zamość, tel. 84 639 22 92; zci@zamosc.pl, www.turystyka.zamosc.pl
Great Market Square and tenement
buildings
The Great Market Square is both imposing (100 x 100 m) and impressive, with gorgeous tenement houses featuring vaulted arcades
on the ground floor level and lush attics adorning the top storeys.
The Great Market Square with the Town Hall and Armenian tenements,
photo by S. Turski
31
Places worth seeing
The northern frontage of the
Square comprises a complex
of several tenement buildings
(the so-called Armenian tenements, which are currently
home to the Museum of
Zamość) and the Town Hall,
with its lofty (51 m) tower and
distinctive, elegant stairs that
were added in the second half
of the 18th century. Through
the cellars of the Town Hall’s
outbuildings runs an underground route.
Moreover, to the south and
north of the main square lie
two smaller market squares
called the Salt Market Square
Armenian tenements and the Town Hall
and the Water Market Square.
at the Market Square, photo by P. Maciuk
Near the magnate’s palace,
which is accessible from the
Great Market Square via the centrally located Grodzka Street, there
are three imposing edifices of the Zamoyski Academy, the Arsenal and
the Collegiate Church with the mausoleum of the Zamoyski family.
Museum of Zamość, ul. Ormiańska 30, ekspo@muzeum-zamojskie.pl,
www.muzeum-zamojskie.pl, tel. 84 638 64 94
Zamość Town Hall Underground Route, Rynek Wielki 13, tel. 84 639 22
92; zci@zamosc.pl, www.turystyka.zamosc.pl
Collegiate Church
The Lord’s Resurrection and
St. Thomas the Apostle Collegiate Church (a cathedral
since 1992) was erected at
the turn of the 17th century
in the late Renaissance style.
For Zamość and the Zamoyski family entail, this temple
played a similar role to that
which the Wawel Cathedral
did for Kraków and Poland at
large. Adding to the elaborate
ornamentations, including
the stucco decoration of the
vaults, are the magnificent
fittings and works of art, with
a cycle of early-17th-century
paintings by Jan Kasiński, a
32
The gravestone of Hetman Jan
Zamoyski at the Zamość Cathedral,
photo by S. Turski
The interior of Zamość Cathedral, photo by P. Maciuk
disciple of Tommaso Dolabella, among other things. These paintings, depicting scenes from the life of St. Thomas, are credited to
Domenico Tintoretto, the great master of Venice. The Zamość Collegiate Church had him paint representations of John the Baptist
and John the Evangelist in the high altar (1602–1614). The altar was
later transferred to a church in Tarnogród. Another masterpiece
of European religious art is the 1650 “Annunciation” painting by
the master of Florence – Carlo Dolci.
The cathedral contains the Zamoyski family’s mausoleum – the
crypts under the church are the resting place of all the principal
heirs (Ordynats) of the family. They are commemorated by the
Zamoyski Family Chapel (also known as the Ordynacka Chapel),
which features an epitaph plaque of Jan Sariusz Zamoyski, the
founder of Zamość and the entail, and a gravestone of the 14th
Ordynat – Tomasz Stanis (the Chapel contains their portraits by
Wojciech Gerson).
By the cathedral stands a Baroque bell tower, offering a panoramic view of Zamość. The tower contains three bells: Jan (from
1662, one of the largest in Poland with a weight of 4300 kg and a
diameter of 200 cm), Tomasz (from 1721, 1200 kg) and Wawrzyniec
(from 1715, 170 kg).
33
Places worth seeing
On the eastern side of the Cathedral, in the so-called Infułatka
(a historical home of the mitred prelates of the Collegiate chapter),
there is the Sacral Museum, with its extensive collection of robes,
holy books and paraments from the period between the 16th and
the 20th centuries.
Sacral Museum of Zamość Cathedral, ul. Kolegiacka 1 A, 22-400 Zamość,
tel. 84 639 26 14, 516 281 035; www.katedra.zamojskolubaczowska.pl
Arsenal and stronghold
The Eastern curtain wall of the Zamość stronghold, photo courtesy of the
MOLV archive
The “Arsenal” Museum of Fortifications and Weapons, photo by P. Rogalski
Zamość was surrounded by an advanced system of fortifications,
with seven bastions and three gates, including the Lubelska, Szczebrzeska and Lwowska Gates (New Lubelska Gate and New Lwowska
Gate were added in the 19th century). The Zamość stronghold successfully warded off the attacks by the Cossack and Tatar armies
during the Chmielnicki Uprising, as well as by the Swedes during
their invasion of Poland known as the Deluge. It was not until the
second half of the 19th century that the bulk of defensive walls
were torn down.
The stronghold’s history is illustrated by the exhibition in the
Arsenal Museum of Fortifications and Weapons, to be found in the
historical building of the Arsenal, dating back to the first half of the
17th century, the powder magazine and in the modern, underground facilities located within the partially reconstructed Bastion III
with a curtain wall connecting the bastion to Szczebrzeska Gate.
Enthusiasts of fortifications should explore the underground
Bastion VII – the Cavalier Tourist Route, which runs along casemates, poterns and ramps. Atop the cavalier there is a terrace affording
a view of the city and the stronghold’s foreground.
Arsenal Museum of Fortifications and Weapons, Zamoyski Museum
Branch, ul. Zamkowa 2, tel. (0 84) 638 40 76; www.muzeum-zamojskie.pl
Bastion VII Tourist Route – Cavalier, ul. W. Łukasińskiego 2-6, tel. 84 639
30 18; www.nadszaniec.zamosc.pl
Zoological Garden
The Bastion VII-Cavalier Tourist Route, photo by S. Turski
34
The only zoological garden in east-central Poland, it has undergone
some major modernisation lately, receiving new state-of-the-art
pavilions and enclosures to become a major tourist attraction of
the Lublin Region. Established as early as in 1919 and originally was
a small garden adjoining a school. Currently, the Zoo in Zamość
extends over an area of over 9 ha and has about 250 animal species
from all around the world on show.
Particularly worthwhile is the big-cat pavilion, where in addition
to lions, an Amur tiger and Sri Lankan leopards, there are finely
arranged fish tanks and terrariums with an extensive collection
of fish, reptiles and amphibians. Visitors will also be impressed by
the giraffe house, with its imposing inhabitants from the African
savannah, and the monkey house with a wide variety of gibbons,
35
Places worth seeing
A jungle cat at the Zamość Zoo, photo by M. Tereszczuk
colobuses, capuchins, guenons, macaques and other monkey species, as well as lemurs. Part of the large pavilion is occupied by the
butterfly house, with a tropical forest section. Orchids, bromeliae,
lianas, ivies and nearly 200 other plant species grow here to make
up the natural environment of colourful butterflies, such as the
Brazilian Menelaus Blue Morpho and the iridescent African moon
moth. These and many other species from the amazing world of
insects can be admired every year from April to the end of September. The equally colourful hummingbirds, on the other hand,
are on show all year long.
Located in the central part of the garden, there is a mini-zoo
– home to young ponies, goats and sheep. In the vicinity, there is
also a colourful playground, a small ropes course called Zoolandia
and a café.
Stefan Miler Zoological Garden, ul. Szczebrzeska 12, 22-400 Zamość, tel.
84 639 34 79, 639 34 70, www.zoo.zamosc.pl
An enclosure with aquariums and terrariums, photo courtesy of the Zoo archive
36
The Nativity of the Virgin Mary Basilica, photo by K. Dromlewski
CHEŁM
Cathedral Hill
The origins of Chełm date back to the Early Middle Ages (8th–10th
centuries). Back then, it was one of the localities in the area of
Cherven Towns (also known as “Czerwień Towns” or “Red Cities”)
that guarded the south-eastern frontiers of the lands of Lendians
and, starting from the 10th century, of the Polans. In the first
half of the 13th century, Chełm became capital of the Kingdom of
Galicia-Volhynia, and Prince Danylo Romanovich granted the town
a city charter and built an Orthodox Church cathedral. Won back
by Casimir the Great, Chełm was permanently incorporated into
Poland – as Chełm Land – by Jadwiga of Poland. It was relocated by
King Władysław Jagiełło and granted with Magdeburg rights in 1392.
Uściługska Gate – the oldest building on the Cathedral Hill, photo by K. Dromlewski
37
Places worth seeing
View from the Bell tower on the Cathedral Hill, photo by M. Wiercioch
Cathedral Hill, also known as Chełm Hill or Castle Hill, features
the 18th-19th-century complex of the Basilica of the Nativity of
Virgin Mary (the former Uniate Cathedral). This grand Baroque
temple was designed by Paweł Antoni Fontana and the interiors
were decorated and fitted by the Lviv sculptor and woodcarver
Michał Filewicz, and the Vilnius painter Franciszek Smuglewicz.
Many of the fittings were damaged after the Conversion of Chełm
Eparchy, when the Cathedral was converted into a Russian Orthodox Church. In 1915 the greatly revered painting of the Chełm
Virgin Mary was taken from the high altar and moved to Russia.
Currently, it belongs to the collection of the National Museum in
Lutsk (the Chełm Basilica has a replica of the painting made in
the interwar period).
The complex of cathedral buildings still features, among other
things, the preserved Uściługska Gate (built in 1616), the Basilian
Monastery (built in 1639-40) and the Uniate Bishops Palace (built in
1711-30). The most monumental structure is the cathedral’s bell tower,
made in the 1870s, with its three huge bells, including Maria (1939,
weighing about 2.2 t), Stanisław (1946, 3 t), and Julian (1946, 1.2 t).
Atop the bell tower there is an observation deck, and the ground floor
contains the Mausoleum of the Victims of Nazi and Stalinist Terror.
Also, a high embankment can be seen in the north-western
part of Cathedral Hill. Also called High Hill (Wysoka Górka), this
is a relic of an Early Mediaeval hill fort. Archaeologists have found
here traces of wooden and earthwork fortifications that date back
to the 8th–12th centuries, as well as slightly later remnants of the
13th-century brick-stone palace of Prince Daniel of Galicia and the
14th-century tower house built by Casimir the Great. A castellan’s
castle was also erected next to the tower house. However, it did not
survive the mid-17th-century invasion of the Tatars and Cossacks.
A sightseeing group in the Chalk Tunnels in Chełm, photo by S. Turski
Chełm Chalk Tunnels
Chełm is famous for its world-unique underground chalk mines,
which have been worked by burghers since the 16th century. Researchers estimate that the labyrinth of multi-storey corridors
might be as long as 40 kilometres! Tourists can enter a trail that
is 2 kilometres long and up to 12 metres deep.
This underground labyrinth runs beneath the very centre of
Chełm, via several large chambers (halls), which are the products
of various tunnels connected in an unplanned fashion as a result
of mining activities. One of these chambers, under Chełm’s market
square, is the abode of the Bieluch Ghost. This ruler of the chalk
Parish of the Nativity of Virgin Mary, ul. Lubelska 2, 22-100 Chełm, tel.
82 565 24 75; bazylika.kancelaria@gmail.com, www.bazylika.net.pl
38
The chalk tunnels, photo by P. Maciuk
39
Places worth seeing
underground, associated with the white bear from Chełm’s coat
of arms, occasionally appears to tourists. Interesting things to see
on the trail also include the Old-Town well and some mining and
archaeological exhibitions.
Chełm Chalk Tunnels, ul. Lubelska 55a, tel. 82 565 25 30, 692 170 208;
zabytkowakopalnia@interia.pl, www.podziemiakredowe.pl
Church of the Sending Out of the Apostles
One of the most beautiful churches in the region, designed by
the famous architect Paweł Antoni Fontana, and erected in the
years 1753-63. It was donated by local landowners, including the
Wolski family from Uher and the Rzewuski family from Sielec. This
late-Baroque temple with an octagonal nave, an elliptical bypass
and a row of chapels, represents a perfect combination of central
and longitudinal plans (being the court architect of the manor of
the Sanguszko magnates, Fontana designed similar churches in
Włodawa and Lubartów). The massive western façade is adorned in
its corners with tall towers. Standing in front of the church are the
statues of Joseph Calasanz and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy.
The church was built by Tomasz Rezler, and the interior decorations are credited to some of the greatest craftsmen of their
times, including the sculptor and woodcarver Michał Filewicz and
the painters Szymon Czechowicz and Józef Mayer.
A parochial museum operates above the vestries. It holds an
interesting collection of robes, vessels and precious reliquaries.
It is interesting to note that the church is standing in the place
of the former Roman-Catholic cathedral, built here in 1417 by King
Władysław Jagiełło as a votive offering in return for winning the
Battle of Grunwald. The original church had served as a cathedral
until 1490, when the seat of the bishopric was moved to Krasnystaw.
The Sending Out the Disciples’ Church – polychromes on the vault, photo by
K. Dromlewski
40
The Sending Out the Disciples’ Church, photo by K. Dromlewski
Adjoining the church is a big complex of post-Piarist monastery
buildings dating back to the first half of the 18th century. The Piarists
were present in Chełm between 1667 and 1864. They ran a parish, a
school for the sons of nobles (following Warsaw and Kraków, it was
the third college to have been established in Poland at that time), a
library and a hospital for the poor. The post-monastic buildings are
currently occupied by the parish and the Museum of Chełm Land.
Parish of the Sending Out of the Apostles, ul. Lubelska 55, 22-100 Chełm,
tel. 82 565 56 40; kancelaria@rozeslanie.pl, www.rozeslanie.pl
Museum of Chełm Land
It is based in the building of the former Piarist monastery and
college at 55 Lubelska Street. This building is now home to the
Contemporary Art Department of the Museum of Chełm Land.
Its collection is based on the achievements of the famous Galeria
An exhibition entitled “For beauty is to inspire delight”, photo by G. Zabłocki
41
Places worth seeing
headmaster of the local Stefan Czarniecki Middle School, and the
first civilian Commissioner of Chełm after Poland regained independence in 1918. A year later, he established a museum based on
salvaged collections from the Orthodox Church and Archaeological
Museum that had been founded and wound up by the authorities
of the Russian partition.
Wiktor Ambroziewicz Museum of Chełm Land, ul. Lubelska 55-57, 22-100
Chełm, tel. 82 565 26 93; biuro@mzch.pl, www.muzeum.chelm.pl
“Dyrekcja” District
Gallery 72 at the Museum of the Chełm Land, photo by G. Zabłocki
72 (Gallery 72). Founded in 1972 by Kajetan Sosnowski, a leading
avant-garde artist of post-war Poland, and later managed – for
nearly 30 years – by Bożena Kowalska, PhD, Gallery 72 hosted
almost 200 exhibitions and accumulated an impressive collection
of contemporary Polish and international art, including mostly
works of abstract and metaphoric art.
The neighbouring building at 57 Lubelska Street contains the
History and Nature Departments, and the building at 56a Lubelska
Street contains the Archaeology and Ethnography Departments. The
Non-contemporary Art Department, with its extensive collection
of handicraft and sacred Roman-Catholic, Greek-Orthodox Church
and Orthodox Church art, is located in the former Uniate Church
at ul. Św. Mikołaja 4.
The unique collection of valuable archives and museum items
was accumulated by Wiktor Grzegorz Ambroziewicz, the founder of the Museum of Chełm Land, and its first curator. He was
An ethnographic exhibition at the Museum of the Chełm Land, photo by G. Zabłocki
42
Built in the interwar period, it is a uniform development (in terms
of both urban design and architecture) established for the Eastern Division of the State Railway that operated in Chełm at the
time. However, the top authorities, including Chief of State Józef
Piłsudski himself, decided to relocate the Division from Chełm to
Radom. Devised between 1926 and 1929 by the Polish Architecture
Institute in Warsaw, the development plan included an area of a
few dozen hectares, situated east of Chełm Hill and located within
the Starostwo-Obłonie Government property. Supervised by Adam
Kuncewicz and Adam Paprocki, this design was showcased, among
other events, at the exhibition hosted by the Union of Polish Cities
and at the Congress of Urban Planners in Vienna, which brought it
great fame. The plan provided for the construction of the Division’s
buildings (for over 700 employees) as well as a range of commercial
and residential buildings (for over 600 families), and parks and
squares. Consequently, already in 1931, the Chełm City Council
adopted a development plan for a new district, which came to be
called Nowe Miasto (New Town).
The Dyrekcja District – some of the pre-War residential buildings, photo
courtesy of the MOLV archive
43
Places worth seeing
While the city failed to implement the entire plan before World
War II broke out, it had managed to complete a substantial portion
of the district, which was to accommodate nearly 50,000 residents. A
total of 22 streets were marked out, along with a major road, named
after Marshal Józef Piłsudski, which connected the train station
to the newly erected building of the Eastern Division of the State
Railway. In the vicinity of Chełm Hill, the so-called “Upper Division”
District came to being. It was a complex of over 30 multi-family,
red-tiled buildings, whose architectural form and Baroque Revival
decorations harked back to the traditional Polish manor houses.
Further down, the so-called “Lower Division” District, with much
larger, multi-storey and multi-family buildings, was established
and, after World War II, further developed.
It is interesting to note the history of the main building which
was to house the Eastern Division of the State Railway. Eventually,
however, the Division would not be relocated to Chełm (following
World War II, it was located in Lublin). During the Nazi occupation of Poland, this monumental, five-storey and H-shaped office
building, with a capacity of more than 350 rooms, became the
headquarters of the German authorities, including the offices of
Arbeitsamt. Also, for several days in July 1944, the Polish Committee
of National Liberation worked there (to later relocate to Lublin).
By autumn 1945, the building also contained the Officer Candidate
School of Artillery of the Polish Armed Forces. Currently, it is the
headquarters of the District Office and branches of the Voivodeship
and Voivodeship Governor’s offices.
Chełm Tourist Information Centre, ul. Lubelska 63, 22-100 Chełm, tel.
82 565 36 67; itchelm@wp.pl, www.itchelm.pl
One of the residential manor houses in the Dyrekcja District, photo courtesy
of the MOLV archive
44
The Radziwiłł Family Castle & Park complex in Biała Podlaska, photo
courtesy of the TIC archive
BIAŁA PODLASKA
Castle and park complex
Established in the latter half of the 14th century, Biała Podlaska was
a major centre for the property of the magnate family of Radziwiłł.
Part of their castle complex has been preserved and can now be
visited in a beautifully restored park.
This fortified castle complex of a five-pointed star plan, with
bastions protected by a moat and an earthwork, is a prime example
of the “old Netherlands school” of defence and residential construction from the 17th and 18th centuries. Although the Baroque palace
of the Radziwiłł family has not survived, the preserved annexes,
the triumphal-arch gate connected through a connecting passage
(called the “neck”) with the high, multi-storey watchtower, and
other park structures, all give a great testimony to the magnificence
and grandeur of this magnate residence.
Located near the town centre, the park is the favourite place, for
both locals and tourists, to go for a walk to. Among other things,
the castle-complex buildings contain the Museum of Southern
Podlasie, the Podlaska Gallery and the Municipal Public Library,
with its Colourful Library and the Multicentre, all being places of
entertainment, education and the promotion of various fields of
science.
The former several-hectare castle courtyard and the nearby Italian gardens have been restored. At the park’s centre lies a square
with a multi-level fountain, separating the geometrically demarcated
sections lined with box trees. While walking through the park, you
45
Places worth seeing
Kraszewski, the greatest student in the Academy’s history. The
building has been reconstructed in the Classicist style and is now
home to the J. I. Kraszewski General Secondary School.
Tourist and Cultural Information Centre, ul. Warszawska 11, 21-500 Biała Podlaska, tel. 83 341 67 20; citbialapodlaska@o2.pl, www.cit.bckbialapodlaska.pl
Museum of Southern Podlasie
Based in several buildings of the Radziwiłł family’s castle complex,
this Museum is famous primarily for its collection of Russian icons,
which is one of the largest in Poland. The collection comprises over
1600 icons painted using the traditional tempera technique, as well
as some metal icons dating from the 17th to the early 20th centuries.
Many of these monuments had been seized from smugglers by the
eastern-border guard.
Biała Podlaska – the entrance gate to the Radziwiłł Family Castle complex,
photo by T. Żaczek
will also notice remnants of the old arcaded fencing wall that has
been discovered by archaeologists. The renovated park buildings
include the St. Josephat’s castle chapel from 1629 and the eastern
tower, a remnant of a castle wing that no longer exists. It is also
a good idea to come here for a walk in the evening, as the area is
colourfully illuminated.
In the vicinity of the castle complex, in ul. Warszawska, there is
the building of the former Academy of Biała Podlaska from 1628,
and next to it stands a bench-like monument devoted to Ignacy
The Museum of Southern Podlasie – an icon exhibition, photo by T. Żaczek
The Italian Gardens at the Radziwiłłowski Park, photo courtesy of the
MOLV archive
46
The Art Department of the Museum of Southern Podlasie can
also boast a fine collection of paintings, drawings and other pieces
of graphic art, the central theme of which is “Horses, horsemen and
horse-drawn vehicles in the Polish painting of the 19th and 20th centuries.” Visitors can admire the works of some prominent authors
there, including Piotr Michałowski and Alfred Wierusz Kowalski, and
also Juliusz, Wojciech and Jerzy Kossak. Adding to the collection
are works from the latter half of the 20th century by artists who
have participated in open-air painting events, which have been held
for almost a quarter of a century in the nearby Janów Lubelski, a
place famous for its Arabian stud farm.
Another worthwhile place in the Museum is the Ethnography
Department, with Poland’s largest collection of paintings, watercolours and drawings of the acclaimed folk artist – Bazyli Albiczuk
47
Places worth seeing
from Dąbrowica Mała, who is primarily famous for its series of
amazingly colourful paintings depicting rural gardens.
Museum of Southern Podlasie, ul. Warszawska 12, 21-500 Biała Podlaska,
tel. 83 341 67 57; muzeum@muzeaumbiala.pl, www.muzeumbiala.pl
St. Anne’s Church
Situated across the castle complex, it is the most treasured church
in Biała Podlaska, and it has a very interesting history, too. This
church was erected in the years 1597-1602 on the foundations of
the pulled-down building of a Polish Brethren church. It was built
by Mikołaj Krzysztof “the Orphan” Radziwiłł, an ardent Catholic
and a Holy Land pilgrim. Initially a Calvinist, at some point he
converted to Catholicism and started adapting Protestant churches
donated by his father into Catholic churches.
Biała Podlaska – St. Anne’s Church, photo by T. Żaczek
Across the Radziwiłł Chapel, there is the Rosary Chapel, with its
precious 17th-century image of Our Lady of the Snows (Our Lady
of the Rosary) and a piece depicting the torment of the Blessed
Martyrs of Podlasie.
The church complex comprises a brick fencing with a bell tower,
a gate and an 18th-century brick rectory. Also, there is a finely
restored wooden manor house – a vicariate dating back to the
early 19th century.
Near the church complex there is a curious monument to Biała
Podlaska’s patron, St. Michael the Archangel, who is standing on a
dragon. Made in 1981 to the design of Stanisław Ulatowski, this sculpture is a straightforward reference to Biała Podlaska’s coat of arms,
which the city adopted in 1670 on the initiative of Michał Kazimierz
Radziwiłł, who helped to rebuild it following the Swedish Deluge.
The Vault of the Radziwiłł Chapel at St. Anne’s Church, photo by T. Żaczek
A few dozen years later, the subsequent owners of the city,
including Katarzyna Sobieska, the sister of King of Poland Jan
III Sobieski, and Anna and Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł, added a
chapel to the church. The chapel served as a family mausoleum.
In the mausoleum, they deposited a box with the heart of their
great ancestor.
The Radziwiłł Chapel of Saint John Cantus is now the most
interesting part of the church, which, as a result of reconstructions, has lost many of its original features. The stucco decorations
and polychromies, in particular on the chapel’s vault, abound in
symbols that combine the heavenly realms of God and Saints with
the figure and life of the chapel’s patron – Michał “the Orphan”
Radziwiłł.
48
St. Anne’s Parish, ul. Warszawska 3A, 21-500 Biała Podlaska, tel. 83 343
51 84
KAZIMIERZ DOLNY
Parish Church and Market Square
Founded in the mid-14th century by King Casimir the Great, Kazimierz Dolny is one of the oldest towns in the Lublin Region. It
features a castle and a fortified tower, both dating back to the Middle
Ages, which used to guard the Vistula crossing. Both structures,
now well-preserved ruins, in addition to the Parish Church, the
Great Market Square and the Reformati monastery, make up the
main viewing corridor of the town. The corridor runs parallel to
the Vistula River bed, with a very scenic gorge. The paved Market
Square, with its roofed wells on wooden poles, is surrounded by
49
Places worth seeing
Letni dzień w Kazimierzu Dolnym, fot. P. Maciuk
The parish church seen from the Square Market, photo by A. Pietruszka
the frontages of small tenement houses, with the Parish Church
towering over it.
The Parish Church of Bartholomew the Apostle and John the
Baptist was erected between the 16th and 18th centuries on the
walls of a Gothic temple (as reflected in the lofty body of the
building and the late-Gothic portal of the main entrance). Jakub
Balin, an architect, gave the church a Renaissance appearance,
with richly ornamented gables and vaults, all in the vein of the
Lublin Renaissance.
An example of this style is one of the several chapels founded
by the Górski family in 1625. Built to the design of Jan Wolff and
Adam Wójtowicz, both acclaimed architects, this square-plan chapel
is capped by a tall, stucco-adorned dome.
The interior of the parish church, photo by P. Maciuk
50
The Parish Church contains many valuable fixtures, including
the stone baptismal font, designed by Santi Gucci in 1587, elaborately ornamented late-Renaissance altars and an organ from 1620,
which is now the oldest working musical instrument in Poland.
Each year during the tourist season, the Parish Church hosts the
Summer Organ Concerts.
Roman-Catholic Parish Church of Bartholomew the Apostle and John
the Baptist, ul. Zamkowa 6, 24-120 Lublin, www.kazimierz-fara.pl, tel.
81 881 08 70
Tenement houses and granaries
The most affluent merchants erected sumptuous tenement houses.
The most exquisite ones include those built by Mikołaj and Krzysztof Przybyła on the Market Square and by Bartłomiej Celej in
Senatorska Street (this tenement house is now home to the Vistula
The tenements of Mikołaj and Krzysztof Przybyła, photo by S. Turski
51
Places worth seeing
them in a state of ruin. The best-preserved granaries can be found
in Puławska Street (the former Przedmieście Bochotnickie). These
were granaries of Mikołaj Przybyła, later owned by the Ulanowski
family (dating back to 1591), and Krzysztof Przybyła, later became
the property of Feuerstein (dating back to 1600, redeveloped in
the 19th century). Both are administered by the Vistula Museum.
The former contains the Natural Museum, with its interesting
geological and natural exhibition presenting the environment of
the Lesser Poland Gorge on the Vistula River. As for the Granaries
in Krakowska Street (Przedmieście Krakowskie), the only fully
preserved building is the granary of Kobiałka from 1636. This imposing building, with its loggia in the front and a tall gable with
Mannerist ornamentation, used to form part of a complex of several
similar granaries situated near the crossing from Kazimierz Dolny
to Janowiec. Other granaries, however, are no longer there. The
granary’s building has been re-adapted and now operates as a hotel
of the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society (PTTK).
The Celejowska tenement, now housing the Vistula Museum, photo by S. Turski
Museum). Of particular note is the lavish ornamentation of the
building, including figural and plant carvings, that almost entirely
cover the façades and the tall attics at the top of the buildings. This
ornamentation exemplifies the works of the local architects, who
transformed the Renaissance and Mannerist patterns.
The gables of the Parish Church became a blueprint for many
granaries in Kazimierz Dolny, in which affluent merchants stored
their cereals before they were floated down the Vistula River to
Gdańsk. Vessels and rafts moored there along the entire three-kilometre shoreline of the town, from Przedmieście Bochotnickie
to Krakowskie Przedmieście (near the quarries). There used to be
over 60 granaries here. Now, only a dozen or so are left, some of
The Natural Museum in the former granary, photo by S. Turski
52
Vistula Museum – the Celejowska Tenement Branch, ul. Senatorska
11, 24-120 Kazimierz Dolny, tel. 81 881 01 04; celejowska@mnkd.pl,
www.mnkd.pl
Natural Museum (Mikołaj Przybyła’s Granary), ul. Puławska 54, tel. 81 881
03 26; przyrodnicze@mnkd.pl, www.mnkd.pl
Castle and fortified tower
The stone castle and fortified tower – two of the most prominent
structures in Kazimierz Dolny – are nowadays a major attraction
of the town. These will take you on a trip back in time to the Middle Ages, when the town was being founded. Erected in the 13th
century, the fortified tower had a double function. It was used
The fortified tower in Kazimierz, photo by P. Maciuk
53
Places worth seeing
Kazimierz Dolny – the castle ruins seen from the tower, photo courtesy
of the MOLV archive
both as a watchtower and a lighthouse for the vessels that were
entering the port in Kazimierz Dolny. Founded in the middle of
the 14th century by Casimir the Great, the castle was the seat of
the castellany.
Following a period of invasions and wars in the 17th century,
the castle sustained serious damage, and during the period of
partitions, some of the precarious walls were deliberately destroyed. Currently, the well-preserved ruins of both the castle and the
fortified tower are available for sightseeing. Situated on a hill, they
also afford some excellent views onto the town and the scenic gorge
of the Vistula River.
Nearby, there is another popular vantage point and a very
prominent feature of Kazimierz Dolny’s landscape – the Hill of
the Three Crosses. The first crosses were placed there in 1708 to
commemorate the victims of plague that at the time decimated the
people of Kazimierz Dolny and neighbouring settlements.
Castle Complex (managed by the Tourist Information Centre) in Kazimierz
Dolny, ul. 81 881 07 09; cit@kokpit.com.pl, www.zabytkikazimierzdolny.pl
Summer festivals
For at least two centuries, Kazimierz Dolny has been the go-to
place for many open-air painters. More recently, it has also become
the leading tourist destination in the Lublin Region. Each year,
between 1 and 1.2 million tourists come to this small town, which
has a population of only 4000.
Also, for almost half a century, Kazimierz has hosted Poland’s
most famous folk festival – the Festival of Folk Bands and Singers.
Each year in June, both market squares of this town witness some
authentic rural music, both instrumental and vocal. The Festival also
features fringe events, including a unique fair of folk arts and crafts.
54
The Two Riversides Film & Art Festival, photo by A. Koziara
July, in turn, is when cinema enthusiasts come to Kazimierz
Dolny (and Janowiec, which lies on the other bank of the Vistula)
for the “Two Riversides” Film and Art Festival. Screened for an
entire week is a plethora of films from selected catalogues of
many international and Polish festivals. The Festival also features
retrospections of old films and presentations of the works of
independent authors. The screenings take place either in tents
or, in the evenings, in the open. Fringe events include meetings
with people from the film industry, concerts, exhibitions, theatre
performances, street events and other indoor and outdoor artistic
activities within Kazimierz Dolny, Janowiec and the neighbouring
places, such as Męćmierz.
Festival of Folk Bands and Singers (organised by the Voivodeship Cultural
Centre, Lublin), www.wok.lublin.pl
TWO RIVERSIDES Film and Art Festival (organised by the TWO RIVERSIDES
Association, Kazimierz Dolny, Warsaw), www.dwabrzegi.pl
Gorges of Kazimierz Dolny
These are a major tourist attraction of the town and its surroundings (within the Kazimierz Dolny Landscape Park). They are
formed by the continuous erosion of the loess soil caused by rain
and thaw water. Often, the erosion results from human activity
as well. The most scenic gorges are accessible via popular tourist
trails and routes.
Situated a few kilometres from the town centre, in the Doły
suburb, Korzeniowy Dół is a sunken lane, cut by people in a loess
slope to establish a road to the fields. The gorge, which is regarded
a natural monument, comprises an around 600-metre-long educational trail. What is unique about it is the several-metre-high,
almost vertical cliffs, from which grow out wiggly, protruding roots
55
Places worth seeing
Some nice gorges can also be found in the close vicinity of
Kazimierz Dolny, between Bochotnica, Parchatka and Zbędowice,
and further to the east, in the area of Celejów, Stok, Karmanowice,
Klementowice, Nałęczów, Stary Gaj and Nowy Gaj (with as many as
11 kilometres of gorges per 1 sq. kilometre, the Nałęczów Plateau
is unique on a global scale).
Kazimierz Dolny Landscape Park – Lublin Landscape Park Complex –
Field Branch in Lublin, ul. Czechowska 4, 20-072 Lublin, tel. 81 532 50 39;
lublin.zlpk@lubelskie.pl, www.parki.lubelskie.pl
BIŁGORAJ
A gorge in Parchatka, photo by J. Malińska
Situated in Puszcza Solska (a primeval forest), bordering between
the Sandomierz Basin and Roztocze, Biłgoraj was founded by the
Gorajski family in 1568 (following Stephen Báthory’s approval issued
in Lviv), on Biały Goraj Hill, at the fork of the Czarna and Biała
Łada (at the time called Ruska and Polska Łada) Rivers.
of old trees, to create a sort of a green roof over the gorge. The
exposed roots are tangled into various fabulous shapes to provide
a fairy-like setting.
The educational path leads via another popular gorge, called
Norowy Dół. It abounds in clear traces of natural erosion processes
(suffusion sinkholes formed by aquifers, and exposed limestone
cliffs, landslips and an alluvial fan at the exit of the gorge). In the
western part of the town, the most popular gorges include Plebanka,
called Plebani Dół, above which extends a hill, picturesquely lined
with trees and containing a parochial cemetery, and a far more
expansive gorge named Wąwóz Małachowskiego and known to be
the place where Count Juliusz Małachowski died. This part of the
town also features one of the most interesting villas in Kazimierz
Dolny, the so-called Kuncewiczówka (the house of Maria and Jerzy
Kuncewicz (see more on page 111).
Biłgoraj – a Sieve-Making Cottage, photo by S. Turski
The Korzeniowy Dół gorge, photo by S. Turski
56
Soon after Biłgoraj was granted town rights, sieve makers moved here from Masovia and Kielce Region to establish a centre
of the sieve-making trade that became famous across Poland.
Raw materials, including pine wood and horse hair, were abundant, so it was not long until whole families had begun to engage
in the sieve-making trade. They started selling their sieves to
faraway markets, travelling long distances throughout Europe
and Asia.
As well as making good money in this profitable trade, they developed their individual, signature style of buildings and farmstead
design, their own clothing, and even language, which they could
easily use in foreign countries and communities.
57
Places worth seeing
The history of the sieve-makers from Biłgoraj is documented and
promoted by the Regional Museum, with its original 19th-century
Sieve-Making Cottage. There is a hut from 1810, in which you can
see the residential interiors where sieve-maker families once lived,
and also a workshop with hand- and leg-operated fabric weaving
stands. In the woodshed, you can gain an insight into the secrets
of making łuby (wooden straps), which are used to make sieve
rims. Among other things, the cottage also features a double-chambered granary with crop-storage vessels, and stamp mills,
quern-stones and other grain processing machines. Also, there is
a carriage house with a collection of carriages, sledges and other
means of transport.
What has regrettably not survived is the buildings in the Jewish
district. The Jews, who made up a large proportion of the town’s
population before World War II, were killed by the Nazis in the
Biłgoraj Ghetto or in the concentration camp in Bełżec. The only
remnant of their presence is a Jewish cemetery with many tombstones and a monument to the war victims.
The most eminent member of the Jewish community in Biłgoraj
is the great writer and Nobel-prize winner, the late Isaac Bashevis
Singer. A small bench-like monument was erected to honour his
memory, and every spring the Singer Days festival is held. For
several years, in the Łada River valley, the “Town on the Kresy
Culture Trail” has been under construction to recreate a fragment
of interwar-period development. This is something unique on the
map of Poland. The founders of the Biłgoraj XXI Foundation have
developed a plan for this city, in which structures typical for Polish
(including a market square with a town hall and a church), Jewish
(a synagogue and Singer’s house) and Ruthenian (with an Orthodox
church and a museum of icons) districts lie close to each other. The
city will also feature the distinctive sieve-maker houses and the
imposing edifice of the Biłgoraj Centre for Dialogue, Education and
Tolerance Between Jews and Poles. What is important is that these
structures, apart from being exhibits and museum pieces, will host
the offices of various organisations and companies, restaurants,
hotels, stores, service venues and dwellings.
I. B. Singer’s bench monument, photo courtesy of the Biłgoraj XXI
Foundation archive
It is worth adding that, together with the Kresy 2000 Foundation that operates here and the neighbouring Nadrzecze, the
people of Biłgoraj organise regular outdoor events that take place
on Biłgoraj’s streets. These include the spring’s “Pożegnanie sitarzy,
co się nazywa żałosne” (“A sorrowful bid farewell to the sieve-makers”)
and the autumn’s “Powitanie sitarzy, co się nazywa radosne” (“A joyful
welcome to the sieve-makers”). They are associated with the celebrations that were once held as the sieve-makers were departing
for the faraway lands of Germany, Scandinavia, Turkey and many
of the Russian governorates to sell their goods, and as they were
coming back from these journeys.
The old buildings of Biłgoraj, including the Biłgoraj-style houses
with arcades, were destroyed as a result of many fires and wartime
activities. Three Baroque churches, founded by the Potocki and
Zamoyski families, have survived, although they required several
reconstructions. Also preserved is a range of wooden and brick houses
dating back to the turn of the 20th century and the interwar period.
58
A borderland town in Biłgoraj, photo courtesy of the Biłgoraj XXI Foundation archive
Sieve-making cottage – Branch of the Regional Museum, ul. Nadstawna 32, 23-400 Biłgoraj, tel. 84 686 04 84; muzeum.bilgoraj@op.pl,
www.muzeumbilgoraj.pl/zagroda-sitarska.html
Kresy 2000 Foundation, ul. Konopnickiej 7/41, 23-400 Biłgoraj, tel. 84 686
60 77; fundacja@kresy2000.pl; The House In Service to the Polish Verbal,
Musical and Visual Art, Nadrzecze 7, 23-400 Biłgoraj, tel. 84 688 41 77;
www.kresy2000.pl
Biłgoraj XXI Foundation, ul. Wira Bartoszewskiego 10, 23-400 Biłgoraj,
fundacja@bilgoraj21.pl, www.bilgoraj21.pl
59
Places worth seeing
HRUBIESZÓW
One of the most important of Cherven Towns was known in the
past under the name Rubieszów. It was granted its town rights in
1400 pursuant to the Act of King Władysław Jagiełło. Due to its
location at the intersection of trade routes (including from Chełm
to Bełz and from Lublin to Volodymyr-Volynskyi) it developed very
dynamically. Unfortunately, numerous wars, raids, and march-pasts
had already brought the city to ruin by the 17th century. The same
applied to the next century, when the population was decimated
by plague, and the Northern War caused further damage.
The Dormition of the Theotokos Orthodox church, photo by P. Maciuk
St. Nicholas’ Church, photo by P. Maciuk
Towards the end of the 18th century, the walls of Hrubieszów’s
castle were dismantled. The ruined castles in the neighbouring towns
of Horodło, Uchanie and Kryłów met the same fate. The system of
Hrubieszów’s embankments and defensive walls did not survive to
our times. However, many monuments and the distinctive craftsmen
and merchants’ buildings dating back to the period from the mid-18th century to the early 20th century did remain in the town. The
oldest buildings include the post-Dominican St. Nicolas Parish Church
from the years 1736-50, with its lavish Baroque and Rococo interior.
Near the church there is a monastery from the mid-18th century
(now operating as a school) and brick bell tower from the mid-19th
century. At a short distance from the church, you can find a Baroque presbytery (the place where Aleksander Głowacki [Bolesław
Prus] was born) and the preserved old presbytery garden, which
has been converted into a central park with a granite monument
to the great writer.
The second-oldest Hrubieszów’s church is an old Uniate that
dates back to the turn of the 19th century. This St. Stanislaus
Kostka Church, pleasantly located on a high slope by the Huczwa
River, now operates as a Marian sanctuary run by the Bernardines.
It contains the image of Our Lady of Sokal, which originated in
Ukrainian Sokal, and has a cult status.
60
One of the most recognisable symbols of the city is the Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos from 1873.
Its harmonious body, richly ornamented and crowned with as
many as 13 domes, makes it one of the most beautiful Orthodox
churches in Poland.
At a short distance from the Orthodox church and the former
Dominican church, there is the Du Chateau family’s house. It was
built in 18th century and later extended to include two side wings.
The wide single-storey building is covered by a mansard roof and
decorated with four-column porticos. Now, it houses a museum
(see page 113) and the Hrubieszów Regional Society.
Many more manor houses, inns and elaborate tenement houses,
such as the 19th-century Golakowski and Kisewetter family’s houses,
survived in this town of rich merchants and craftsmen.
After the death of the last starost of Hrubieszów, Franciszek
Salezy Potocki, the town was bought by Fr. Stanisław Staszic, who
The Du Chateau Manor House – the Regional Museum in Hrubieszów,
photo by S. Turski
61
Places worth seeing
proved to be an exceptionally good host and a great reformer. In
1816, in the neighbouring Dziekanów, he founded the Hrubieszów
Agricultural Society – the first cooperative organisation in Poland.
The founder explained that the Society was to serve as a model of a
fair establishment for peasants so that they could help each other
out in times of misery. Staszic’s programme covered a substantial
area of 6000 ha (ten villages and half of Hrubieszów), in which the
peasants were exempt from serfdom and were granted ownership
over the land. The Society managed common property - forests,
lakes, windmills, taverns, brickyards, sawmills. The profit they
generated was intended for social services, the maintenance of
hospitals and schools, and scholarships for children, as well as
loans to build brick houses.
The Hrubieszów Agricultural Society was governed by a hereditary president (for many years, he was a representative of the
progressive Grotthuss family) and the Economic Council elected
by the Society.
most interesting, next to the 19th-century Jewish butcher shops
(jatki), are the sutki i.e. narrow fair streets tightly packed on both
sides with the houses of merchants and craftsmen.
Stanisław Staszic Museum, ul. 3 Maja 11, 22-500 Hrubieszów, tel. 84 696
27 83; muzeum-hrubieszow@wp.pl, www.muzeum-hrubieszow.com.pl
Transboundary Tourist Information Centre, ul. 3 Maja 15, 22-500 Hrubieszów, tel. 84 696 23 80; turystyka@miasto.hrubieszow.pl, www.miasto.
hrubieszow.pl
JANOWIEC
Towering over the village are the ruins of the palace of the Firlej
and Lubomirski families. Once, it was one of the biggest fortresses
of the Republic of Poland. The palace was built in the 16th century
by Starost Mikołaj Firlej, and was developed by Voivode Piotr Firlej,
who employed for this purpose the outstanding Italian architect
and sculptor, Santi Gucci Fiorentino. The mansion was destroyed
during the Swedish Deluge. The subsequent owners – the Lubomirski family, redeveloped it in the Baroque style to the design of the
renowned Dutch designer and sculptor Tylman from Gameren. The
building, however, had already fell into disrepair by the early 19th
century, and after World War II, it became the only private castle
in the Eastern Bloc. The last owner, Leon Kozłowski, sold the ruin
to the State. The State authorities readapted it into a museum (a
branch of the Vistula Museum in Kazimierz Dolny) and began
renovation works that continue up to this day.
The renovated wing houses an archaeological and historical
exhibition. Near the palace, there is a small open-air village museum
with an 18th-century manor house from Moniaki and several grange
buildings moved here from different places in the Powiśle Region.
One of Hrubieszów’s urban manor houses, photo by G. Jaworski
Many memorabilia of the Society and its founder, such as the
wooden house of the steward, the blacksmith’s shop, the monument with a bust of Staszic, the tomb of the first president Józef
Grotthuss, have been preserved in Dziekanów.
It is worth remembering that this borderland town, situated
by the Huczwa River, is associated not only with Staszic and Prus
(Głowacki), but also with a number of other prominent figures
such as the poet Bolesław Leśmian, the constructor of calculating
machines Abraham Stern, the designer of the lunar roving vehicle
Mieczysław Jerzy Bekker, architect Stefan Du Chateau and architect
and draughtsman Professor Wiktor Zin.
An observant tourist can easily notice the places connected with
the eminent residents of Hrubieszów and the preserved fragments
of the old buildings that testify to the former glory of the town. The
62
The Castle in Janowiec – a view of its eastern wall, photo courtesy of the
MOLV archive
63
Places worth seeing
JANÓW LUBELSKI
An exhibition at the Castle in Janowiec, photo by P. Maciuk
Exhibits displayed in the open-air village museum include boats,
fishing nets, wicker baskets and many more items used by people
who lived by the bank of the Vistula River.
The castle ruins afford a beautiful panoramic view of the Małopolska Vistula River Gorge.
In the centre of Janowiec – which has not lost its small-town
atmosphere provided by narrow streets and small houses made of
local limestone – stands the Renaissance church with the marble
gravestone of the Firlej family, sculpted by Gucci.
On the Vistula River, there is a levee with mooring stands for
30 small vessels (motorboats, sailing boats, rowboats and kayaks).
Next to it, there is a ferry-crossing service to Kazimierz Dolny with
a cable ferry that can take up to 60 people and eight cars in one go.
Castle Museum in Janowiec – Branch of the Vistula Museum in Kazimierz
Dolny, ul. Lubelska 20, 24-123 Janowiec, tel. 81 881 52 28; zamekjanowiec@
mnkd.pl, www.mnkd.pl
Janowiec Ferry, tel. 81 881 58 15, 694 803 430; prom@janowiec.pl,
www.prom-janowiec.pl
A manor house at the open-air village museum in Janowiec, photo by S. Turski
64
A district town located near
the region’s largest forest
complex – the Janów Lubelski
Forests – and a popular summer resort. Founded in 1640
on the site of the Biała village,
it used to be an important
pilgrimage destination with
a Marian sanctuary, which in
the 19th century became an
administrative and economic
centre of the Zamoyski family
entail, and a famous hub of
the cloth-making craft.
The times of old of this
town, once called Janów Ordynacki, are brought back to
The Marian sanctuary in Janów
us through the many monu- Lubelski, photo by S. Turski
ments donated by the Zamoyski family, including a Baroque-Rococo church and a Dominican
monastery dating from 1694-1720, in addition to a line of Classicist
buildings owned by the entail’s administration. Also worth noting is
the complex of Tsarist prison buildings from 1820-27, now the seat
of the Regional Museum, which exhibits interesting ethnographic,
archaeological and historic collections.
The second museum can be found at the Ecological Education
Centre of the Janów Lubelski Forest District, in the vicinity of a
mini open-air museum devoted to narrow-gauge rail (active here
up to the 1980s) and the region’s largest arboretum.
Another touristic hallmark of Janów Lubelski is its 40-hectare
artificial lake, with a bathing site, a sandy beach, a water leisure
The Janów Lubelski Forests, photo by K. Pikula
65
Places worth seeing
The stud farm in Wygoda near Janów Podlaski, photo by G. Jaworski
The “Gryczaki” Festival in Janów Lubelski, photo by A. Koziara
park, campsites and tourist resorts. A novelty here is Zoom Natury,
a family recreation and education park (see page 184).
Janów Lubelski constitutes an excellent starting point for the
exploration of many hiking, bicycle, horse and kayak trails that run
through the Janów Lubelski Forests. For instance, you might come
across the place where the great partisan battle of Porytowe Wzgórze
was fought, or the forest settlement in Szklarnia with a refuge for
the Biłgoraj Konik, a species descending from wild Tarpan horses.
Tourist Information Point, ul. Zamoyskiego 59, 23-300 Janów Lubelski,
tel. 15 871 75 75; www.janowlubelski.pl
“Lasy Janowskie” Ecological Education Centre, ul. Bohaterów Porytowego
Wzgórza 35, tel. 15 872 42 44, 608 203 395; oee@lasyjanowskie.com.pl,
www.lasyjanowskie.com, www.janowlubelski.lublin.lasy.gov.pl
JANÓW PODLASKI
The name of this town on the Bug River will immediately bring to
your mind the famous stud located just 2 km east of Janów Podlaski, in a village called Wygoda. The stud was established in 1817
Arabian horses from Janów Lubelski, photo by P. Maciuk
66
by the Government of the Kingdom of Poland, with the consent
of Tsar Alexander I. Its first director, Aleksander Potocki, travelled
through the Russian Empire and the Middle East in search of the
most beautiful horses. In the 1840s, Enrico Marconi designed
two stables – Zegarowa and Cugowa – and at the turn of the 20th
century a now historic complex of buildings came into existence.
Each August, the Janów Podlaski stud hosts top-prestige shows
and auctions of purebred Arabians from Polish state and private
farms, welcoming breeders and traders from all over the world.
Janów Lubelski, in the past known as Janów Biskupi, served as the
seat for the bishops of the Lutsk and Janów Podlaski dioceses. The
Holy Trinity collegiate church, dating back to the mid-18th century,
still houses a sarcophagus of Fr. Adam Naruszewicz, the last Bishop
of Lutsk, historian and writer. In the former castle and park complex,
featuring annexes of the Bishop’s palace, you will find a stone cave
which was Fr. Naruszewicz’s favourite corner to sit and ponder.
Janów Podlaski Horse Stud Farm, 21-505 Janów Podlaski, tel. 83 341 30 09,
biuro@skjanow.arabians.pl, www.janow.arabians.pl
Parafia Trójcy Świętej, ul. Naruszewicza 17, 21-505 Janów Podlaski, tel.
83 341 30 11; parafia@janowpodlaski.pl, www.parafia.janowpodlaski. pl
The collegiate church in Janów Podlaski, photo by G. Jaworski
67
Places worth seeing
KOCK
In 1780, on the site of the former Firlej castle, Duchess Anna
Jabłonowska (née Sapieha) erected a magnificent residence. The
palace, designed in the Classicist style by Szymon Bogumił Zug,
stands on a high terrace overlooking the nearby ponds, within the
Tyśmienica and Wieprz River Valley. The residence can be reached
via an alley or a stone bridge over a moat. The gorgeous landscape
park planted with trees and shrubs of several hundred species echoes
the sentimental style of the idyllic Arcadia gardens.
The Monument to General Kleeberg in Kock, photo courtesy of the Kock
Town Hall archive
military cemetery honours the memory of those 81 soldiers and
their commander, and the General’s monument stands by the exit
road from Kock. The last grand battle of the Polish Defensive War
of 1939 is also commemorated by the Military Memorial Room.
Military Memorial Room, ul. Marcina Stępnia 6, 21-150 Kock, tel. 502 421 824,
693 005 271; muzeumkock@wp.pl, www.kock.pl
KOZŁÓWKA
The Jabłonowski Palace in Kock, photo by S. Turski
The market square features a Classicist church donated by
Duchess Jabłonowska and designed by Zug, with a prominent
entrance portico supported by six columns and flanked on both
sides by two freestanding belfries. Kock has retained the ambience
of a fair market town where, amidst historic architecture, the
characteristic houses of Jewish merchants can easily be spotted,
including the residence of Rabbi Morgenstern (as in the 19th
century Kock was an important hub of the Hasidic community).
Among the Jews associated with the place was also Berek Joselewicz, the Jewish commander of the Kościuszko and Napoleon
armies, who died in 1809 in the battle of Kock. Today, a monument
commemorating this heroic colonel stands by the road in Kock’s
western suburbs.
Kock has also gone down in history as the site of clashes during
the 1939 September Campaign. Here, in the early October, Polish
troops forming the “Polesie” Independent Operational Group (SGO)
under the command of General Franciszek Kleeberg, waged a fierce,
several days’ battle with stronger German forces. Today, the local
68
Kozłówka, a small village near Lubartów, is home to one of Poland’s
most magnificent and popular palace museums. The original,
Baroque-Classicist palace emerged here in the first half of the
18th century on the initiative of the Voivode of Chełmno Michał
Bieliński. The designer, most probably Józef Fontana, adopted “entre
cour et jardin” (“between court and garden”), a style in vogue during
the Baroque period. In 1799, the Kozłówka estate was purchased
by the house of Zamoyski. A hundred years later, Count Konstanty
The Zamoyski Palace in Kozłówka, photo by J. Opiela-Basińska
69
Places worth seeing
The Zamoyski Museum in Kozłówka, the Red Salon, photo courtesy of the
Museum archive
The Park & Palace complex in Kozłówka, photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
Zamoyski obtained the Tsarist authorities’ consent to found a new,
indivisible, entail in Kozłówka, and went on to expand the palace,
once owned by the Bieliński family, conferring to it the lavish form
of an entail residence.
The front façade received two towers and a porticoed terrace.
Zamoyski, the lord of the entail (in Polish: ordynat), adapted the
interiors after the luxurious, eclectic fashion of the Second Empire
which he got to know well during his younger days in France. The
ceilings were clad in Rococo-Revival stuccowork and the walls
adorned with exquisite tapestries, carpets and mirrors, while on
the floors colourful parquets were laid. The rooms received marble
fireplaces and huge Meissen stoves. The fine staircase and the
palace chapel took inspiration
from their Versailles counterparts. Konstanty Zamoyski devised the entire palace
layout, including storeyed
guardhouses, annexes, the
theatre parlour, the chapel
and the main gate connecting
the courtyard with the road
from the Kamionka village.
During construction, he relied on the best architects,
such as Jan Heurich Jr. and
Jan Lilpop.
The complex also comprises a coach house with a collection of horse-drawn carriages
A stained-glass window in the palace chapel, and travel accessories, and a
theatre parlour which every
photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
70
year hosts famed exhibitions dedicated to the bygone times of
the landed gentry.
Behind the palace, we will find an excellently maintained, representative French garden (where a characteristic fountain with
three cupid sculptures and a monument to Napoleon’s soldiers can
be seen) followed by an English landscape park with a pheasantry.
Both in the park and the palace courtyard, you have the chance to
encounter the peacocks which, in quite a sizeable flock, dwell on
the palace premises.
The Museum in Kozłówka also hosts Poland’s only Socialist-Realist Art Gallery, with an impressive collection of 1600 sculptures,
paintings, drawings, posters and other works of art from the 1950s,
a period when “art was harnessed to support the fight for socialism”.
The Socialist Realism Art Gallery, photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
71
Places worth seeing
On display there are works by artists such as Alina Szapocznikow,
Tadeusz Kulisiewicz, Stefan Żechowski, Andrzej Wajda, etc. Just
outside the Gallery, a monument lapidarium can be seen, featuring
sculptures of Lenin, Bierut and Marchlewski.
Zamoyski Museum, Kozłówka 3, 21-132 Kamionka, tel. 81 852 83 10, 852
83 00; rezerwacja@muzeumzamoyskich.pl, www.muzeumzamoyskich.pl
KRASNYSTAW
A town formerly known as Szczekarzów, nestling on the Wieprz
River, near King Casimir the Great’s castle, which used to safeguard
crossings along the route to Rus. In 1394, King Władysław Jagiełło
granted town rights to this settlement and often visited it. As
tradition has it, the new name came from the King’s young wife,
Queen Sońka, who was fascinated by the view of the beautiful,
colourful pond (krasny staw) by the castle and the rough waters
of the Wieprz. In the past, this location had its advantages both
from the economic and the military perspectives, as the pond was
a steady source of fish and effectively guarded the town against
enemy raids. To improve safety even more, Zygmunt August surrounded the town with a defensive wall.
Krasnystaw – the Jesuit Church Complex, photo by S. Turski
In the Jagiellonian times, Krasnystaw came to be the most
buoyant town of the Chełm Land. Bishops from the local diocese,
bothered by the problems of life in borderland Chełm (mostly inhabited by Orthodox residents), in 1490 decided to relocate their
seat to the town on the Wieprz, choosing the Gothic parish church
of All Saints (no longer existing) as their new cathedral, to be later
replaced by the grand Baroque Jesuit church.
72
The Market Square in Krasnystaw, photo by J. Mazurek
The sanctuary, designed by a Jesuit architect, Jan Delamars,
and donated by the Potocki house, in particular the Krasnystaw
Starost Feliks Potocki, and his wife Krystyna née Lubomirska, was
under construction from 1695 to 1717. Its massive body was initially
covered by a giant dome, which, however, was never repaired, and
collapsed in 1849 as a result of a building disaster. The church’s high
façade is flanked by two steeples with cupolas on which stand the
statues of St. Francis Xavier and St. Ignatius of Loyola, the patrons
of the Jesuit Order and the church. Inside, you will be struck not
only by the richness of its Baroque furnishings, but, above all, the
splendid polychromies presenting some fantastic scenes from St.
Francis Xavier’s missions overseas, e.g. in India and Japan, where
he ventured to spread the word of Christ.
Adam Swach, a Franciscan monastery painter from Poznań
and author of these works, depicted Native Americans instead of
Asians, reflecting the generally poor knowledge of geography and
the customs of the indigenous peoples in those times.
After the Order was dissolved in 1776, the sanctuary in Krasnystaw became the new Chełm cathedral and it remained so until
1805, when, in place of the Chełm diocese, the Lublin diocese was
established. Yet, over 20 years had to pass before, in 1826, the
representative functions of the bishops’ church were transferred
over to the Lublin cathedral of St. John the Baptist and St. John
the Evangelist.
The great history of this town on the Wieprz River along with its
valuable remnants from the past, also from the Jesuit church and
cathedral, are stored by the Regional Museum at the former seat of
the Jesuit college. Let us also note that the cathedral in Krasnystaw
housed the famous, acclaimed school attended by figures such as
the Chancellor and Grand Hetman of the Crown Jan Zamoyski,
the Bishop of Chełm and Primate of Poland Jakub Uchański, and
the theological writer Józef Wereszczyński.
73
Places worth seeing
Krasnystaw is the capital of Polish hop growers, who can meet
here at an event called Chmielaki Krasnostawskie, organised every
late summer for over 30 years. This nationwide festival of hop growers and beer makers attracts the best element of Polish breweries
and brewing companies, in addition to the thousands of lovers of
the hop-made beverage. The history of the Polish brewing craft is
popularised by the Krasnystaw museum.
Regional Museum, ul. Piłsudskiego 5a, 22-300 Krasnystaw, tel. 82 576 36
63; www.muzeumkrasnystaw.webd.pl
Parafia św. Franciszka Ksawerego, ul. Piłsudskiego 3, 22-300 Krasnystaw,
tel. 82 576 23 92; www.franciszek-ksawery.org
Tourist Information Point, ul. Sobieskiego 3, 22-300 Krasnystaw, tel. 696
473 423; info@lotkrasnystaw.pl, www.lotkrasnystaw.pl
KRAŚNIK
Kraśnik was granted town rights in 1377 by King Louis I of Hungary,
who then handed it over, along with the nearby settlements (e.g.
Stróża), to Dymitr and Iwan of Goraj.
In the early 15th century, Kraśnik went under the ownership
of the Tęczyński family and by the end of the 16th century joined
the Zamoyski family entail.
Suffering recurring devastation during the Cossack raids, the
Swedish deluge, and the Northern War, it was not until 1916, when
the Lublin-Rozwadów railway line was laid, that Kraśnik returned
to the path to development. In 1954, the village of Budzyń, which
had a rolling-bearing factory and a workers’ residential estate,
received municipal rights along with a new name – Kraśnik Fabryczny. In 1975, the old and new parts were combined to form a
single town – Kraśnik.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s Church, photo by S. Turski
74
The most precious of the local monuments is the monastery
complex of the Canons Regular of the Lateran. The Church of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Michael the Archangel,
whose construction started in the mid-15th century, still has a Gothic
presbytery and sacristy which probably served as a chapel for the former church from 1403. Between 1527 and 1541, the church underwent
redevelopment, receiving Renaissance attributes visible especially in
the Tęczyński family’s tomb-chapels and their high-quality sculpted
gravestones with figures such as Stanisław Gabriel Tęczyński, Starost
of Trembowla, Jan Gabriel Tęczyński, Voivode of Sandomierz, and
Jan Baptysta Tęczyński, Starost of Lublin and Voivode of Bełz. For
the latter, life turned very tragic. In love with a Swedish princess,
Cecilia of Sweden, Jan Baptysta went to visit her in Scandinavia,
but was captured by the Danes, at the time in conflict with Swedes,
and died imprisoned in 1563. Jan Kochanowski devoted many of
his poems to Jan Baptysta, and Jan Zamoyski, Tęczyński’s friend,
donated a gravestone from the workshop of the famous Santi Gucci.
The preciously furnished church features a variety of styles – from
Gothic to Baroque and Rococo. Its Gothic vaults – of the network
type in the aisles and of the stellar type in the presbytery – were
combined here with Renaissance cornices.
Altars – the main one and the altar in the chapel of Our Lady
of the Rosary – as well as stalls in the presbytery with images of
Canons Regular, follow the late-Renaissance design and boast rich
woodcarving work. Also worth noting are the three large paintings
from Tommaso Dolabella’s workshop, dating back to ca. 1627. The
first half of the 17th century is also when the painting of Our Lady
of the Rosary was made, now adorning the main altar.
The two-wing edifice of the monastery of the Canons Regular
(brought by the Tęczyński family in 1469) has retained little of its
original, Gothic shape. Having been redeveloped and expanded in the
17th and 18th centuries, it is now largely Baroque in style, just as the
wall around the courtyard with the tall, brick gate and belfry (which
has two bells: St. Joseph of 1758, weighing 2.6 tonnes and St. Michael
of 1845, 1.3 tonnes). The church complex is further supplemented
by the Classicist St. Hyacinth’s chapel from the late 18th century.
Another historic sanctuary in the town is the hospital church of
the Holy Spirit, erected in 1758-1761 outside the town walls, on the
hill by the Wyżnica River. In the vicinity you will find the former
hospital of the Holy Spirit, in the form of a one-storey larch-wood
manor with two decorated porticos.
Near the market square, at ul. Bożnicza, there still stands a
synagogue complex from the 17th-19th centuries. Recently, it has
been renovated and opened to tourists by the Foundation for the
Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland.
The Great Synagogue from 1637-54, covered with a mansard
roof and extended in the 18th and 19th centuries, despite wartime
devastation still holds a bimah, a recess for the Torah ark, and valuable polychromies, including a symbolic panorama of Jerusalem.
75
Places worth seeing
The Synagogue Complex in Kraśnik, photo by S. Turski
Paintings, especially those on the wall with Aron Ha-Kodesh,
can also be admired in the Small Synagogue from the 19th century.
The building known as beth midrash has an annexe which used to
be the seat of a cahal house with a school and offices of the Kraśnik
Jewish community.
A fact of note is that during World War II the local Jews were
confined to a German transit camp in the Budzyń suburbs, a
branch of the Majdanek concentration camp. From there, they
were forced into cattle trucks and deported to death camps. Around
eight thousand prisoners, mostly Jews and Soviet captives, were
murdered on site.
But Kraśnik also has the story of the 24th Uhlan Regiment
garrisoned here during the interwar period. The “white uhlans”, as
they were called, became famous for the battles fought under the
command of General Stanisław Maczek in the western theatres of
WWII. Their wartime achievements are today commemorated by
the Museum in Kraśnik.
Firlejs brought craftsmen from Flanders and the Netherlands, and
arranged for the town to receive the right to organise fairs. Another
golden period in the town’s history began in the 18th century, when
it came under the ownership of the Sanguszko Princes.
Paweł Karol Sanguszko persuaded King August III to confirm
the town rights of Lewartów and to change the town’s name to
Lubartów. The Prince donated the three most precious monuments of Lubartów, which have survived to our times: the palace
situated in a geometric park with a pond, and sanctuaries – the
parish church of St. Anne and the Capuchin monastic church of
St. Lawrence. Sanguszkos’ palace was erected in the late 17th
century, probably to a design by Tylman van Gameren, to be later
redeveloped by another great architect of the Baroque period, Paolo
Antonio Fontana, who added a third storey and a portico to the
already magnificent edifice. Sadly, the grand residence suffered
numerous modifications, for instance while serving as a military
hospital and a monastery.
It was not until the second half of the 20th century that the
palace, devastated twice – during warfare and in a fire – was reconstructed. Today it houses the Lubartów District Office.
Next to the palace stand the ruins of an orangery (now under
redecoration) and a bridge over the pond from the second half of
the 18th century. After World War II, the extensive park was largely
renovated (thanks to Gerard Ciołek) in line with the former layout
of a French regular garden.
Regional Museum, ul. Piłsudskiego 2A, 23-200 Kraśnik, tel. 81 884 34 85;
24th Uhlan Regiment Museum, ul. Piłsudskiego 7, tel. 81 884 50 31;
krasnik@muzeumlubelskie.pl, www.muzeumlubelskie.pl
Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ul. Klasztorna
3, 23-200 Kraśnik, tel. 81 825 24 65; info@sanktuarium-krasnik.pl,
www.sanktuarium.krasnik.pl/Parafia pw. Wniebowzięcia NMP
LUBARTÓW
Originally named “Lewartów”, after the “Lewart” coat of arms
held by the town’s founder Piotr Firlej, Voivode of the Lublin and
Ruthenian Voivodeships.
Lewartów was granted town rights in 1543 by King Sigismund I
the Old. Piotr’s son, Mikołaj Firlej, made Lewartów a well-known
centre of the Reformation movement, e.g. by establishing a Calvinist middle school, to be later turned to an Arian school. The
76
St. Anne’s Church in Lubartów, photo by S. Turski
77
Places worth seeing
brick manors at ul. Kościuszki, dating back to the first half of the
19th century (one of them houses a museum).
Regional Museum, ul. Kościuszki 28, 21-100 Lubartów, tel. 81 855 28 08;
lubartow@muzeumlubelskie.pl, www.muzeumlubelskie.pl
St. Anne’s Parish (Parish Museum),21-100 Lu-bartów, tel. 81 855 23 72;
www.parafia.lubartow.pl/anna
Koścół i Klasztor Zakonu Braci Mniejszych Kapucynów, ul. Lubelska 32,
21-100 Lubartów; kapucynilubartow@wp.pl, www.kapucyni.lubartow.pl,
tel. 81 855 24 16
ŁUKÓW
The interior of St. Anne’s Church, photo by P. Maciuk
St. Anne’s parish church, dating back to 1733-1738, is ranked
among the region’s most impressive Baroque sanctuaries designed
by Paolo Antonio Fontana, next to the church of the Sending Out
of the Apostles and St. Louis’ church in Włodawa. In designing
these, the architect followed a novel layout, combining longitudinal,
basilica form of the three aisles with an octagonal central form of
the main nave, which opens to the aisles via the arcades supporting
the dome. An interesting element outside is the front façade, with
two lofty steeples and a marble entry portal, paired by a smooth,
meandering wall line, whose recessed and protruded surfaces are
further accentuated by cornices and pilasters. This “dynamic” architecture is accompanied by rich decorations outside and inside
the church, comprising a variety of sculptures, stuccowork and
illusionistic polychromies. Along with the parish church, Fontana
designed the belfry, the fencing wall with a gate and two shrines, and
the curates’ house (the later parsonage). In 2000, a Parish Museum
was opened at St. Anne’s church, exhibiting valuable collections of
paintings, garments, books and liturgical vessels.
Fontana’s second sanctuary in Lubartów – the monastic St.
Lawrence’s church – came into existence in 1741. In contrast to St.
Anne’s parish church, this one has a simple, modest shape, with few
architectural details. The interior too – with its non-polychromed
whitewashed walls, altars, confessionals and a pulpit made of dark
wood, with very few gilt ornaments –reflects well the Capuchin
observance of poverty. Tourists are nevertheless much advised to
see the church, because it houses a series of paintings by Szymon
Czechowicz, the famous religious painter. The church lies adjacent
to a monastery with a garden and is surrounded by a fencing wall
with a shrine from the 18th century.
The market square in Lubartów still features some old architecture from the 16th-19th centuries. Other monuments include two
78
The seat of a starosty which in 1474, besides the starosties of Lublin
and Urzędów, entered the newly established Lublin Voivodeship.
Łuków, founded in 1403, was one of the most important royal towns
in the region. In 1701, the Piarist order, known for promulgating
education and craftsmanship, opened a college here for young noblemen, and in 1728, through the efforts of the Bishop of Kraków
Felicjan Szaniawski, a convent school was set up.
Over the college and the convent school towers the grand
body of the Church of the Transfiguration, built in the years 172562 to the design by royal architect Antonio Solari.
The Baroque two-steeple façade is surmounted by an ornamental
top, while the interior conceals richly gilded Baroque and Rococo
altars and decorative Rococo pews. In 1997, the sanctuary was
granted the status of a collegiate church.
Another Łuków sanctuary – the Church of the Elevation of the
Holy Cross – was erected for the Bernardines in the town’s suburbs,
past the Krzna River. It was not until 1770 that its construction,
started in 1655 and discontinued after the devastating raid by Rákóczi’s Transylvanian troops, came to completion. Despite such an
extensive time span, the church’s body is characterised by a uniform,
The Transfiguration of Christ Collegiate Church, photo by W. Mularczyk
79
Places worth seeing
former Piarist college (the so-called Szaniawski convent school)
also boasts an impressive body of ethnographic exhibits, in particular folk sculptures by authors affiliated to the Łuków Sculptural
Centre, which runs two schools for young sculptors – in Łuków
and Wola Gułowska.
Regional Museum, ul. Piłsudskiego 19, 21-400 Łuków, tel. 25 798 27 16;
muzeum.lukow@interia.pl, www.muzeum.illu.pl, www.muzeumamonitow.pl
Parafia Kolegiacka pw. Przemienienia Pańskiego, Plac Narutowicza 2,
21-400 Łuków, tel. 25 798 29 70; www.kolegiata.lukow.pl
OPOLE LUBELSKIE
The Regional Museum in Łuków (the former Szaniawski Convent School),
photo by A. Bednaruk
Baroque shape, quite as much as its interiors. The sanctuary’s
narrow profile, complemented by the two steeples of the western
façade, perfectly adds to the town panorama. Next to the church
there are also a brick belfry and a building formerly belonging to
the Bernardine monastery (now used by the Tadeusz Kościuszko
General Secondary School). The former Bernardine sanctuary has
been a parish church since 1920.
The northern and western suburbs of Łuków border on dense
forests abundant in fir, which grows here in a cluster, outside its
natural habitat and under the protection of the “Jata” reserve.
Łuków is mostly known, however, as the place where a large
number of Jurassic fossils – ammonites, belemnites, clams and
snails – can be found. Discovered and described as early as in the
19th century by, i.a., Fr. Stanisław Staszic and, after World War
II, Prof. Henryk Makowski from the University of Warsaw, fossils
were taken under protection in 1981 as part of the “Kra Jurajska”
reserve. They are especially numerous west of the town, in the
Łapiguz and Zimna Woda suburbs, and in Kolonia Gołaszyn. A
rich collection of ammonites and other Jurassic limestones is
displayed in the Regional Museum. The Museum, housed in the
A historic building of a railway station (PKP), photo by W. Mularczyk
80
A district town in the Powiśle region, known to be the seat of the
first school of arts and crafts on the Polish land. Opole Lubelskie
received town rights under the Magdeburg law from King Casimir
the Great in 1368. In the 16th century, the town became an important Calvinist centre. Stanisław Słupecki, Castellan of Lublin,
converted the local sanctuary into a Protestant church and founded
a Calvinist school. Calvinist sermons were delivered in Opole by
eminent preachers – Krzysztof Kraiński, and Andrzej and Wojciech
Węgierski. The town’s owners – the house of Słupecki – took care
of its growth by bringing in many craftsmen.
Another highlight in the history of Opole came in the 18th century, thanks to its new owners, the Tarło family, and the Piarists,
who were invited here by Jan Tarło, Voivode of Sandomierz. In 1761,
Fr. Ignacy Konarski, brother of Stanisław, actively involved with the
Commission of National Education, established a craftsmanship
school adopted by the Sejm through a resolution in 1764.
The late-Baroque Piarist monastic complex still stands in Opole
Lubelskie. Erected in the mid-18th century on the initiative of Jan
Tarło, to Franciszek Antoni Mayer’s design, the complex consists of
a former monastery, a craftsmanship school and a Piarist college.
The town’s greatest monument is the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in the years 1650-1675, and
extended halfway through the 18th century. It boasts rich Baroque
furnishings with Antoni Dembicki’s polychromies which form a
The Park & Palace complex in Niezdów near Opole Lubelskie, photo by K. Ryczek
81
Places worth seeing
the artisan and fair traditions of Opole Lubelskie. Also worth seeing
is the Opole Community Centre with its refaced, iconic cinema,
Opolanka, known for hosting ambitious and original cultural
events, such as the Filmoffo film festival and the Chonabibe club
music festival.
Opole Community Centre, ul. Lubelska 30, 24-300 Opole Lubelskie;
sekretariat@ockopolelubelskie.pl, www.ockopolelubelskie.pl; tel. 81 827
25 67, 827 25 71
Multimedia Museum, ul. Strażacka 1; muzeum@opolelubelskie.pl; tel.
81 475 50 10
Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ul. 24-300 Opole
Lubelskie, tel. 81 827 21 04; www.paropolelub.natan.pl
PUŁAWY
The interior of a parish church in Opole Lubelskie, photo by S. Turski
harmonious composition with the altars. Besides portraits of its
donators and some religious paintings by authors such as Dembicki
and Szymon Czechowicz, the church contains gravestones and
many epitaphs from the 17th-18th centuries. Equally impressive
is its fine collection of liturgical books, chasubles, monstrances
and chalices.
A token left by the magnate house of Lubomirski are the two
palaces. The first one, now used by a general secondary school,
emerged in the early 17th century from the hands of the Słupecki
family. Around 1740, it was expanded by Tarłos, to be finally converted to a magnificent mansion by the Lubomirskis. Its Classicist
style came from the great architects of King Poniatowski’s era –
Domenico Merlini and Franciszek Ferdynand Nax. Just as its two
annexes, which now belong to a hospital, the palace lost much of
its original character after being converted to barracks in 1854. The
second palace in Opole Lubelskie, dating back to 1785-87, is located
in the town’s western district, Niezdów. This countryside residence
of Aleksander Lubomirski, designed by Domenico Merlini, was
built by a pond amidst a 16-hectare landscape park. Close by, two
annexes were added early into the 19th century.
A hundred years later, the park underwent a redesign by Walerian
Kronenberg, to be turned in the 1970s into one of the voivodeship’s
largest public parks, and it has remained so to this day.
In the very heart of the town, where Ogrodowa and Strażacka
streets meet, a renovated market square is to be found, today a
venue which hosts fairs of regional products. Among the events
organised here, of special significance is the Flavours Workshop. On
Strażacka Street, tourists can also visit the Multimedia Museum,
which offers some novel ways to promote local history, including
82
Dubbed the “Polish Athens”, Puławy’s hallmark is the sizable (over
30 ha) palace and park complex of the Czartoryski house (18th19th centuries), located on the site of the former magnate’s palace
built in the years 1671-76 by Tylman von Gameren for Stanisław
Herakliusz Lubomirski.
On a high escarpment on the Vistula, Prince Adam Czartoryski
and his wife Izabela (née Fleming) set up a unique settlement that
drew much inspiration from the Antiquity period.
In the storeyed main palace, turned into an Agricultural Institute after the November Uprising (and now used by the Institute
of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation), a few historical rooms have
survived, e.g. the hall with a cast-iron staircase from the 1850s and
the Stone, Gothic, Knightly and Column rooms featuring a variety
of wall and vault decors. Traces of antiquity can also be found in
the Palace of Marynka (a reference to Maria, the Czartoryskis’
daughter), the palace chapel (today the church of the Blessed Virgin
Mary), the Temple of the Sybil, the Greek House, the Roman Gate
and the Yellow House. Most of these came from the hands of Piotr
Chrystian Aigner, a renowned architect of the period.
The Czartoryski Palace in Puławy, photo by S. Kuter
83
Places worth seeing
The Gothic House in the Czartoryski Palace Settlement, photo courtesy
of the MOLV archive
The complex further includes Gothic-Revival (the Gothic House) and oriental structures (the Chinese Arbor). The settlement’s
romantic ambience is complemented with the landscaped English
garden and its labyrinth of grottos, arcaded gates and terraced
stairs. Princess Izabela came up with the park’s concept herself,
though with generous help from an English gardener, James Savage.
During the Czartoryskis period, around the advent of the 19th
century, Puławy became an important centre of intellectual and
artistic life. The most prominent figures to visit and work in the
town were Franciszek Dionizy Kniaźnin, Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz,
Grzegorz Piramowicz, Franciszek Zabłocki, Jean-Pierre Norblin de
La Gourdaine, Zygmunt Vogel and Joseph Richter.
Princess Izabela Czartoryska, passionately interested in art and
antiquity, in 1801 opened the first Polish museum in Puławy. In
the Temple of the Sybil, modelled on the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli
The Gothic Room at the Czartoryski Palace in Puławy, photo by P. Maciuk
near Rome, Czartoryska assembled a collection of keepsakes of the
most eminent Poles, among them royal insignia donated to her
by Tadeusz Czacki, a famous collector. The nearby Gothic House,
in turn, performed the function of a gallery exhibiting national
souvenirs and masterpieces of European art, including the greatest
paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. It’s worth noting that,
after many years, part of the Puławy collection was returned to the
town and is now displayed in the palace housing the Czartoryski
Museum. The exhibition holds archival materials, militaria and
souvenirs from the family collection at the Czartoryski Museum in
Kraków. There is a chance that exhibition space will also be available
soon at the two venues of the first Polish museum – the Temple of
Sybil and the Gothic House – which have been undergoing major
renovation over the last years.
Czartoryski Museum in Puławy – Branch of the Vistula Museum in Kazimierz
Dolny, ul. Czartoryskich 8, 24-100 Puławy, tel. 81 475 45 00, 475 45 03;
palacpulawy@mnkd.pl, www.mnkd.pl
RADZYŃ PODLASKI
The Temple of the Sibyl in Puławy, photo by S. Kuter
84
The Potocki palace and park complex is beyond comparison to
anything in the region. In terms of scale and magnificence, paired
by the richness of architectural decor, it is often compared to
Wilanów near Warsaw, Sanssouci in Potsdam and the Admirality
Palace in St. Petersburg. Erected in the 1750s by Marshal Eustachy
85
Places worth seeing
Next to the church stands a belfry from a later period, with a
gate donated by the house of Potocki, built in the 1750s by Jakub
Fontana.
Regional Chamber in Radzyń Podlaski, Cultural and Tourist Information
Point (the Potocki Palace), ul. Jana Pawła II 15, 21-300 Radzyń Podlaski,
tel. 83 352 15 60, 352 15 60; turystyka@pra.pl, www.krainaserdecznosci.pl
Parish of the Holy Trinity, ul. Jana Pawła II 15, 21-300 Radzyń Podlaski,
tel. 83 352 73 90; swtrojca@vp.pl
SIEDLISKA AND HREBENNE
The Potocki Palace in Radzyń Podlaski, photo by S. Turski
Potocki, the complex is an achievement of the most illustrious
Rococo architects, sculptors and stucco-workers – Jakub Fontana,
Jan Chryzostom Redler, Bogumił Plersch and Józef Lapen. Its true
sculptural masterpieces are figurative, ancient scenes (e.g. The
Twelve Labours of Heracles and Apollo’s Chariot) which adorn the
upper sections of the palace, gates and orangery. Sadly, the grand
palace interiors were severely burnt during World War II, but this
damage is being meticulously repaired by the local authorities and
institutions from Radzyń Podlaski, which have their offices here. The
large park by the palace, laid out by Jakub Fontana, Pierre Ricaud
de Tirregaille and Dawid Knackfus, is not only home to some of
the trees that originally grew here, but also a group of four ponds
and a lane along a wide causeway. Vis-a-vis the palace complex we
face another historically valuable building – the parish church of
the Holy Trinity, dating from the first half of the 17th century. The
church, styled in line with the Lublin Renaissance and donated by
Stanisław Mniszech and Zofia Mniszech née Działyńska, boasts
impressive stuccowork in its vaults. Also worth attention is the
storeyed Mannerist gravestone to the donators in the Chapel of
Our Lady of the Rosary.
The Park & Palace complex in Radzyń Podlaski, photo courtesy of the
MOLV archive
86
A very attractive, though still hardly known, village in eastern
Roztocze, just near the Polish-Ukrainian border and the Podkarpackie Voivodeship. Surrounded by forests, Siedliska is an excellent choice for a summer vacation, the more so that it abounds in
tokens of the past related to the Sapieha house, which owned the
Rawa demesne.
Early into the 20th century, Prince Paweł Sapieha donated sanctuaries that stand to this day – the parish church of Our Lady of
Perpetual Help (the former estate chapel) and St. Nicholas’ Greek-Catholic Church. The latter, restored by the local community, has
an iconostasis from the 17th-18th centuries and a wooden belfry
constructed in the first half of the 19th century.
On the opposite side, in a building once used by a school, there is
the Petrified Trees Museum, devoted to one of the most interesting
natural peculiarities in eastern Roztocze. The fossils presented
here, quite numerous in and around Siedliska, are remnants of
sequoia taxodium from over ten million years ago, i.e. the Tertiary
(Miocene) period. They became petrified through saturation with
silica and, as a result, today resemble stone rather than organic
wood. This phenomenon drew the eye of Jan Długosz himself back
The Petrified Trees Museum, photo by S. Turski
87
Places worth seeing
in the Middle Ages, and today it has become the leading theme for
“Kamienny Las na Roztoczu” (“The Roztocze Stone Forest”), a new
geopark being currently designed by researchers.
It was the residents of Siedliska that created the museum, furnishing it with nearly 500 pieces of petrified trees. Fossils can also
be seen out in the wild, along the educational nature trail which
runs to the “Jalinka” reserve and was marked out by the Tomaszów
Lubelski Forest Inspectorate. It will not only lead us to the petrified
trees, but also to a plot planted with bald cypress, a close relative of
the prehistoric taxodium. Another interesting piece is the group of
more than ten monumental oak trees (with up to 6.5 m in circumference) left after the Sapieha estate park. Nature lovers will certainly
enjoy dropping in on the mid-forest clearing near the springs of
the Prutnik River, where in crystal-clear water, somewhere in the
sandy bottom, you can spot pulsating mini-geysers.
Right by the springs stands the wooden chapel of St. Nicholas, and in the adjacent area a mysterious earthen burial mound
towers over the ground. It is said to conceal the remains of Tatar
knights who in 1672 suffered a defeat here from the army of King
Jan III Sobieski.
The closest neighbour of Siedliska is Hrebenne, a village mostly
known for a major level crossing to Ukraine. Frome here, Lviv can
be reached at the shortest distance.
On a hill outside the village, among old lindens, lies the Greek-Catholic complex of sanctuaries of St. Nicholas, with a wooden
Orthodox church from the late 17th century, a wooden belfry
from the 18th century and a brick gate dating back to the early
19th century. The Orthodox church, built probably in 1697 and
extended around the turn of the 19th century, has a three-section
layout with a vestibule, a nave and a presbytery, and is capped
with three octagonal domes resting on tall “drums”. Its interior
is adorned with icons from the original iconostasis dating back to
17th-18th centuries, including depictions of Christ the Pantocrator,
Hrebenne – a Greek-Catholic Church, photo by S. Turski
88
A spring and St. Nicholas’ shrine, photo by A. Pietruszka
the Twelve Apostles and Oranta the Mother of God. Interestingly,
the Orthodox church in Hrebenne has for several decades been a
place of worship for both local congregations, as Sunday and holiday
services are celebrated here by priests from the nearby Catholic
parish in Siedliska and the Greek-Catholic parish in Przemyśl.
The Orthodox-church hill is also an excellent viewing spot on
the Hrebenne - Rawa Ruska border crossing.
Petrified Trees Museum, Siedliska Tomaszowskie, 22-680 Lubycza Królewska, tel. 84 667 46 82, 513 122 918
Tomaszów Pasieki Forest Inspectorate, ul. Mickiewicza 1, 22-600 Tomaszów Lubelski, tel. 84 664 24 50, 664 24 58, 664 24 59; www.lublin.lasy.
gov.pl/web/tomaszow
Catholic Parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Siedliska 15, 22-680 Lubycza
Królewska, tel. 84 667 46 86
Greek-Catholic Parish of St. Nicholas, Hrebenne 181, 22-680 Lubycza
Królewska, tel. 505 003 609; jtarapacki@przemyslgr.opoka.org.pl (curate:
Fr. Jan Tarapacki)
Church and bell tower in Siedliska, photo by E. Słoniewski
89
Places worth seeing
St. Catherine’s Church in Szczebrzeszyn, photo by S. Turski
SZCZEBRZESZYN
One of the region’s oldest and most historic localities, which received
its town rights in the second half of the 14th century. It features an
age-old street layout and market square, a few historically precious
sanctuaries, a mediaeval gord and a Jewish cemetery.
The gord in the western suburbs shows traces of a 10th-century
settlement with remnants of cottages, stone furnaces and a burial
ground built around the 12th-13th centuries. A hundred years later,
King Casimir the Great had a defensive tower built here to protect
crossings over the Wieprz River. By that time, a town had grown
east of the castle, and towards the end of the century a parish and
the first wooden church appeared. Some of the walls of another
sanctuary (from the 14th-15th centuries) belong to the Orthodox
church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, dating back to the
16th century. Originally Orthodox, it was used by Uniates from 1596
to 1875, to eventually return and stay with the Orthodox Church
until 1915. Up to this day, the congregation of the eastern rite
occasionally use it as a branch church affiliated with St. Nicholas’
Orthodox parish in Zamość. What’s worth noting is that this is the
oldest religious structure administered by the Polish Autocephalous
Orthodox Church. It boasts magnificent polychromies from the
16th-17th centuries, depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ
and St. John’s Book of Revelations.
The early 17th century is when two Catholic sanctuaries, still
standing, came into existence – the parish church of St. Nicholas
the Bishop and the monastic Franciscan church of St. Catherine.
Donated by the Zamoyski ordynats and designed in the Lublin Renaissance style, both have rich stuccowork in the vaults. The Franciscan
monastery at St. Catherine’s church from the 18th century became
90
home for a hospital present
there to this day.
The Renaissance synagogue was established at the
turn of the 17th century, to
undergo a major redevelopment a hundred years later.
Burned down by German Nazis during World War II, the
synagogue was reconstructed
and is now the seat for the local community centre. Inside,
we will find a stone Aron Ha-Kodesh (Torah ark) and Renaissance vaults with exquisite
The beetle monument in
stuccowork. A stone’s throw Szczebrzeszyn,photo by G. Jaworski
away from the synagogue on
ul. Cmentarna lies one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in the
region, comprising nearly 400 tombstones, the oldest of which
have stood here since the turn of the 18th century.
The cemetery commemorates the martyrdom of 2300 Jews
from Szczebrzeszyn, who on this very ground were shot by the
German Nazis.
On the market square, and by the spring at the foot of Zamkowa
Hill, we can see monuments to the beetle from Jan Brzechwa’s
famous poem and tongue-twister W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi
w trzcinie i Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie (In Szczebrzeszyn the beetle
clicks in the reed and that’s what Szczebrzeszyn is famous for). In the
eastern suburbs, on the Wieprz River, an extensive park stretches
out with a palace once owned by the Zamoyskis, both dating back
to the 17th-19th centuries.
A Jewish cemetery in Szczebrzeszyn, photo by G. Jaworski
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Places worth seeing
Several kilometres north of Szczebrzeszyn, in the valley of the
Por River, the village of Sąsiadka nestles, with a high, earthen hill.
This is where back in the 11th-12th centuries Sutiejsk, one of the
border Cherven Towns, was located.
West and south of the town, the picturesque scenery of Western
Roztocze can be admired, with a dense network of loess gorges
(3-9 km/sq. km), including the “Piekiełko” labyrinth between
Szczebrzeszyn and Wywłoczka.
Municipal Community Centre, ul. Sądowa 3, 22-460 Szczebrzeszyn, tel. 84
682 10 60; mdk@szczebrzeszyn.pl, www.szczebrzeszyn.pl; Online Tourist
Information Point: pit@mdk.szczebrzeszyn.pl
TOMASZÓW LUBELSKI
A large trade centre on the Lviv Route with town rights since 1590.
At the site of Rogóźno village, Hetman Jan Zamoyski founded
a town called Jelitowo (after “Jelita”, the Zamoyskis’ coat of arms)
which five years later was renamed Tomaszów (from Jan Zamoyski’s
son, Tomasz). Its urban layout was devised by the Italian architect
Bernardo Morando, who also designed the “ideal Renaissance
town”, Zamość. The layout drew much inspiration from the original
The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, photo by S. Turski
92
– within an area shaped as
a regular hexagon, fortified
with embankments and a
moat, Morando inscribed a
market square from which
four main streets emerge
towards Zamość (today ul.
Zamojska), Lviv (ul. Lwowska), Szczebrzeszyn (ul. Józefa Piłsudskiego) and Sokal
(ul. 29 Listopada). These in
turn are connected to a grid
of smaller, perpendicular and
parallel alleys, which together
form very regularly structured quarters of land.
The St. Nicholas Orthodox Church,
Sadly, much of Tomaszów’s
photo by S. Turski
earliest architectural style has
been lost in raids, warfare and fires afflicting the town. Many monuments have not survived either, e.g. a Baroque Trinitarian church
and monastery from the first half of the 18th century (pulled down
after the order was dissolved in 1783 and a synagogue dating back
to the second half of the 17th century (destroyed by the Germans
during their occupation of Poland). On the market square, the
original Tea House can still be visited, built in 1895 from thick
wooden logs and modelled after northern-Russian tea houses.
Nearby stands the Orthodox St. Nicholas’ church, dating from
1885-90. This eclectic structure crowned by five domes combines
neo-Classicist architecture with the official, Byzantine-Ruthenian
style. Also worth visiting is the parish church of the Most Sacred
Heart of Jesus at ul. Lwowska. The Baroque furnishings in this 193549 sanctuary (the altar, the paintings and the boat-shaped pulpit)
were taken from a Roman-Catholic church and a Greek-Catholic
church in nearby Uhnów which, after the 1951 arrangements for
Poland’s eastern border, today belongs to Ukraine.
The town’s most precious historic landmark is the church of the
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ranked among the most
beautiful wooden sanctuaries of the Baroque period in Poland.
Donated by the second ordynat, Tomasz Zamoyski, and erected in
1627, the church was redeveloped a century later. It has a spatial
layout characteristic of grand Baroque sanctuaries made of brick – a
three-aisle interior with side aisles separated from the main nave
by arcades on slim, richly corniced pillars.
A similar, very prominent cornice runs around the coping of
the external walls, demarcating in the façade the top storey with
quadrilateral steeples capped by bulb-shaped cupolas. The church
must have been designed by a top-class architect and built by masters in carpentry, as can be seen in its barrel vault and trapezoid
niches for chapels in the side aisles. The copious Baroque interior,
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Places worth seeing
which was in part transferred from the demolished Trinitarian
church, will draw the visitor’s eye with the main altar (made in 1627
and extended in 1726) with a miraculous painting of Our Lady of
the Scapular. Next to the church stand an 18th-century wooden
belfry and an original stone pillory, whereas the church cemetery
is surrounded by ancient trees.
Every autumn, in and around Tomaszów Lubelski, battles are
re-enacted between the Polish and German armies that clashed here
on one of the biggest battlefields of the 1939 September Campaign.
The first to meet the Germans here, on 17-20 September, were the
Lublin and Kraków armies heading for the south-eastern border
and Romania. Later, from 22 to 27 September, similar battles were
fought by the forces of the Northern Front, built up on the basis of
the Modlin army. The open-air shows entitled “Ocalić od zapomnienia”
(“Preserving Them in Memory”), with various re-enactment groups
backed by tanks, armoured vehicles and cars (successful battles
were fought by, i.a., the armoured-mechanised brigade under Gen.
Piskor’s command) are held here in September. In addition, all those
war encounters have been commemorated by the Regional Museum
named after Dr. Janusz Peter, a physician, painter and regionalist.
The Museum exhibits a vast collection of battlefield weaponry, as
well as the banners of regiments and other military units.
Siwa Dolina (Grey Valley) encompassed within the town limits
is the region’s undisputed hallmark when it comes to cross-country
skiing (and the place where a branch of the Polish Ski Federation
has its headquarters), whereas the village of Justynówka, east
of Tomaszów, has an Alpine-skiing centre on Mount Biała (349
The J. Petera Regional Museum – an exhibition dedicated to the battles
of Tomaszów Lubelski, photo by S. Turski
94
metres above sea level). The five professional cross-country routes
in Siwa Dolina are not open exclusively to skiers, as, outside the
winter season, skirollers, roller-bladers and roller-skaters can
use them too, in addition to a half-kilometre track prepared
especially for them. The skiing routes are also available to cyclists. Tomaszów Lubelski has even hosted MTB (mountain bike)
championships.
Tourist Information Point, ul. Kościelna 9, 22-600 Tomaszów Lubelski, tel.
84 665 85 05; biuro@lot.roztocze.com, www.roztoczewita.pl
Janusz Peter Regional Museum, ul. Zamojska 2, 22-600 Tomaszów Lubelski, muzeum3@o2.pl, www.muzeum.powiat-tomaszowski.com.pl,
tel. 84 664 37 20
Siwa Dolina Skiing Centre, al. Sportowa 8, 22-600 Tomaszów Lubelski,
tel. 84 665 93 50; tom.tom60@wp.pl, www.lozn.org.pl
WŁODAWA
A town on the Bug that has retained the unique atmosphere of three
intermingling religions and cultures – Catholicism, the Orthodox
church and Judaism. A prominent aspect of Włodawa’s landscape
is the steeples of the great Baroque church of Paulines from the
18th century, the 19th-century Byzantine-Ruthenian Orthodox
church, and the roof of the grand synagogue dating back to the
second half of the 18th century. Some of the bygone splendour
of Włodawa, once a renowned fair centre, has been preserved
in its historic, brick structure (“tetragon”) which used to house
stalls and butcher shops, and is located – just like Sukiennice in
Kraków – in the middle of the market square. Another reminiscence of the town’s multicultural past comes from the Festival
of Three Cultures, held each autumn and comprising concerts,
exhibitions, performances, workshops and religious services in
the three local sanctuaries.
Włodawa – the Festival of Three Cultures, photo by A. Koziara
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Places worth seeing
Włodawa – a view of St. Louis’ Church, photo by P. Maciuk
Włodawa is also special in that all its sanctuaries were donated
by its former owners: the Catholic church by the Pociej family, the
synagogue by the Czartoryskis, and the Orthodox church by the
Zamoyskis.
St. Louis’ church was under construction from 1731 to 1780, to the
design by the famous Paolo Antonio Fontana. Its rich late-Baroque
style is best represented by the two-steeple façade running along
a very smooth, meandering line and adorned with pilasters and
cornices. The elliptical nave is covered by a dome. The polychromy
adornments inside were added by Antoni Dobrzeniewski and the
canvas paintings were by Szymon Czechowicz, an established painter
of the Baroque period. The altars and other items, including the
large sculptures of the Church Fathers by the pillars in the nave,
Włodawa – an Orthodox church, photo by S. Turski
96
The Great Synagogue in Włodawa, photo by G. Jaworski
sport a Rococo design. Next to the church stands the extensive
monastic complex of the Pauline Order monks, who were invited by
Ludwik Konstanty Pociej in 1698 to come over from Częstochowa
and settle on the Bug River. The Orthodox church of the Nativity
of the Theotokos, built from 1840 to 1842, was donated by the
town’s owner, Count August Zamoyski. It was first used by Greek
Catholics, to be turned in 1875 into an Orthodox church, which it
is to this day. Its external body, dating from the reconstruction
of 1888, constitutes a classic example of a Byzantine-Ruthenian
Orthodox church on a Greek-cross plan, with a tall, bulbed dome
in the middle and three apses crowned by semi-domes.
Other elements that have survived since the first donation
include the interior polychromies (from 1842) and the iconostasis
with icons from the 17th-18th centuries.
The sanctuary neighbours a Classicist parsonage which dates
back to 1846-1850 and features a characteristic portico and bossed
The Torah Ark in the Great Synagogue, photo by S. Turski
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Places worth seeing
Former Kahal house in Włodawa, photo by M. Tarajko
quoins. In the church cemetery, by the wall, a couple gravestones
from the 19th-20th centuries can be seen.
The synagogue complex in Włodawa is one of the greatest of its
type in Poland. The grand synagogue was donated in 1764 by the
Czartoryski house who at the time owned Włodawa. This Baroque,
storeyed building stands under a mansard roof of the Polish type and
has a façade flanked by storeyed corner extensions with charming
arcades by the ground floor. Its Aron Ha-Kodesh (built in the 1930s
in the Baroque Revival design), ornamented with beautiful stuccowork and polychromies, made it through the WWII devastation
from the German hands. Also worth noting is the cross-barrel vault
with lunettes, featuring ornamented medallions on its keystones.
Next to the grand synagogue stands a smaller, Classicist church
from the second half of the 19th century, along with a building that
housed a Jewish school, beth midrash. The whole complex, subject
to major renovation in the 1980s, has been used since 1986 by the
Museum of the Łęczna-Włodawa Lake District, which holds a large
collection of Judaica exhibits.
Museum of the Łęczna-Włodawa Lake District (in the former synagogue), ul. Czerwonego Krzyża 7, 22-200 Włodawa, tel. 82 572 21 78;
poczta@muzeumwlodawa.pl, www.muzeumwlodawa.pl
Pauline Monastery and St. Louis’ church, ul. Klasztorna 7, 22-200 Włodawa,
tel. 82 572 13 66; wlodawa@paulini.pl, www.wlodawa.paulini.pl
Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos, ul. Kościelna 11a,
22-200 Włodawa, tel. 82 572 17 50; parafia@cerkiew.wlodawa.pl
WOJCIECHÓW
This most widely known agritourism village in the Lublin region,
located ca. 25 km west of Lublin, is famous for cherishing folk
smithery traditions. The Czerniec family, who for nearly a hundred
years have been running a blacksmith’s shop here, every early
July host all-Polish smithery workshops, turning Wojciechów
into a lively fair devoted to artistic steelwork and other items
of folk art.
98
The Arian Tower, photo by G. Jaworski
Wojciechów’s most precious monument is the Arian Tower.
Erected in the 16th-17th centuries by the Pilecki house, it constitutes an interesting piece of residential and defensive architecture
verging on the Gothic and Renaissance styles. 25 metres in height,
it has four storeys and 2-metre-thick walls at the foundation. In the
past, the tower stood in a fortified square (a fragment of the wall
with embrasures is still there, as well as the remnants of earthen
embankments and moats) which also housed estate buildings owned
by the Spinek and Orzechowski families. As both lines were keen
supporters of the Reformation, the tower served as a Protestant
chapel, where sermons were delivered by Marcin Krowicki, a famed
Calvinist preacher.
The tower in Wojciechów
was dubbed “Arian” by Stefan Żeromski (who would
often come here from nearby Nałęczów) in his novel “Nawracanie Judasza”
(“Converting of Judas”). Of
note, this first-class monument, at that time an estate
granary, was under renovation from 1911 to 1914 by
Jan Koszczyc-Witkiewicz,
Żeromski’s son-in-law, at
the commission of the Society for the Protection of
Monuments. Today, the
Arian Tower houses the
Communal Culture Centre
At the smithy of Roman Czerniec in
and a smithery museum. The Wojciechów, photo courtesy of the
second of Wojciechów’s great Wojciechów Commune Office archive
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Places worth seeing
tombstone that dates back to much earlier times, and commemorates Stanisław Spinek Jr., who died in 1578. Behind the wall,
we can see a parsonage and an organist’s house, both from the
interwar period. The active cemetery features a sepulchral chapel
of the Świeżawski family from the late 19th century. Through
Wojciechów runs the Iron and Smithery Tradition Trail, which
will not only take us to blacksmiths’ shops and the monuments
mentioned earlier, but also the Wojciechosko Homestead mini
open-air museum (with a genuine 1918 smithy, among other
things) and the Hipolit Water Mill on the Bystra River in Nowy
Gaj, where an interesting collection of minerals, ammonites and
many other fossils can be seen.
St. Theodore’s church in Wojciechów, photo by P. Maciuk
monuments is the parish church of St. Theodore, built in 1725
by Teodor Orzechowski, as a votive offering for the donator’s
return (under the influence of Jesuit missions) to the Catholic
denomination. Inside the church, fully made of larch wood, there
are a Baroque main altar and Rococo side altars, which conceal
priceless cordovans – impressed, painted and gilded skins with
rich ornamentations. Along with the sanctuary, a still-standing
wooden belfry was erected, and in 1802 the new owner of Wojciechów, Ignacy Morski, enclosed the church with a brick fence
comprising gates, chapels and a mortuary. The wall features a
Hipolit Mill in Nowy Gaj n. Wojciechów, photo by G. Jaworski
100
Smithery Museum - Communal Culture Centre, 24-204 Wojciechów
9, tel. 81 517 72 10; kowale@kowale.com.pl, www.kowale.com.pl,
www.gokwojciechow.pl
Roman Czerniec’s Blacksmith Shop, Wojciechów 153, tel. 81 517 73 05,
691 053 403, www.czerniec.pl
Hipolit Water Mill, Nowy Gaj 18A, 24-204 Wojciechów, tel. 81 723 75 72,
505 288 292; mlynhipolit@poczta.onet.pl, www.mlynhipolit.pl
St. Theodore’s Parish, Wojciechów 113, tel. 81 517 73 14;
j.halasa@kuria.lublin.pl, www.parafia–wojciechow.pl
WOJSŁAWICE
A former town with numerous traces of the past, e.g. three sanctuaries – a Catholic church, an Orthodox church and a synagogue.
In 1440, the castellan of Krasnystaw, Jan Ligęza Czyżowski,
requested from King Władysław Warneńczyk town rights for the
village that Ligęza received a few years earlier from King Władysław
Jagiełło. The new town, with a rectangular market and a regular
network of streets, was constructed in the early 16th century by
Hieronim Zaklika Czyżowski, once he had secured an incorporation charter for Wojsławice. In the 17th century, the town first
An Orthodox church and a bell tower, photo by S. Turski
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Places worth seeing
The synagogue (now serving as a library and an art gallery), photo by S. Turski
became the property of the Voivod of Kiev, Janusz Tyszkiewicz,
and then of Stanisław Stefan Czarniecki, who held the office of
notarius campestris and was a relative of the famous hetman, Stefan
Czarniecki. In the 18th century this estate went over to the Potocki
and Poletyło houses.
The parish church of St. Michael the Archangel was erected in
1595-1608 and redeveloped in the late 17th century in line with late-Renaissance models by the architect and engineer of the Zamość
fortress Jan Michał Link. 1771 saw the construction, just nearby,
of a Greek-Catholic church of Prophet Elijah, next to which a high
brick belfry in the Byzanthine-Ruthenian style appeared in the
mid-19th century. Between 1864 and 1945, the Elijah sanctuary
belonged to the Orthodox congregation and now is a branch church
of the Orthodox parish in Chełm.
The Jews, forming a large part of Wojsławice’s population, were
murdered by the Germans during WWII.
Pieces of architecture that have survived to our times include
a synagogue from the turn of the 20th century and a wooden
Rabbi’s house (the old 1780 synagogue was pulled down back in
the second half of the 20th century). The new synagogue, with a
characteristic suspended false vault, a recess for Aron Ha-Kodesh
and a reconstructed wooden structure of the bimah, houses a library
and an exhibition room.
As regards the Jews from Wojsławice, we should mention the
bizarre and dramatic story from 1761, when, in retaliation for
the Frankists’ murder of a Christian child, the elders of the local
kahal were sentenced to death and the Orthodox Jews exiled
from the town. While in prison, the Rabbi put a curse on Wojsławice and committed suicide. A year later, the castellan’s wife
102
A parish church, photo by S. Turski
Marianna Potocka had five votive shrines placed near each of
the roads running to Wojsławice (on a plan of a cross), devoting
them to the saints – Barbara, Thecla, Florian, John of Nepomuk
and Michael Archangel – who were to protect the locals from
the Rabbi’s curse.
Aside from the shrines, those tragic events are brought back
to us by Szubienica (The Gallows), a forested area out of town,
while the story itself was popularised by Andrzej Pilipiuk. This
well-known author of fantasy literature, strongly inspired by the
aura and social conditions of small Polish towns and villages, chose
Wojsławice and its environs as the setting for his short stories on
Jakub Wędrowycz. Building on its rich history, also that being the
topic of literary fiction, Wojsławice organises each year The Days
of Jakub Wędrowycz and a fest entitled “W kręgu Wojsława” (In the
Wojsław circle).
Commune Office in Wojsławice, Rynek 30, 22-120 Wojsławice, tel. 82 566
91 02; gmina@wojslawice.eurzad.eu, www.wojslawice.eurzad.eu
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Biographical museums
Biographical
museums
Chapter 2
104
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Biographical museums
The J. I. Kraszewski Museum, photo by S. Turski
ROMANÓW
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski Museum
Romanów is where Józef Ignacy Kraszewski spent his childhood
years (1812–1826) and a place he would revisit later in his life.
Currently, a museum dedicated to the life and work of this writer
operates here. The manor house in Romanów was built by Kraszewski’s grandparents (Malski). His parents, Zofia (née Malski) and
Jan, inherited the property in the mid-19th century.
Built in 1962, this museum has interiors that capture the patriotic
air of a Partitions-period gentry’s house, exhibiting an impressive body
of work by one of the greatest Polish writers – the author of more than
220 novels, who was also a journalist, draughtsman and publisher.
The Romantic park still features a spruce alley, a Gothic-Revival
gate and a chapel with the mausoleum of the Malski and Kraszewski
families. The writer’s mother and two brothers are buried in the
parochial cemetery in the nearby village of Wisznice.
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski Museum, Romanów 25, 21-518 Sosnówka, tel. 83
379 30 14; muzeum_kraszewskiego@op.pl, www.muzeumkraszewskiego.pl
The J.I. Kraszewski Museum – the salon, photo by S. Turski
106
The Henryk Sienkiewicz Museum, photo by A. Bednaruk
WOLA OKRZEJSKA
Henryk Sienkiewicz Museum
Wola Okrzewska in Southern Podlasie is where Henryk Sienkiewicz
was born. Since 1966, in a restored estate outbuilding, a museum
dedicated to this Nobel Prize-winning author has been open for
visitors. The substantial collection of over 1500 volumes of Sienkiewicz’s works, analyses and critiques is complemented by some
colourful memorabilia and posters of the film adaptations of, among
other works, “Pan Wołodyjowski” (“Fire in the Steppe”), “W pustyni
i puszczy” (“In Desert and Wilderness”) and “Quo vadis.” On show
are also his paintings, aquarelles and drawings, and the adjoining
park contains open-air sculptures inspired by Sienkiewicz’s works
and protagonists.
In the parish church of the nearby village of Okrzeja, there are
a plaque commemorating his baptism and polychromies depicting some scenes from “Quo Vadis” and “Potop” (“The Deluge”). The
Part of an exhibition in the museum, photo by A. Bednaruk
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Biographical museums
cemetery contains the gravestone of the author’s mother – Stefania
Sienkiewicz (née Cieciszowska) – along with the “Mother and Son”
monument, which was donated by the Henryk Sienkiewicz Society
in Lublin. On the outskirts of the village, there is a mound, made
in the 1930s, with Sienkiewicz’s bust.
Henryk Sienkiewicz Museum in Wola Okrzejska, 21-480 Okrzeja, tel. 25 755
90 00; muzeumHS@wp.pl, www.muzeumsienkiewicza.pl
NAŁĘCZÓW
Bolesław Prus Museum
At the turn of the 20th century, Nałęczów was not only a renowned
and fashionable health resort, but also a hotbed of intellectual and
artistic activity for many outstanding figures. Bolesław Prus was
one of the most famous of these figures. He had an unmatched
fondness for Nałęczów. Indeed, he was associated with the town
for 28 years. He was born in Hrubieszów and attended school in
Lublin, later to move to Warsaw. In the years 1882–1910, already
an acclaimed writer and columnist, he used to spend all his holidays in the Nałęczów resort. He lived in the Palace of the House of
Małachowski, where he worked on such novels as “Placówka” (“The
Outpost”) and “Lalka” (“The Doll”), and also wrote the superb “Kroniki Nałęczowskie” (“Nałęczów Chronicles”) for Warsaw newspapers.
A Spring Picnic with Mr Prus in Nałęczów, photo by P. Maciuk
a monument to Bolesław Prus – a bench with the author’s sculpture
sitting on it. To cherish the memory of this great man, each year
the people of Nałęczów organise an open-air event called “Majówka
z Panem Prusem” (“A Spring Picnic with Mr Prus”) that takes place
in the Nałęczów Health Resort’s park.
Bolesław Prus Museum in Nałęczów – Branch of the Lublin Museum, al.
Małachowskiego 2, 24-140 Nałęczów, tel. 81 501 45 52; prus@zamek-lublin.pl,
www.zamek-lublin.pl
Nałęczów – a bench monument near the Bolesław Prus Museum, photo by S. Turski
Several rooms on the Palace’s ground floor have been re-adapted
as a museum dedicated to Prus. One of the most notable exhibits
here is the original typewriter used by Prus to write his articles,
short stories and novels. By the entrance to the Palace there stands
108
The B. Prus Museum in Nałęczów, photo by P. Maciuk
109
Biographical museums
The Stefan Żeromski Museum, photo by S. Turski
NAŁĘCZÓW
Stefan Żeromski Museum
Stefan Żeromski is yet another great writer connected with Nałęczów.
He came here in 1890 as a tutor to the daughters of Michał Górski,
who owned the health resort in Nałęczów. Enchanted by the town
(“Nałęczów is now not merely a beautiful place, but an art book of images one would think only a dream could create...” – he wrote in his
Diary in 1891), he stayed there for longer. He married Oktawia
Rodkiewiczowa, a stepdaughter of Doctor Konrad Chmielewski,
who was the resort’s chief physician.
Cottage interior – S. Żeromski Museum, photo by P. Maciuk
110
In 1905 on a hill called
Armatnia Góra, he put up
a workshop cabin. It was a
Zakopane-style building, designed by Jan Koszczyc-Witkiewicz. In 1928, Żeromski’s
wife, Oktawia, decided that
a museum would be established there. Inside you
can see genuine furniture,
pictures and many more
keepsakes of the author of
“Popioły” (“Ashes” – he used
the royalty money received
for this novel to build the
cabin). There are more traces
left by Żeromski in Nałęczów, Tomb of Adam Żeromski, photo
by P. Maciuk
such as the orphanage he donated. Set deep inside the
museum’s property, there is another building, also designed by
Koszczyc-Witkiewicz. It is the stone mausoleum of Adam, the
prematurely deceased, only son of Stefan Żeromski.
Stefan Żeromski Museum in Nałęczów – Branch of the Lublin Museum, ul.
Żeromskiego 8, 24-140 Nałęczów, tel. 81 501 47 80; zeromski@zamek-lublin.pl,
www.zamek-lublin.pl
KAZIMIERZ DOLNY
Maria and Jerzy Kuncewicz Museum
This is one of the most exquisite villas in Kazimierz. For many years,
it was a summer retreat for a well-known writing couple – Maria
and Jerzy Kuncewicz. The villa, called „The Squirrel House,” was
Maria and Jerzy Kuncewicz’s House, photo by G. Jaworski
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Biographical museums
built between 1934 and 1936 to the design of Karol Siciński, an outstanding architect associated with Kazimierz Dolny. This imposing
house, made of brick and wood, blends the features of the typical
summer architecture of the interwar period with the qualities
of a traditional carpenter’s craftsmanship. It is surrounded by a
beautiful landscape garden and park designed by Jan Dybowski,
a prominent naturalist and Professor at the National Institute of
Agricultural Science in Puławy.
The Former Estate Manager’s House, the Hrubieszów Agricultural Society
(TRH) in Dziekanów near Hrubieszów, photo by S. Turski
HRUBIESZÓW
Fr. Stanisław Staszic Museum
"Bluszcz" Historical reenactment group, photo by S. Kuter
Before World War II, the Kuncewicz couple hosted many
eminent figures of literature on their summer property, including Julian Tuwim, Kazimierz Wierzyński and Antoni Słonimski.
When the war broke out, they left Poland for Western Europe
and the USA. They returned to Kazimierz Dolny as many as
20 years later to spend their summer holidays here as they
used to. Maria Kuncewiczowa – who authored many short
stories and novels, including “Cudzoziemka” (“The Stranger”)
and “Dwa Księżyce” (“Two Moons”) as well as an anthology of
Polish literature) – spent the last five years of her life (1984–89)
in “The Squirrel House.” In the period between 1991 and 2005,
the house was administered by the Kuncewicz Foundation,
and since 2006 it has been home to a branch of the Vistula
Museum of Kazimierz Dolny. Some interiors are available for
sightseeing. These include the living room and the fireplace
room, whose fixtures and furnishings were reproduced when
Maria and Jerzy Kuncewicz still lived.
The 1791 Baroque-Classicist manor house of the Du Chateau
family (with outbuildings that were added in the 19th and 20th
centuries) contains the regional Fr. Stanisław Staszic Museum.
This eminent clerical, scientist and reformer bought Hrubieszów in
1800 and in 1816, in the neighbouring Dziekanów, he established
House of Maria and Jerzy Kuncewicz – Branch of the Vistula Museum,
ul. Małachowskiego 19, 24-120 Kazimierz Dolny, tel. 81 881 01 02;
www.mnkd.pl/dom-kuncewiczow
The Du Chateau Manor House – Regional Museum in Hrubieszów,
photo by P. Maciuk
112
113
Biographical museums
the Hrubieszów Agricultural Society, believed to be the first cooperative organisation on the Polish land, whose aim, he wished,
was to “provide a model of a fair establishment for peasants so that
they could help each other out in times of misery” Staszic was the
one who discovered Abraham Stern – the brilliant inventor of
mechanical calculators from Hrubieszów and an important contributor to Polish science.
In addition to an exhibition dedicated to the life and work of
Staszic and his Hrubieszów Agricultural Society, the museum has a
collection of valuable archaeological items found in the Hrubieszów
Basin, in such villages as Masłomęcz and Gródek nad Bugiem.
Fr. Stanisław Staszic Museum, ul. 3 Maja 11, 22-500 Hrubieszów, tel. 84 696
27 83; muzeum-hrubieszow@wp.pl, www.muzeum-hrubieszow.com.pl
LUBLIN
Wincenty Pol Museum
Wincenty Pol was a great poet, explorer and geographer. He was
born in 1807 in Lublin, where his parents had a grange in the
Firlejowszczyzna suburb. The late-18th-century former manor
house of the Pol family was relocated in 1972 to Kalinowszczyzna,
one of Lublin’s districts, to become the Wincenty Pol Museum. The
museum’s interiors capture the air of the 19th century, and its collections include portraits, manuscripts of Pol’s works, letters and
many more heirlooms.
Pol was an avid explorer, researcher and describer of the Polish
lands that lay at the source of the Vistula and Oder Rivers, by the
The W. Pol Museum in Lublin, photo by P. Maciuk
114
The interior of the W. Pol Museum, photo by P. Maciuk
San, Dniester and Prut Rivers, and in Podolia and Silesia. He put
his impressions on paper as poems, the most famous being “Pieśń
o ziemi naszej” (“A Song of our Land”). He also published articles in
magazines and books. He was Professor at the universities in Vilnius and Kraków, where he established the first chair of geography.
In addition to many memorabilia and publications, the Wincenty
Pol Museum in Lublin collects measuring devices, atlases and
globes. Particularly notable is its unique collection of over 100
Polish-language globes.
Wincenty Pol Manor House Museum – Branch of the Lublin Museum, ul.
Kalinowszczyzna 13, 20-129 Lublin; dworekpola@muzeumlubelskie.pl,
www.muzeumlubelskie.pl; tel. 81 747 24 13
The interior of the W. Pol Museum, photo by P. Maciuk
115
Other
museums
Chapter 3
116
Other museums
on display include machines once widely used by the Polish Army:
the MiG and SU fighter planes, the Mi and the SM helicopters
as well as the Lim, the Bies, and the Iryda trainers. Visitors will
certainly enjoy the possibility of boarding the Yak-40 airliner, the
largest among the airplanes on display, which comes from the
disbanded 36th Military Aviation Regiment.
Air Force Museum in Dęblin, ul. Dywizjonu 303 nr 12, 08-521 Dęblin,
sekreatriat@muzeumsilpowietrznych.pl, www.muzeumsilpowietrznych.
pl, tel. 81 551 94 50
Żmijowiska Gord
Dęblin. The Air Force Museum, photo courtesy of the Museum archive
Air Force Museum in Dęblin
Established in 2011 by the Ministry of National Defence (MON),
this is the newest military museum in Poland. It was created on the
basis of the Chamber of Tradition of the Polish Air Force Academy
(WOSSP) in Dęblin. The famous “School of Eaglets” has trained pilots for military and civil-aviation purposes for nearly 90 years. Its
graduates include some of the greatest fighter-plane pilots of World
War II, including Polish squadrons fighting in the Battle of Britain.
The museum presents the history of the school in Dęblin and
of Polish aviation as a whole. Its most exciting department is
nothing else but an open-air exhibition of planes, helicopters,
rocket systems and radiolocation equipment. The fighter aircraft
This open-air themed museum with a partially reconstructed
Slavic defensive gord and an accompanying 9th-10th-century settlement. Żmijowiska (Wilków Commune) has preserved one of
the four Slavic gords, known as the gords on the Chodelka River,
and dating back to the 8th-10th centuries. Archaeologists from
the Vistula Museum in Kazimierz Dolny have reconstructed part
of its fieldwork with a stockade and a gate, as well as several cottages, to create an archaeological open-air museum referred to as
“The Żmijowiska Gord”. The Żmijowiska Gord is an open museum,
available to visitors all the year round. During the high season, it
offers workshops in experimental archaeology, open for everyone.
The Vistula Museum, as the manager of the gord, also organises
regular “Meetings with archaeology”.
The Gord in Żmijowiska, photo by S. Turski
The open-air plane exhibition, photo courtesy of the Museum archive
118
In addition to Żmijowiska, the Chodelka River Valley also holds
three early-mediaeval gords from the 8th-10th century. The largest was the gord in Chodlik, spreading over an area of nearly 9 ha
and protected by a system of triple-ground embankments, which,
along with its adjacent villages, was inhabited by up to 10 thousand
119
Other museums
The entrance to the gord, photo by S.Turski
residents. Other gords included Kłodnica and Podgórz. All these
four destinations lie along the themed trail known as “Gords on
the Chodelka” (blue, 15 km long).
Żmijowiska Gord, the Vistula Museum Branch in Kazimierz Dolny,
Żmijowiska, 24-313 Wilków, tel. 81 881 02 77; archeologia@mnkd.pl,
www.zmijowiska.pl
Open-Air Museum of the Heritage
of Chełm and Podlasie Regions in Hola
Hola – this small village in Polesie is famous for the Orthodox
Church of St. Anthony of Kiev and St. Paraskeva, and the neighbouring private open-air village museum run by the Society of
Enthusiasts of the Open-Air Museum of the Heritage of Chełm
and Podlasie Regions.
Hola, a cottage in the open-air village museum, photo by S. Turski
120
The St. Anthony of Kiev church fair in Hola, photo by A. Koziara
The orthodox church, which was primarily a Greek-Catholic
church, was built in 1702, with a few redevelopments in the following century. This simple wooden planked building is painted blue,
a colour characteristic of Polesie, and covered with a pitched roof
with a small domed turret in the middle. Inside there is a preserved
iconostasis from the second half of the 19th century and eastern
icons, feretories and other elements. Near the church, which today
is a branch church of the parish in Horostyta, there is a two-storey
wooden belfry, and the historic cemetery holds a chapel from the
mid-19th century.
The open-air village museum located near the Orthodox church
complex consists of residential and utility buildings transferred from
various places in the north-eastern part of the Lublin Region. In
Hola – an Orthodox church near the open-air village museum, photo by S. Turski
121
Other museums
An exhibition at the Natural Museum photo by P. Maciuk
Traditional log beehives and a post mill at the open-air village museum,
photo by S. Turski
the centre there is a cottage from the late 19th century which used
to belong to a wealthy peasant family from Wyryki. The post mill
from the early 20th century from Wołoskowola is a landmark of the
museum. Among other buildings there is a barn from Kostomłoty
with walls woven with bast fibre and wicker, a forge, a pottery kiln,
a sweep well, a roadside shrine and cross, and also traditional log
beehives made of one piece of wood.
The museum is open to tourists from spring to autumn, but the
best time to come is the end of July, when in the Orthodox church
the annual St. Anthony of Kiev fair is held, and the museum hosts
the colourful Hola Fair.
During the spring & summer seasons, visitors are also invited
to a small botanical garden, located between the museum’s granary
and a wooden manor house.
The Natural Museum organises many interesting activities and
events to popularise the local nature. In particular, you may want
to save the dates for “The Vistula Days” in spring, and “The Autumn
Festival” at the end of the season.
Natural Museum, Branch of the Vistula River Museum, ul. Puławska 54,
24-120 Kazimierz Dolny, www.mnkd.pl/muzeum-przyrodnicze, tel. 81
881 03 26
Open-Air Museum of the Heritage of Chełm and Podlasie Regions in
Hola 63, hola.skansen@gmail.com, www.skanseny.net/skansen/hola,
tel. 82 560 76 35;
Natural Museum in Kazimierz Dolny
The Natural Museum is housed in a grand 16th-Century granary,
once owned by Mikołaj Przybyło, one of the wealthiest local merchants. Visitors can admire the landscape and natural beauty
of the Middle Vistula River Valley gorge and a great part of the
Powiśle region, including the Kazimierz Dolny Landscape Park.
The exhibits present the wealth of local fauna and flora, as well as
the amazing network of loess ravines, a peculiar landscape feature.
Equally interesting experiences are offered by geological and palaeontological exhibits, which reveal the secrets of the extinct world
from 65 million years ago, including a number of fossil organisms
that inhabited the seas during the Cretaceous period.
122
The Natural Museum in the granary, photo by S. Turski
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Sanctuaries
Chapter 4
124
Sanctuaries
A painting of the Mother of God of Kodeń, photo by S. Turski
KODEŃ
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Kodeń
The famous sanctuary with the miraculous painting of Madonna
de Guadalupe stolen by Mikołaj Sapieha from the Papal Chapel
in Rome. This sensational story was described by Zofia KossakSzczucka in her book Błogosławiona wina (The Fortunate Fault).
Pope Urban VIII excommunicated the magnate from Podlasie, but
later Sapieha received forgiveness. Sapieha, called “the Pious”, built
a large church in Kodeń based on St. Peter’s Basilica. The church,
destroyed during the Swedish Deluge, was reconstructed and
decorated with a splendid late-Baroque façade. Inside the vaults
still hold the 17th-century stuccos.
The church neighbours the monastery buildings of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the remains of the Sapieha
family castle, including a brick church from the first half of the
16th century. The Oblates run a pilgrim’s house and a missionary
The Missionary Oblates of Immaculate Mary’s monastery and sanctuary,
photo by S. Turski
126
The Holy Ghost castle chapel, photo by S. Turski
and ornithological museum, while the underground section of the
castle features a shop with regional souvenirs and healthy food. This
is where you can buy the famous Kodeń bread, kvas, meads and
liqueurs - “Eremite’s Vitamins” with elderberry and St. Eugene’s
Nectar with dandelion.
The major fairs in the Kodeń sanctuary: 2 July – the holiday
of Our Lady of Kodeń, 14-15 August – the diocesan fair of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 8 September – the holiday
of the Nativity of Mary.
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Kodeń, Rynek 1, 21-509 Kodeń, tel. 83 375
41 19/ 20; oblaci@koden.com.pl, www.koden.com.pl
JABŁECZNA
St. Onuphrius’ Orthodox Monastery
Complex
St. Onuphrius’ Monastery in Jabłeczna is believed to be one of
the oldest Orthodox sanctuaries in Poland. According to various
legends and records, it has existed since the 15th century. In the
Spring flood waters of the Bug near Jabłeczna, photo by T. Żaczek
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Sanctuaries
A martyrium of the Uniates in Pratulin, photo by J. Gumowski
Jabłeczna – the interior of St. Onuphrius’s Orthodox Church, photo by P. Maciuk
mid-19th century an orthodox church was built on the Greek-cross
plan with two gate buildings and a belfry, while in the early-20th
century two chapels were constructed – of the Dormition of the
Mother of God and of the Holy Ghost.
Jabłeczna, with the miraculous icon of its patron St. Onuphrius
and one of the four male Orthodox monasteries in Poland, is a
unique place for the followers of the Orthodox faith. Each year on
24-25 June the fair attracts tens of thousands of believers from
the entire country and abroad who take part in the exceptionally
colourful liturgical celebrations which last for many hours in the
monastery and shrines located on the meadows at the Bug River.
St. Onuphrius’ Monastery, 21-526 Jabłeczna 69, klasztjabl@interia.pl,
www.klasztorjableczna.pl, tel. 83 378 31 11
St. Onuphrius Orthodox Sanctuary in Jabłeczna, photo by S. Turski
128
PRATULIN AND KOSTOMŁOTY
Sanctuaries of the Blessed Martyrs
of Podlasie
Pratulin, a summer resort on the Bug River, is a symbolic place
for the Uniate Church in Poland. On 26 January 1874 the Tsar’s
army, trying forcefully to place an Orthodox priest in the Uniate
church, met the parishioners’ resistance. As a result, 13 believers
were shot, and in 1996 they were granted the status of blessed
martyrs for the faith. The church in Pratulin serves as a sanctuary
with martyrs’ relics. Nearby there is a wooden church from Stanin
near Łuków, transferred to the site of a former Orthodox church.
Currently it serves as a document depository and museum of the
Blessed Martyrs of Podlasie.
The interior of an Orthodox church in Kostomłoty, photo by G. Jaworski
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Sanctuaries
The Neo-Uniate Orthodox church in Kostomłoty, photo by G. Jaworski
This tragic fate was also experienced by the Uniates from Drelów
in Podlasie, where 13 parishioners died from the bullets and clubs of
Tsar’s soldiers. In the local Roman-Catholic Parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary there is the Memorial
Room of the Blessed Martyrs of Podlasie.
The Uniate Church, dissolved by the Russians on the territory
of the Kingdom of Poland in 1875, began to revive in the free
Poland after 1918. From the several dozen Neo-Uniate parishes of
the Byzantine-Slavic rite only one still exists – in Kostomłoty on
the Bug River. This wooden Orthodox church, erected around 1631,
and renovated and expanded in 1852, holds a richly embroidered
iconostasis featuring 17th-century icons.
A church fair in the Sanctuary of the Blessed Martyrs of Podlasie in
Kostomłoty, photo by S. Turski
In June, on the Sunday following the end of the school year,
the Blessed Martyrs of Podlasie Parish Fair is held in Kostomłoty,
combined with a foot pilgrimage to Pratulin, while in the middle of
September there is St. Nikita’s Fair, featuring a feast of traditional
Podlasie songs.
Parish of St. Peter and Paul, Pratulin 19, 21-504 Rokitno, tel. 83 345 41 40,
606 651 607; parafiapratulin@wp.pl, www.sanktuariumpratulin.pl
Parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
ul. Męczenników Podlaskich 28, 21-570 Drelów, tel. 83 372 00 11;
Parafia.Drelow@siedlce.opoka.org.pl, www.parafia-drelow-nmp.siedlce.
opoka.org.pl
St. Nikita’s Neo-Uniate Parish, Kostomłoty 15, 21-509 Kodeń; tel. 83 375 52
27, 512 341 502; parafiaunickakostomloty@wp.pl, www.kostomloty.com
LEŚNA PODLASKA
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Leśna Podlaska
The parish church in Pratulin, photo by G. Jaworski
130
In the 18th century, due to the presence of Paulines and the worship of Our Lady of Leśna Podlaska, the village was called the
Częstochowa of Podlasie. A small depiction of Virgin Mary carved
in stone was acknowledged as miraculous in 1700. The Paulines
from Częstochowa established a monastery there and began the
construction of an extensive basilica. Architect Vincent Rachetti
gave the three-nave structure a monumental character, emphasised
by the broad two-storey façade with two steeples.
The church built in the years 1730-52 is adjacent to a vast complex
of monastery buildings which used to be surrounded by a defence
system of earthen embankments, moats and walls with embrasures.
The sanctuary consists of the Chapel of the Appearance with a well
in the place of the pear tree on which in 1683 the miraculous image
of Virgin Mary was to appear for the first time.
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Sanctuaries
The Marian Sanctuary in Leśna Podlaska, photo by S. Turski
The major fairs in the Leśna Podlaska sanctuary: 29 June – the
feast of St. Peter and Paul the Apostles, 15 August – the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 8 September – the Nativity of the
Theotokos, and 26 September – the celebration of the Appearances
of Virgin Mary in Leśna Podlaska.
the retreat of the Tatar hordes defeated, among others, by the
troops of the Wąwolnica heir Otton Jastrzębczyk in Opole
Silesia retreated, the statue of Virgin Mary, reviled by barbarians, began to cast an unearthly glow and rose above the reach
of pagans. The Marian worship was spread by the Benedictines
from Mount Święty Krzyż.
Wąwolnica, in the past called Wawelnica, owes its town rights
and the construction of its defensive castle to King Casimir the
Great. On the castle hill only the Gothic chapel (the presbytery
of the former castle church) has survived to the present day, to
be expanded in the 20th century. Nearby there is a Gothic Revival
basilica from the years 1907-14. The sanctuary in Wąwolnica is
famous for two Gothic statues in the Beautiful Madonna iconographic style – the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Kębło from
around 1440, which can be viewed in the chapel, and the statue
of Our Lady of Wąwolnica from the turn of the 15th century in
the basilica.
Nearby there is a pilgrim house and an interesting parish museum. On fair days (the first Saturday and Sunday of September)
the place of apparitions in Kębło, with a brick chapel featuring a
copy of the miraculous statue, light processions are held with the
participation of thousands of believers.
Parish of the Nativity of the Theotokos and St. Peter and Paul the Apostles,
ul. Biskupa K. Moszyńskiego 2, 21-542 Leśna Podlaska, tel. 83 345 07 00;
lacek1@poczta.onet.pl, www.lesnapodlaska.paulini.pl
WĄWOLNICA
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Kębło
The most renowned Roman-Catholic sanctuary in the region, in
which the Virgin Mary has been worshiped for over 700 years.
As legends have it, in 1278 in Kębło near Wąwolnica, during
A figurine of the Mother of God of Kębel in the castle chapel, photo by S. Turski
The Mother of God of Kębel basilica and chapel in Wąwolnica, photo by P. Maciuk
132
Parish of St. Adalbert, ul. Zamkowa 24, 24-160 Wąwolnica, tel. 81 882 50
04; wawolnica@diecezja.lublin.pl, www.sanktuarium-wawolnica.pl
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Sanctuaries
her recovery. The Marian worship in Krasnobród originated from
the apparitions of Virgin Mary to the peasant Jakub Ruszczyk
engrossed in prayer, which took place in 1640. This is also the date
when the depiction of the Virgin Mary was created based on the
17th-century Italian painting.
The major fairs are celebrated on 31 May (the Diocesan Day of
the Sick) 1-2 July (the feast of Our Lady of the Berries), 15 August
(the feast of Our Lady of the Herbs), 8 September (the feast of
Our Lady of the Sowing). On the Sunday following 8 September
St. Roch’s Fair is held, with a procession to St. Roch’s Shrine in the
sacred place among the fir and beech forest with monument trees.
The pilgrims can visit the Krasnobród Village Museum featuring
sacral, ethnographic, archaeological and natural exhibits and an
aviary, both located nearby the church, and they can follow the
stations of the Cross in the park.
The interior of a church in Krasnobród, photo by S. Turski
KRASNOBRÓD
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Krasnobród
RADECZNICA
Sanctuary of St. Anthony
The Dominican monastery complex is a famous Marian sanctuary
– with the miraculous painting of Our Lady of Krasnobród, the apparitions chapel “on the water”, erected on pile foundations on a
nearby spring, and carved shrines and rosary path stations, some
of which are located on the springs – from the first half of the 19th
century the Church with the Dominican monastery was donated
in the years 1690-99 by Queen Maria Sobieska in gratitude for
The church and monastery of the Order of Friars Minor (Bernardines) were built in the late 17th century on a hill called Łysa
Góra (Bald Hill). Below, over the water, in the place of apparitions of St. Anthony of Padua to the peasant Szymon Tkacz (the
first apparition took place on 8 May 1664), there is an octagonal
wooden shrine. Tradition has it that the water from St. Anthony’s
spring has healing powers.
The Marian sanctuary and former Dominican monastery in Krasnobród,
photo by P. Maciuk
134
Parish of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Krasnobród
Village Museum, ul. Tomaszowska 18, 22-400 Krasnobród, tel. 84 660 71 43;
nmp3@wp.pl, www.krasnobrod-sanktuarium.pl
The Sanctuary in Radecznica – St. Anthony’s chapel, photo by G. Jaworski
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Sanctuaries
The designer of the church and monastery Jan Michał Link, who
also was the architect of the Zamość stronghold, is responsible for
the splendid Baroque appearance of the building with a monumental two-steeple façade. The pilgrims, who come to St. Anthony’s
Fair in large numbers (1-2 June; in the past, when Radecznica was
called the Częstochowa of the Lublin Region, there were hundreds
of thousands), enter the sanctuary through a long vaulted tunnel
with 102 steps. Many guests stay in the sanctuary overnight to
participate in the Fair Mass with the blessing of the lilies in the
shrine on the water.
Monastery of the Order of Friars Minor, ul. Klasztorna 6, 22-463 Radecznica, sanktuariumradecznica@wp.pl, www.radecznica.bernardyni.pl,
tel. 84 681 80 15;
PIOTRAWIN
Sanctuary of St. Stanislaus Bishop
and Martyr
According to Jan Długosz, Piotr Strzemieńczyk called Piotrowin,
the owner of the Piotrawin village, was to rise from his grave resurrected by St. Stanislaus to testify to the benefit of the bishop
in his dispute with the impulsive King Bolesław the Bold. On the
high slope at the Vistula (where the banks reach up to 40 m in
height) stands the Church of St. Stanislaus dating back to 1440.
The church, preserved until the present times in its original Gothic
style, was donated by the Bishop of Kraków Zbigniew Oleśnicki.
The oldest and most precious monument is the foundation plate
The Piotrowin Chapel and St. Stanislaus the Martyr’s church, photo by P. Maciuk
136
A votive painting from the collection of the sanctuary in Piotrawin, photo by P. Maciuk
carved in stone placed on the wall of the nave, presenting Bishop
Oleśnicki with a model of the church before the Madonna. Simultaneously with the church, a shrine was built at Piotrowin’s grave.
The parish is famous for a rich collection of historic liturgical
vestments, books and vessels and a unique series of 55 votive
paintings from the 17th century.
Parish of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr and of St. Thomas the Apostle,
Piotrawin 94, 24-335 Łaziska, tel. 81 828 01 68; a.lemieszek@kuria.lublin.pl,
www.parafiapiotrawin.eu
Museum treasures in Piotrawin's sanctuary, photo by P. Maciuk
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GÓRECKO KOŚCIELNE
Sanctuary of St. Stanislaus Bishop
and Martyr
This summer resort village in Roztocze is famous for the Sanctuary
of St. Stanislaus, bishop and martyr, who was to appear in the
village in 1648, saving the village and its residents from Chmielnicki’s Cossack army. In the place of the apparitions, between
the monumental oaks there is a wooden shrine with a depiction
of the saint. The second shrine, also featuring the image of St.
Stanislaus, was built on a piling foundation at the Szum stream,
the spring called God’s Tear. A few hundred metres away there
is a larch-wood church from 1768 with relics of the saint bishop
martyr donated to the parish by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła. In the
years 1668-1866 the sanctuary was run by the Franciscan Order,
and the church and the shrines were donated by the holders of
the Zamoyski family entail.
In the historic lane leading from the church to the shrine
on the water there are six oaks which are a few hundred years
old. The fairs (especially on the patron’s day on 8 May) feature
colourful processions with banners, flags and feretories. Groups
St. Stanislaus’ chapel in the oak lane in Górecko Kościelne, photo by S. Turski
of believers also visit the shrines and stations of the Cross
located nearby. At the sanctuary there is the Diocesan Retreat
House and an amphitheatre which hosts Marian Song Festivals.
Parish of St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr, Górecko Kościelne 11, 23-460
Józefów, tel. 84 687 80 45; tadeus1@o2.pl, www.gorecko.pl
A chapel by the Szum stream, photo by P. Maciuk
138
Larch church in Górecko Kościelne, photo by M. Zieliński
139
Sanctuaries
WOLA GUŁOWSKA
Sanctuary of the Virgin Mary, the Patron
of September Soldiers
The massive basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
towers over the village and the plain area, holding the great story
of fights for independence at the turn of the 19th century and the
last battle of the September campaign of 1939.
Marian worship in Wola Gułowska began as early as in the 16th
century when a painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary was brought
to the shrine sited in the place of the Marian apparitions. The
painting was found by accident near Łysobyki (today’s Jeziorzany),
probably after being thrown away by the Calvinists from the local
church when changed into a Protestant church. In 1633 the local
heir Ludwik Krasiński, the castellan of Ciechanów, brought the
Carmelites to the newly built church and monastery.
The monks from Wola Gułowska became famous for their patriotism, by supporting the Bar Confederates, the January insurrectionists and, after 1864, the persecuted Uniates. As a result
some of them were imprisoned or sentenced to penal servitude
in deep Russia.
In the early October 1939 in Wola Gułowska the Polish cavalrymen from the covering parties of the “Polesie” Independent Operational Group commanded by General Kleeberg in the area of Kock,
Serokomla, Adamów and Wola Gułowska, fought the Germans for
two days, managing to recapture, among others, the church and
the monastery. The winning fight was one of the episodes of the
The Memorial Museum of the Combat Operation of Kleeberg’s Soldiers,
photo by T. Osiński
last battle of the 1939 September Campaign. The tragic events of
those times are commemorated by the plaques in the church galilee,
and Kleeberg’s soldiers and their families meet each year in Wola
Gułowska for the celebrations on the first Sunday of October.
The memory of the last battle of the September Campaign is
cultivated by the Museum of the Combat Operation of Kleeberg’s
Soldiers, established in 1989 in the local community centre). The
school in Wola Gułowska bears the name of General Franciszek
Kleeberg; its foundation stone was laid in 1960 by Wanda Kleeberg,
the widow of the heroic commander.
Monastery of the Carmelite Order, 21-481 Wola Gułowska 56, tel. 25 755
02 21; www.wola-gulowska.karmelici.pl
The Basilica in Wola Gułowska, photo by T. Osiński
140
Historical reenactment in Wola Gułowska, photo by Adamów Commune
Office archive
141
Defence
structures
Chapter 5
142
Defence structures
The Mierzwiączka Fort in Dęblin, photo courtesy of STB archive
Dęblin Stronghold
One of the largest fortress complex built by the Tsar’s army on
the Polish land. The complex, constructed from the 1840s to the
beginning of World War I, consists of a citadel and seven forts. The
citadel was built in the years 1838-45 by General Johan Jakob von
Daehn. It is a compact complex of barracks and storage buildings
surrounded by a moat and the Vistula River. Entry to the stronghold
used to be guarded by the Warsaw and Lublin gates.
In 1840 the Dęblin property was given to Ivan Paskevich, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland, who established a trade and crafts
settlement ca. 1.2 km from the stronghold. The settlement, named
Irena in honour of Paskevich’s wife, later became the centre of
Dęblin town.
Fort II, called Mierzwiączka, and located in the northern part of
the town, constructed in the years 1879-1882, is the best-preserved
among the historic forts.
Dęblin Stronghold Museum, ul. 15 Pułku Piechoty “Wilków” 32b, 08-530
Dęblin, tel. 601 817 048; mj.trzacha@wp.pl, www.deblin.pl
The Dęblin stronghold and a bridge over the Vistula, photo courtesy of the
MOLV archive
144
The forts in Kobylany near Terespol, photo by S. Turski
Forts of the Brest Stronghold
The construction of the massive stronghold in Brest, which guarded
the route from Warsaw and the bridge crossing on the Bug River,
was launched soon after the November Uprising. On the left bank
.of the river, called the Terespol bridgehead, the Tsarist authorities
demolished the old town buildings to build the western rampart
of the stronghold, fortified and surrounded with a moat. Further
to the west, at a distance of a few kilometres, two rings of brick
and earth forts were built, expanded and reinforced by Tsar’s
engineers until 1915.
Two of the forts from the first ring of fortifications, built in
1878-85 within the area of Terespol, have survived until the present day. Among the most interesting structures is Fort VII in the
western bridgehead in Łobaczew Duży. The concrete structure with
a dome embedded in the ground is surrounded by a deep moat.
The Brest fortress forts near Łobaczew, photo by A. Pietruszka
145
Defence structures
A much larger fort from the years 1911-14 can be seen in Koroszczyn
west of Terespol, and three more, belonging to the second ring of
fortifications, are in Kobylany, Lebiedziew – Dobratycze Kolonia
and Żuki-Murawiec.
The defence line was supplemented with several dozen structures – fortified outposts, batteries, storage buildings and powder
magazines. The Association of the Enthusiasts of Fortifications and
History renovated the powder magazine from 1913 in Terespol and
adapted it for sightseeing purposes. The building features, among
other things, a military, ethnographic and rail exhibition. The latter
focuses on the history of the strategic railway connection between
Warsaw and Brest constructed in the years 1865-67, to which later
a siding was added leading to the powder magazine.
Association of the Enthusiasts of Fortifications and History – the Powder
Magazine, ul. Topolowa 6, 21-550 Terespol, rememberterespol@gmail.
com, www.twierdza.org, www.prochowniaterespol1.blogspot.com, tel.
798 091 475
Bunkers of the Molotov Line
In autumn 1939, after establishing the demarcation line by Germany
and the Soviet Union which divided the conquered Poland into
two occupation zones, the Soviet army began the construction of
13 fortification districts - from Kaunas and Grodno on the north
to Rava-Ruska and Przemyśl on the south. The fortifications are
referred to as the Molotov Line, after the name of the Soviet Minister
of Foreign Affairs who in 1939 signed the pact on the invasion and
occupation of Poland with the German Minister Ribentropp. On
the area of today’s Lubelskie Voivodeship there are over 50 defence
bunkers constructed in the years 1940-41.
Located south of Lubycza Królewska, the bunkers on many
forest sections are connected with anti-tank trenches. Two- and
The Molotov Line bunker near Lubycza Królewska, photo by T. Grodek
146
A bunker between Bełżec and Lubycza Królewska, photo by J. Oleszczuk
even three-storey reinforced concrete bunkers, each equipped
with several cannons and machineguns were to protect the area
of Southern Roztocze. However, the Germans surprised the Soviet
Union, its previous allies, with an attack in June 1941 and passed
the unfinished defence line without any difficulties.
In the Lubycza Królewska a blue-colour trail was designated
along the Molotov Line bunkers running through Huta Lubycka,
Krągły Goraj Hill, Lubycza Królewska, Teniatyska, Mosty Małe
and Hrebenne.
Lubycza Królewska Commune Office, ul. Kolejowa 1, 22-680 Lubycza
Królewska, tel. 84 661 74 51; gmina@lubycza.pl, www.lubycza.pl
A bunker in the forest near Lubycza Królewska, photo courtesy of the
MOLV archive
147
Museums
of martyrology
Chapter 6
148
Museums of martyrology
The mausoleum with the remains of those murdered in the Majdanek
concentration camp, photo by P. Maciuk
Majdanek
The concentration camp located in the immediate vicinity of Lublin
is where around 80 thousand people were exterminated. Half the
victims transported from 26 European countries were Jews. The
camp area has served as the State Museum at Majdanek since 1944.
The Museum deals with protecting the memory of the victims and
documenting Hitler’s programme of exterminating the population
of the conquered countries, including the Reinhard action, aimed
at the complete annihilation of the Jews.
Young Jews visit the Museum at Majdanek, photo by S. Turski
150
The Memorial at the Museum at Majdanek, photo by J. Gorlach
The museum houses the remnants of the former camp, i.a.
baths, gas chambers and the crematory, and parts of the barracks
where the prisoners lived. At the entrance to the museum there
is a monumental statue, and along its axis, nearby the crematory
and execution ditches, a mausoleum with the ashes of the camp
victims.
State Museum at Majdanek, ul. Droga Męczenników Majdanka 67,
20-325 Lublin, tel. 81 710 28 33, 710 28 65; centrum@majdanek.eu,
www.majdanek.eu
The Memorial Lane at the Museum at Majdanek, photo by S. Turski
151
Museums of martyrology
A symbolic gate at the Memorial Site in Bełżec, photo by P. Maciuk
Bełżec
The Museum – Memorial Site was created in 2004 due to the efforts
of the American Jewish Committee and the Government of the
Republic of Poland. It covers an area of a few hectares, located on
what was formerly one of the largest Nazi death camps of World War
II. From February to December 1942 the Germans murdered nearly
600 thousand Jews from Lublin, Lviv and the entire Galicia, as well
as Czechoslovakia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and
Norway. Fifteen hundred Poles who were found to be helping or hiding Jews also died, as well as an unspecified number of Romanians.
In early 1943 the Nazis liquidated the camp, covering the traces
of their crime. They exhumed the bodies of the victims and placed
their ashes in ditches – after some years 33 such mass graves were
Exhibits at the Memorial Site Museum in Bełżec, photo by P. Maciuk
152
The Memorial Site Museum in Bełżec, photo by S. Turski
found. The story of the Nazis’ homicide and the Reinhard operations
is recalled by the camp museum.
Museum – Memorial Site in Bełżec – Branch of the State Museum at
Majdanek, ul. Ofiar Obozu 4, 22-670 Bełżec, tel. 84 665 25 10; muzeum@
belzec.eu, www.belzec.eu
Sobibór
In the forest near the railway station from March 1942 to October
1943 the Germans murdered ca. 250 thousand Jews from Poland and
many other European countries, including France, the Netherlands,
Belgium, Germany and Austria. On 14 October 1943 the prisoners
The memorial to the victims murdered in the Sobibór extermination camp,
photo by S. Turski
153
Museums of martyrology
The Cemetery at the Zamość Rotunda , photo by S. Turski
Sobibór, a former extermination camp, photo by S. Turski
raised a riot and nearly 300 of them managed to escape. Only a few
dozen of them survived the occupation, but the Nazis closed the
camp soon after the escape, covering the traces of their homicide.
Since 1993 in the former camp there is a museum which commemorates the victims who died in Sobibór. Among the traces of
the past there is a railway siding which for thousands of European
citizens used to be the last stop on their journey. Their tragedies are
symbolised by the monument of a female prisoner with distinctly
Semitic features, holding a child to her side.
In 2003, on the initiative of social organisations from the Netherlands, Germany and Poland, the Remembrance Alley was
created with stones bearing names of particular people or groups
of camp victims.
Museum of the Former Death Camp in Sobibór – Branch of the State
Museum at Majdanek, Stacja Kolejowa Sobibór 1, 22-200 Włodawa, tel.
82 571 98 67; muzeumsobibor@wp.pl, www.sobibor-memorial.eu
The Memorial Lane to commemorate the Sobibór Victims, photo by S. Turski
154
Rotunda in Zamość
The brick cannon post with a crew shelter built in the 19th century
on the southern foreground of the Zamość Stronghold during World
War II served as the site of the martyrdom and numerous executions
of Poles, Jews and Soviet prisoners. The Gestapo established a prison
and execution site there. The bodies of the victims (around 8000
people) were burned, and their ashes were put in ditches or the moat
surrounding the Rotunda. The homicide reached its peak in 1944
when the Nazis carried out pacification operations in the Zamość
Region aimed at guerrilla troops and civilians supporting them.
The imprisoned and murdered people are commemorated by
the museum of martyrology established in 1947. Around the Rotunda there is a cemetery of Polish soldiers of September 1939,
guerrillas, Soviet prisoners, the Jewish people and the victims of
Stalin’s regime.
Rotunda Martyrdom Museum, ul. Męczenników Rotundy 1, 22-400 Zamość,
tel. 84 638 64 94; biuro@muzeum-zamojskie.pl, www.muzeum-zamojskie.pl
The Rotunda in Zamość, photo by S. Turski
155
National
parks
Chapter 7
156
National parks
The former plenipotentiary house – now housing the RNP management in
Zwierzyniec, photo by S. Turski
Roztocze National Park
Created in 1974 on an area of 8482 ha, 93% of which are forests, to
protect the valuable forests of Central Roztocze. It covers a variety
of forest environments – from peat bogs to alder swamps, marshy
meadows and wet-ground forests and fir and beech forests typical
of the Carpathians. The most popular natural and educational trail
to Mount Bukowa leads through the forests.
At the foot of Mount Bukowa lies Zwierzyniec, which used to
serve as a separated and fenced hunting area for the heirs (in Polish:
ordynats) of the Zamoyski family entail, frequented by Polish Kings
Władysław IV, John II Casimir and Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki.
Numerous monuments in the town come from the times of the
entail, the most magnificent of which is the Baroque Church of St.
John of Nepomuk, donated in the years 1741-47 by Tomasz Antoni
Zamoyski as a votive offering for his recovery. The church lies on
The Polish Konik horses from the RNP stud farm in Florianka, photo courtesy
of the MOLV archive
158
The church on the water in Zwierzyniec, photo courtesy of the Zwierzyniec
Town Hall archive
an island and is surrounded by a pond which previously housed
the theatre on the water established by the wife of Ordynat Jan
Sobiepan Zamoyski Marie Casimire Louise de la Grange d’Arquien,
who later became Queen Marysieńka Sobieska. Near the church
there still exist the Classicist buildings of the entail administration,
the old brewery from 1806, handicraft workshops and a beautiful
wooden villa – the residence of the plenipotentiary of the entail. The
design is complemented with the “Zwierzyńczyk” park, featuring
the renovated historic Dworski Channel and ponds.
Today Zwierzyniec is a popular summer resort and includes the
office of the management of the Roztocze National Park. At the
Education and Museum Centre of the Roztocze National Park it is
possible to see films and a natural-sciences exhibition with fascinating
dioramas. A little further south, at the Echo Ponds, there is the natural
refuge for the Polish Konik (Polish primitive horse), a descendant
RNP – a view from Mount Bukowa, photo by S. Turski
159
National parks
The Polesie National Park – the path to Lake Moszne, photo courtesy of PNP
The Echo Ponds in Zwierzyniec, photo by S. Turski
of the extinct wild Tarpan horses. The second farm of the Konik,
the symbol of the Roztocze National Park, is run in domesticated
conditions in Florianka, which can be accessed through a hiking
and bicycle tourist trail. The place is famous for the museum Forest
Room arranged in an enclosure with a forester’s lodge from 1830.
Roztocze National Park, ul. Plażowa 2, 22-470 Zwierzyniec, tel. 84 687 20
66; sekretariat@roztoczanskipn.pl, www.roztoczanskipn.pl. The Education and Museum Centre of the Roztocze National Park, ul. Plażowa 3, tel.
84 687 22 86; oem@roztoczanskipn.pl
The forest panorama of the Roztocze National Park (RNP), photo by P. Maciuk
160
Polesie National Park
Established in 1990, covers an area of 9648 ha of water and peatland
areas of the Łęczna-Włodawa Lake District, constituting part of
a much larger “West Polesie” Transboundary Biosphere Reserve
(extending to parts of Ukraine and Belarus).
No other national park in Poland (apart from the Biebrza National Park in Podlasie) can boast such extensive peat bogs with
large numbers of shallow lakes, ponds, pools, ditches, karst regions
and various marshy areas, locally called młakas. Peat bogs between
the lakes, covered with dwarf willows (rosemary leaf willow, grey
willow, bay willows) turning to natural (self-seeded) marshy forests,
are examples of tundra and wooded tundra south-westernmost
of Europe. The muddy banks of water reservoirs are covered with
peat moss, sedge and other plants which create floating compact
surfaces called spleja that bend when stepped on. Exploring this
unique environment is facilitated by nature trails which run through
The Polesie National Park – cranes before migration, photo by M. Bartosz
161
National parks
A sightseeing group at the Polesie National Park, photo by S. Turski
the marshy land along specially arranged wooden footbridges and
platforms (trail names: “Dąb Dominik”, “Perehod”, “Insurrectionary Camp”, “Mietiułka” and “Spławy”). The crane, one of nearly 150
species living in the park, is the symbol of the Polesie National Park.
Among them are species rarely encountered in Poland, such as black
storks, aquatic warblers, short-eared owls, black grouse, and lesser
spotted eagle. Also the largest flying predators – golden eagles and
white-tailed eagles – use the area of the park as their hunting ground.
The Polesie marshes and peat bogs are refuges for elk. These large
mammals created one of the most numerous populations there, similarly to European pond turtles, reptiles under protection, which have
found particularly favourable conditions in the Polesie National Park.
It is also worth paying attention to the diversity of butterflies – over
70 species of these colourful insects have been observed in the park.
A viewing tower along the Perehod nature trail, photo by S. Turski
162
A young pond turtle in the PNP, photo S. Turski
The flora and fauna of Polesie are presented in videos, exhibitions
and a terrarium with reptiles and amphibians in the Didactic and
Museum Complex of the Polesie National Park in Stare Załucze. The
complex also features the “Żółwik” nature trail and the Animal Rehabilitation Centre, which provides treatment for sick or injured animals.
The Didactic and Administration Centre of the Polesie National Park in
Urszulin is also worth seeing – it contains a large aquarium showcasing
all the fish species found in Polesie. The Didactic and Administration
Centre features the European Pond Turtle Protection Centre in which
visitors, from autumn to spring, can watch little turtles before the
park’s staff moves them to their natural habitat.
Polesie National Park, ul. Lubelska 3a, 22-234 Urszulin, tel. 82 571 30 71, 571
30 72; poleskipn@poleskipn.pl, www.poleskipn.pl. Didactic and Museum
Complex of the Polesie National Park, Stare Załucze 8, tel. 82 571 31 99.
Moorland near the Staw Marsh in the Polesie National Park, photo by S. Turski
163
Health
resorts
Chapter 8
164
Health resorts
The Spa House with a palm house and mineral water pump room in
Nałęczów, photo by G. Jaworski
Nalęczów – the Małachowski Palace in the Spa Park, photo by G. Jaworski
Nałęczów
The first privatised Polish resort specialising in treating heart and
circulatory system diseases, has an almost 200-year history. The
healing properties of the Nałęczów waters were discovered in 1817.
In the late 19th century the resort, run by three physicians – Fortunat Nowicki, Wacław Lasocki and Konrad Chmielewski, enjoyed
great popularity. The resort also became the favourite leisure and
meeting location of the Polish elite. It was frequently visited by,
among others, Polish writers Henryk Sienkiewicz, Bolesław Prus
The Spa Park in Nałęczów, photo by Gr. Jaworski
166
and Stefan Żeromski. The last two, who spent many years of their
lives in Nałęczów, have museums there (see more on page …).
Nałęczów is a town resembling a garden, situated among forests
and gorges, with numerous beautiful spa villas, often adapted to
the style of houses in resorts in the Tatra Mountains and the Alps.
Some of the buildings, for instance the Church of St. Charles Borromeo and the cottage at Armatnia Góra where Stefan Żeromski
used to work, were designed in the Zakopane style by Jan Koszczyc
Witkiewicz.
In the heart of Nałęczów there is a vast Spa Park with the Classicist Palace of the Małachowski Family, and other historic buildings
such as Old Baths, the “Książę Józef” Sanatorium, the Greek House
and the Gothic House. Many modern spa and wellness centres
In the Nałęczów Spa Park, photo by P. Maciuk
167
Health resorts
The SPA ATRIUM Centre in Nałęczów, photo by G. Jaworski
have opened in the resort, famous for its excellent mineral waters,
offering hydrotherapy and other health and beauty treatments
(Termy Pałacowe and SPA Atrium).
Zakład Leczniczy „Uzdrowisko Nałęczów” SA, al. Małachowskiego 5, 24-140
Nałęczów, tel. 81 501 43 56, 501 42 75; info@zlun.pl, www.spanaleczow.pl
Krasnobród
Located in the vicinity of old beech and fir forests in Roztocze, it
is famous not only for the Marian sanctuary (read more on page
134) but also for being the region’s second largest health resort.
In the late 19th century one of the first tuberculosis treatment
facilities in Europe was opened here, where patients from the entire country were subjected to a non-standard treatment involving
A panorama of Krasnobród with the reservoir on the Wieprz River, photo
courtesy of the MOLV archive
168
Sanatorium – the former palace of the Fudakowski Family in Krasnobród,
photo by S. Turski
mare’s milk and saline water deposits. Currently the Krasnobród
resort specialises in treating diseases of the upper respiratory tract
and of the motor organs. The sanatorium is located in the palace-and-park complex from the 17th-19th centuries in the Podzamek
quarter, formerly owned by the Leszczyński family and rebuilt after
being destroyed during World War I.
In the vicinity of the sanatorium there is a recreational reservoir
on the Wieprz River and an inactive quarry with a viewing tower
on top. Cycling and strolling paths have been created in the area,
inter alia, for Nordic walking.
Janusz Korczak Rehabilitation Sanatorium, ul. Sanatoryjna 1, 22440 Krasnobród, tel. 81 660 71 02; sekretariat-sanatorium@wp.pl,
www.sanatorium-krasnobrod.pl
On a Nordic Walking route in Krasnobród, photo by W. Sachajko
169
Other
attractions
Chapter 9
170
Other attractions
fairs in the sanctuary in Wąwolnica). Currently the railway operates
during the tourist season (each Sunday from May to September),
carrying tourists along the route from Karczmiska to Opole Lubelskie (or from Karczmiska to Poniatowa) with a stop at the forest
clearing with a bonfire. Apart from the regular Sunday journeys,
special trips can be arranged by school, business or family groups.
Section of the Vistula Narrow-Gauge Rail, ul. Opolska 2, 24-310 Karczmiska,
tel. 81 828 70 18, 506 346 639; www.nadwislanskakolejka.pl
White Fleet in Kazimierz Dolny
The tourist camp on the Vistula narrow-gauge railway trail, photo by
J. Opiela-Basińska
Vistula Narrow-Gauge Rail
The only operating narrow-gauge railway in the region which provides an opportunity for a retro-style journey along the Nałęczów
Plateau and the Chodelka River Valley. The first narrow-gauge rail
was constructed in the late 19th century by the Kleniewski family
of landowners to ease the transport of sugar beets and lime to the
local sugar factories. Freight wagons drawn by horses travelled on
wooden tracks. In 1911 an iron narrow-gauge track was constructed
with a width of 750 mm from Nałęczów through Wąwolnica and
Karczmiska to Opole Lubelskie, and later to Poniatowa. The original
station with numerous elements of rolling stock can be viewed in
Karczmiska (Railway Memorial Exhibition Chamber).
In the interwar period and in the times of People’s Republic of
Poland, narrow-gauge rail was the primary mode of transporting
goods (mostly sugar beets to the sugar factory in Opole) and passengers (especially on market days in neighbouring villages and church
In Kazimierz Dolny, which used to be one of the key ports on the
Vistula, tourists can take cruises on the White Fleet ships. Each
of them has its own characteristics and often a rich history. The
largest of the ships, “Kazimierz Wielki”, built in 1900, is the oldest
sternwheeler in Europe still in operation. The two-deck “Marzanna”
is much more popular, also among filmmakers; it starred, i.a., in
the video for a song by Kayah and Goran Bregović. Among the
ships docking in Kazimierz are ships with a highly historic style –
“Wiking”, “Pirat”, “Lew”.
A White Fleet levee in Kazimierz Dolny, photo by M. Tarajko
In the tourist season – from spring to autumn – there are
regular hour-long cruises up the river to the Cow Island Reserve,
during which tourists can see the Małopolska Vistula River Gorge
with a panoramic view of Kazimierz Dolny, the quarry and the
Albrechtówka Hill, the Męćmierz summer resort village, and, on
the other side, Janowiec, with the castle ruins towering over the
village. When requested, the ships also dock in the Janowiec marina.
Vistula narrow-gauge rail, photo by J. Rosły
172
Passenger Cruises, ul. Słoneczna 39, 24-120 Kazimierz Dolny, tel. 81 881
01 35; www.rejsystatkiem.com.pl
173
Other attractions
A Goth village in Masłomęcz, photo by Gotania
Goth Village
Masłomęcz, a village in the Hrubieszowska Valley, became famous
after many years of archaeological research as a result of which
numerous Goth settlements and burial grounds from the 2nd-4th
centuries were discovered. This Scandinavian tribe, making a great
journey south towards the Black Sea, found perfect conditions for
settlement in the Hrubieszowska Valley.
In Masłomęcz a Goth settlement has been reconstructed, with
several spacious houses made of wooden logs and intertwined
wicker covered with clay or semi-dugouts sunk into the ground.
In the houses tourists can view not only everyday items but also
a loom workshop and a potter’s kiln.
The Masłomęcz “Goth Village” Association deals with organising
shows and fests, among which is the yearly Archaeological Feast
featuring spectacular fights between Goths and other tribes or
with a unit of Roman legionaries.
Masłomęcz Goth troops, photo by Gotania
174
Masłomęcz Goths, photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
Masłomęcz is the starting point of the Goth Trail, leading to a
few other places which used to be connected with Goths – among
others, Mieniany and Kosmów. After exploring the trail, it is worth
visiting Hrubieszów, located nearby, to see the Fr. Stanisław Staszic
Museum where you can view precious Goth exhibits found by
archaeologists in the Hrubieszowska Valley.
Masłomęcz “Goth Village” Association, Masłomęcz 99, 22-500 Hrubieszów,
tel. 694 224 116, 691 758 911; www.wioska-gotow.pl
Slavic Gord
The “Slavic Gord” private Historical Park in Wólka Bielecka (the
Łęczna District) popularises knowledge on the life of Slavs in the
early mediaeval gord. It is a faithful (though three times smaller)
reconstruction of a set of buildings from the 10th-13th centuries
discovered by archaeologists in the nearby Klarów.
A Slavic Gord, photo by D. Wolińska
The gord houses shows
175
Other attractions
Early mediaeval weapons presented in the Slavic Gord, photo by S. Turski
and workshops providing insight into the life of the then Slavs.
Tourists can also take part in workshops in pottery, weaving,
jewellery-making and Old Polish cuisine, as well as participate
in Slavic festivals and open-air shows called “Encounters with
history”. The shows include ritual fights, tribal gatherings and alliances, fortune-telling, dancing with fire, and weddings. Children
will have an opportunity to get to know the games and plays of the
past, and adults can join in archery contests and spear throwing.
“Slavic Gord” Historical Park, Wólka Bielecka 7, 21-020 Milejów, tel. 81 757
12 61, 693 191 808; info@horodyszcze.lbn.pl, www.horodyszcze.lbn.pl
Studzianka – a Tatar Village
Located between the Polesie and Podlasie regions, Studzianka used
to be inhabited by Tatars, who had these lands bestowed to them
in the 17th Century by King John III Sobieski. Southern Podlasie
holds more such places, including Ortel, Lebiedziew, Małaszewicze
An imam at the Tatar cemetery in Studzianka, photo by T. Żaczek
176
The “Tatarzynowie” archery team from Studzianka, photo by Ł. Węda
and Koszoły. During the partitions and World Wars I and II, many
Polish Tatars left these lands, and the few that stayed assimilated
into the local community. Today, the most evident remnants of
the former Tatar presence are two Muslim cemeteries, or miziars,
one in Studzianka, with ca. 150 gravestones, and one in Kolonia
Zastawek near Lebiedziew, with ca. 40 gravestones.
The beautiful and unique history of the Tatars, who once lived
in the north-eastern parts of the Lubelskie Voivodeship, is documented and popularised by the Studzianka Development Society
(SRMS). In a local rural community house, you can visit an exhibition presenting “330 years of Tatar settlement in Studzianka and
its vicinity”. Another exhibition, illustrating their life, work, farm
activities and former crafts, is open at the local Podlasie Heritage
Museum, which organises various workshops, e.g. on how to make
earthenware and wicker baskets.
Studzianka – the „Tatarzynowie” archery team, photo by Ł. Węda
177
Other attractions
Members of the „Tatarzynowie” team from Studzianka, photo courtesy
of the SDS archive
The Tatarzynowie Group, associated with the Society, hosts
archery classes and tournaments. Particularly rich attractions accompany the Tatar Culture Days organised in the summer, where
you can learn how to shoot the Eastern and Crimean Tatar bows,
play the mediaeval game of Kubb, and watch a performance based on
the historic heritage of this village. You can also taste the delicacies
of the Tatar cuisine of old, such as Cheburieki cakes, Peremyachi
dumplings and Pierekaczewnik, a moon-shaped cake.
building of the former school the Regional Education Centre was
established, offering a broad selection of workshops and lessons on
disappearing professions, handicrafts, customs and local cuisine.
At the centre there functions the “Rumenok” ceremonial band,
which promotes the folklore of Polesie and the tradition of herb
growing and making herbal products. In Hołowno you can also
take advantage of a rural spa, housed in old wooden granaries,
where you will enjoy relaxing baths, curative massages and physical
therapy and aromatherapy.
Studzianka Development Society (SRMS), Studzianka 71, 21-532 Łomazy,
tel. 501 266, 672, 83 341 73 79; www.studzianka.pl
Land of Chamomile – Active Polesie Lubelskie Association, Hołowno 66,
21-222 Podedwórze, kraina.rumianku@gmail.com, www.krainarumianku.
pl, tel. 695 993 378, 510 641 258
Land of Chamomile
Land of Honey
The Hołowno village in Polesie (the Parczew District), in the past
known for its flax and herb plantations, particularly famous for
chamomile growing, has established a tourist and cultural product
on this tradition, known as the Land of Chamomile. In the renewed
Pszczela Wola, a town near Lublin, is a truly special place, not only
for those with a taste for honey. The town is home to the only Apiarian Vocational Secondary School worldwide. Next to the school, on
the premises of a manor park formerly belonging to the Rohland
Family, there is an open-air apiarian and beekeeping museum. You
The Land of Chamomile – a rural SPA in Hołowno, photo by REC Hołowno
178
The chamomile village Hołowno – teenagers having fun during the
chamomile harvest, photo by M. Onisk
The Rohland Manor House in Pszczela Wola, photo by S. Turski
179
Other attractions
A museum room in Pszczela Wola, photo by S. Turski
can visit museum rooms with rich collections of historic exhibits,
including several-hundred-year-old beehives, and take a tour around
an apiary to see beekeepers at work.
Each year, visitors from all around the world come to Pszczela
Wola for the Honey Festival. All enthusiasts of apiarian history
should also visit the nearby Hańsk in Polesie, which holds annual
Beekeeper Days to honour Jan Dolinowski, who was born here, a
Uniate priest and the inventor of the movable-frame beehive, For
anyone with a sweet tooth for honey, a visit to Okszów near Chełm
during the Bug River Bee Festival is a must.
Unforgettable experiences, especially for young tourists, are
offered by “Ulik” an apiarian farm in the Roztocze region, with a
friendly Ms Bee as a tour guide. Visits to the apiary and the openair museum are always followed by honey tasting. There are over a
Pszczela Wola – the open-air beekeeping museum, photo courtesy of the
Strzyżewice Commune Office archive
180
The “ULIK” Apiarian Farm in Roztocze, photo courtesy of the ULIK archive
dozen types available, including bean, dandelion, rape and fir honeydew honey, which are entered in the List of Traditional Products.
Beekeeping Open-Air Museum in Pszczela Wola Agricultural School
Complex (ZSR), Practical Education Centre (CKP), Pszczela Wola 9, 23-107
Strzyżewice, sekretariat@pszczelawola.edu.pl, www.pszczelawola.edu.pl,
tel. 81 562 80 76, 562 87 73
“Ulik” Apiarian Farm, Mokrelipie 85, 22-463 Radecznica, tel. 84 681 80 70;
ulikroztocze@interia.pl, www.ulikroztocze.pl
Magical Gardens
The family theme park in Trzcianki near Janowiec, set up in a garden of over ten hectares according to an originally crafted scenario,
where guests are transported to a world of fairy tales and fantasy.
Open from spring to autumn, the park attracts numerous tourists,
especially families with little children.
The Magical Gardens - the Carrot Field, photo by Magical Gardens
181
Other attractions
The entrance to the Magical Gardens in Trzcianki, photo by Magical Gardens
This beautiful garden, with its rustling streams and waterfalls,
has been planted with thousands of rosebushes, lilacs, peonies
and other blooming plants. Various creatures dwell in each of its
fairylands – the brave Dwarves, the mischievous Mordols, Bulwiaki
the brownies, magical birds, huge caterpillars and dragons. Anyone
venturing there will not only meet their fairytale residents, but
can join in a variety of plays and field games, and afterwards have
some rest in a meadow or on the beach or have something to eat
at the restaurant or the cake shop.
Magical Gardens, Trzcianki 92, 24-123 Janowiec, tel. 503 983 135, 502 223
349, kontakt@magiczneogrody.com, www.magiczneogrody.com
The Park of Labyrinths and the Park
of Miniatures
A unique place to enjoy some leisure and entertainment with your
family is to be found in Rąblów, a town nearly midway between
Nałęczów and Kazimierz Dolny, within the Kazimierz Landscape
Rąblów – the Park of Miniatures, photo courtesy of the PoM archive
182
The Park of Miniatures in Rąblów, photo courtesy of the PoM archive
Park. Rąblów, known so far for one of the most popular ski slopes
in the region, and in the summer for the recreational complex of
pools, has two theme parks in store – the Park of Labyrinths and
the Park of Miniatures.
In the former, consisting of a few dozen exhibits in the 1:25
scale which present the most beautiful villas, mills, cottages and
windmills of Nałęczów and Kazimierz Dolny, and many other elements of wooden architecture within the area of the popular tourist
triangle of Kazimierz Dolny – Nałęczów – Puławy.
Nearby there are is the Labyrinth Park, with five routes demarcated by the vegetation. Visitors can have plenty of creative fun
outdoors by participating in quests and by hunting for treasures
hidden in the labyrinths. The five labyrinth routes have varied
difficulty levels – from the easiest, running through grass and
strawberries, followed by the fragrant flower and rosary labyrinths,
to the most demanding, lined with emerald arborvitae across the
whopping distance of 4 km (!).
In the Park of Labyrinths in Rąblów, photo courtesy of the PoL archive
183
Other attractions
The Park of Labyrinths in Rąblów, photo courtesy of the PoL archive
The ropes course in Janów Lubelski, photo courtesy of Zoom Natury archive
Tourists who enjoy active leisure can take advantage of the
special services offered by the parks – bike and Nordic-walking
poles rental. It is also a place of integration and relaxation – the
park village with a tipi tent, a playground and a picnic meadow.
The Park of Labyrinths and the Park of Miniatures of Wooden Architecture,
Rąblów, 24-160 Wąwolnica, tel. 605 951 355; www.park-miniatur.com.pl,
www.park-labiryntow.pl
ZOOM Natury
A recreation, leisure and education park located in a forest area
at the Janów Lubelski Reservoir. In an area of 10 ha, with a positive energy square featuring illuminated fountains and strolling
lanes, there are several facilities which, in line with the principles
of environmentally friendly architecture, were made of natural
Zoom Natury – the positive-energy square, photo by Zoom Natury
184
materials (stone, wood) and blend with the natural forest landscape.
The buildings house
state-of-the-art laboratories which allow everyone to come, in
an interactive and often amusing way, into direct contact with
nature. A closer look (“zooming”) at places normally closed to our
eyes is possible thanks to special lens and cameras which give an
overview of life in an ant colony or a bird nest.
The Main Laboratory, besides the ant section, houses an insect
section, affording cross-sectional views of soil with earthworms
and wood with carpenter beetles. And then there’s a terrarium and
its collection of native and exotic amphibians and reptiles, and
an aquarium inviting everyone to the underwater world of fish,
complete with a piece of the coral reef. Visitors can view the fascinating enlarged 3D images of plants and animals, in particular the
beautifully coloured dragonflies, of which as many as 80 species are
found in the Janów Lubelski Forests, constituting a national record.
The zip line by the Janów Lubelski reservoir, photo courtesy of Zoom
Natury archive
185
Other attractions
Open-air fun in Zoom Natury, photo courtesy of Zoom Natury archive
The multimedia exhibitions in other laboratories of “Zoom
Natury”, devoted to the Underbrush, the Avifauna and Troposphere,
and the Energy and Recycling, are no less fascinating and original.
ZOOM Natury also provides an infrastructure for recreation and
sports, among others cycling paths, outdoor gyms, a boulodrome
and an impressive rope course offering several different routes and
a “power tower”, from which you can slide down over a beautiful
beach with an attractive bathing site and a water park.
“Zoom Natury” Recreation Park, ul. Turystyczna 10, 23-300 Janów
Lubelski, tel. 15 872 43 07, 784 529 688; rezerwacja@zoomnatury.pl,
www.zoomnatury.pl
“Dinosaurs” Educational Trail
in Krasnobród
In the forest surrounding this town in Roztocze, on the road to St.
Roch’s Valley, the first educational trail in the region was created
to acquaint tourists with the Earth’s prehistory. Walking down
the path (individually or with a guide) will let you become familiar
A prehistoric predator on a trail in Krasnobród, photo by Dinosaurs-Krasnobród
186
A horned Ceratops in Krasnobród, photo by Dinosaurs-Krasnobród
with life on Earth – from early life forms (fish-amphibians from
the Devonian period in the Palaeozoic) up to the reign of dinosaurs
(the Jurassic and the Cretaceous periods in the Mesozoic).
The most-fascinating exhibits presenting the prehistory of
the world of animals are, among others, fish-amphibians from
the Devonian period, the Tiktaalik and Ichthyostega genera,
the giant Meganeura dragonfly from the Carboniferous period,
the Mastodonsaurus resembling a crocodile from the Triassic
period, and many more dinosaurs from the Triassic and Jurassic periods – Vulcanodon, Allosaurus, Diplodocus, Iguanodon,
Troodon, Albertosaurus and Triceratops. Even more fun awaits
at the playground which has been modelled on “The Flintstones”,
where children can dig for a 13-metre skeleton of Tyrannosaurus,
the king of dinosaurs.
“Dinosaurs” Educational Trail, St. Roch’s Valley, 22-400 Krasnobród, tel.
664 966 533, 694 789 450; www.dinozaury-krasnobrod.pl
Strolling through the woods of Middle Roztocze, photo by K. Łagowski
187
Events
calendar
Chapter 10
188
Events calendar
EVENTS CALENDAR
JANUARY
MARCH – APRIL
• International Eastern Slavic
Christmas Carol Festival,
Terespol, Lublin, www.mfkw.pl
• Marshal Holiday Fair,
Lublin, www.lubelskie.pl
• Christmas Carol and Traditional
Ukrainian New Year’s Eve Song
Festival on the Bug River,
Włodawa, www.wdk.wlodawa.pl
• Hetman Run (cross-country skiing),
Tomaszów Lubelski,
www.lozn.org.pl
APRIL
• Lublin Jazz Festival,
Lublin,
www.lublinjazz.pl
• Susiec Fair,
Susiec,
www.roztoczewita.pl
May-Day Picnic with B. Prus, photo by P. Maciuk
• May-Day Picnic with B. Prus,
Nałęczów, www.zamek-lublin.pl
• Archaeological Meetings
in Chodlik,
Chodlik (Karczmiska Commune),
www.gokkarczmiska.pl
The ski championships in Tomaszów Lubelski, photo by J. Opiela-Basińska
FEBRUARY
APRIL – MAY
• Roztocze Cross-Country Skiing Cup,
Tomaszów Lubelski,
www.lozn.org.pl
• Roztocze Bicycle Rally: Lubycza
Królewska–Rawa Ruska
–Lubycza Królewska,
www.lubycza.pl
• Cavaliada Lublin
(International Riding and Show
Jumping Competition),
www.cavaliada-lublin.pl
• Inter-Voivodeship Rural
Theatre Assembly,
Tarnogród, www.tok.lbl.pl
MAY
• Roztocze May-Day Picnic,
Krasnobród, www.krasnobrod.pl
• Meetings with Archaeology,
Grodzisko Żmijowiska,
www.zmijowiska.pl
• Night of Museums
in Zamość,
Zamość,
www.muzeum-zamojskie.pl
• Festival of Traditional
and Avant-garde Music CODES,
Lublin, www.kody-festiwal.pl
• The Eastern Poland Tourist
Trade Fair,
Lublin, www.lrot.pl
• „Jazz in Kresy” Festival,
Zamość, www.kosz.zam.pl
• Nationwide Meetings
of Puppeteers,
Puławy, www.pok.cad.pl
• “W Krainie Pierogów”
(In the Land of Dumplings)
Nationwide Festival,
Festival
Bychawa, www.bychawa.pl
• Roztocze Cup Roller-Skating
Street Racing Championships,
Tomaszów Lubelski,
www.tuksroztocze.org.pl
• Pożegnanie sitarzy,
co się nazywa… żałosne
(A sorrowful bid farewell
to the sieve-makers), Biłgoraj,
www.bck.lbl.pl, www.kresy2000.pl
• May-Day Picnic in Zawieprzyce,
www.powiatleczynski.pl
• Annual Nationwide Street Run
“Grzmią pod Stoczkiem armaty”
(Cannons are thundering near
Stoczek), Stoczek Łukowski,
www.stoczek-lukowski.pl
FEBRUARY – MARCH
• Lublin Winter Flying Competition,
Radawiec k. Lublina,
www.aeroklub.lublin.pl
MARCH
• Student Film Confrontations,
Lublin, www.ack.lublin.pl
190
A bicycle rally from Lubycza
Królewska to Rawa Ruska, photo
by M. Basiński
A spring outing in Zawieprzyce, photo by A. Floryszek-Kosińska
191
Events calendar
Event in Open-Air Village Museum in Lublin, photo by A. Koziara
Festival of Wine in Janowiec, photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
• „Roztocze Trout” Nationwide
Spinning Championships,
Józefów,
www.ejozefow.pl
• Festival of Wine,
Janowiec,
www.winiarzempw.pl
• Lublin-Nałęczów Bicycle Parade,
www.lrot.pl
MAY – JUNE
• Historical Reenactment of the
Zamość Stronghold Storm,
Storm,
Zamość,
www.bractworycerskie.zamosc.pl
• Days of Chełm
“Fair with the Bieluch Ghost’’,
www.chelm.pl
• Nałęczów Divertimento,
Nałęczów, www.nok.pl
• Pure-Blood Arab Horse Youth
Spring Show,
Białka k. Krasnegostawu,
www.bialka.arabians.pl
JUNE
• Hetman Fair,
Zamość,
www.zdk.zamosc.pl
• Eastern-Borderlands Festival
of Sieve-making,
Biłgoraj, www.bck.lbl.pl
• Nationwide Cycling
Race across the Biłgoraj Land,
Biłgoraj,
www.bsk-bilgoraj.pl
The Lublin Bicycle Parade, photo courtesy of the LRTO archive
192
The Zamość Harlequin Culture Festival, photo by A. Koziara
"Arte Cultura Musica E..." festival in Zamość, photo by A. Koziara
193
Events calendar
Land Art in Zwierzyniec Park, photo by Zwierzyniec TH
• Bug-River Bicycle Rally,
Sławatycze, www.rajd.nadbugiem.pl
A folk arts-and-crafts fair in Kazimierz Dolny, photo by J. Olejniczak
• Nationwide Festival of Folk
Groups and Songsters,
Kazimierz Dolny,
www.wok.lublin.pl
• Zoom Natury – The Days
of Janów Lubelski,
Janów Lubelski, www.jokjanow.pl,
www.zoomnatury.pl
• Zamość Harlequin Culture
Festival „Arte, Cultura,
Musica, E…”,
Zamość, www.zdk.zamosc.pl
• Festival of the Land
of Chamomile,
Hołowno (Podedwórze Commune),
www.krainarumianku.pl
• Land Art Lublin Festival,
www.landart.lubelskie.pl
• Central Europe Theatre Festival
“The Neighbours”,
Lublin, www.festiwal-sasiedzi.pl
• Bicycle Rally along the Central
Roztocze Geotourist Trail,
Józefów, www.jkr.org.pl
• Firlej Fair,
Dąbrowica near Lublin,
www.gokis.jastkow.pl
• Chełm Bike Marathon
“With the Bieluch Ghost”,
www.rower.chelm.pl/maraton
• Manufaktura Smaków
(The Flavours Workshop),
Opole Lubelskie,
www.opolelubelskie.pl
• Bicycle Festival,
Lubartów,
www.swietoroweru.pl
• Lublin Marathon,
Lublin,
www.maraton.lublin.eu/pl
• Night of Culture,
Lublin, www.nockultury.pl
• “OPEN CITY” Public-Space
Art Festival,
Lublin, www.opencity.pl
JUNE – JULY
• Nationwide Smithery Workshops,
Wojciechów, www.kowale.com.pl
• Theatre Summer in Zamość,
Zamość, www.zdk.zamosc.pl
The Open City Festival in Lublin,
photo by A. Koziara
JULY
• “FART” Festival of Film
and TV Artists,
Janów Lubelski,
www.fartfilm.janowlubelski.pl
• International Polesie Summer
with Folklore,
Włodawa, www.wdk.wlodawa.pl
• Tatar Culture Days,
Studzianka, www.studzianka.pl
• EUROFOLK International
Folk Festival,
Zamość, www.zdk.zamosc.pl
Experimental Archaeology Workshops in Żmijowiska, photo courtesy of the
KDVM archive
194
The Smithery Workshops in
Wojciechów, photo courtesy of the
MOLV archive
• Hola Fair, Open-air
village museum in Hola,
195
Events calendar
The Night of Culture in Lublin – a performance by the Voskriesenia Theatre,
photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
(Stary Brus Commune),
www.skanseny.net/skansen/hola
• Street Band Festival,
Łęczna, www.ck.leczna.pl
• Nationwide Pottery Meetings,
Pottery Fair,
Łążek Garncarski,
www.osgmuzeum.pl,
www.powiatjanowski.pl
• International Folk Meetings,
Lublin, Nałęczów,
www.zpit.lublin.pl
• “Kresy” Vintage-Motorcycle
Night Rally,
www.nocnyrajdweteranow.pl
• Festival of Klezmer Music
and Tradition,
Kazimierz Dolny,
www.kazimierz-dolny.pl
• “Roztocze – Biłgoraj”
Nationwide Motorcycle Rally
www.automobilklubbilgorajski.pl
• International Jazz Workshops,
Puławy, www.pok.cad.pl
• Beekeeper’s Day,
Hańsk,
www.gokhansk.pl
• “New Cooperation”
Jazz Festival,
Zamość, www.kosz.zam.pl
• Archaeological Feast,
Masłomęcz,
www.wioska-gotow.pl
International Folk Meetings in Lublin, photo by I. Pazura
196
"Inne Brzmienia" Festival in Lublin, photo by UMWL archive
• “Inne Brzmienia”
(The Different Sounds
Art’n’Music Festival),
Lublin,
www.innebrzmienia.pl
• Tatar Culture Days,
Studzianka, www.studzianka.pl
JULY – AUGUST
• Two Riversides Film
and Art Festival,
Kazimierz Dolny, Janowiec,
www.dwabrzegi.pl
• Carnaval Sztuk-Mistrzów
(The Magicians’ Carnival),
Lublin,
www.sztukmistrze.eu
• Sheatfish Festival,
Prehoryłe (Mircze Commune),
www.gokmircze.pl,
www.pzw.org.pl
AUGUST
• Summer Equestrian Gala,
Janów Lubelski,
www.jokjanow.pl,
pegazjanow@wp.pl
• “Gryczaki” Buckwheat Festival,
Janów Lubelski, www.jokjanow.pl
• Bicycle Festival,
Lubartów,
www.swietoroweru.pl
• Summer Film Academy,
Zwierzyniec, www.laf.net.pl
• “Disappearing Professions”
Pawłów Fair,
Pawłów, www.pawlow.org.pl
The Bicycle Festival in Lubartów, photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
197
Events calendar
Nationwide Smithery Workshops in Wojciechów, photo by UMWL archive
An open-air screening during the Two Riversides Festival, photo by A. Koziara
• ”Bolkowanie – the Bug-River
Academy of Taste” Festival,
Hniszów (Ruda – Huta Commune),
www.gok-rudahuta.pl
• „W kręgu Wojsława”
(In the Wojsław circle) Festival,
Wojsławice,
www.wojslaw.eu
• “Kresy 92” International
Open-Air Art Workshops,
Wola Uhruska,
www.wolauhruska.pl
• European Days
of Good Neighbourliness,
Zbereże-Kryłów-Korczmin,
www.kordony.net/pl
Hola Fair, photo courtesy of the LRTO archives
A concert during the European Festival of Taste, photo by J. Opiela-Basińska
198
• Anniversary of the Battle
of Komarów,
Komarów,
www.bitwapodkomarowem.pl
• Zamość Film Festival,
Zamość, www.filmowelato.com
• International Jazz Vocalist
Meetings,
Zamość, www.kosz.zam.pl
• Historical Re-enactment
of the 1813 Siege of Zamość,
Zamość,
www.muzeum-zamojskie.pl
• Lake Run – Lakes: Łukcze
and Krasne,
www.uscimow.org.pl
• Royal Carp Day,
Maliniec (Potok Górny Commune),
www.lesnykrag.pl
• Lublin Meetings with Hunting
Tradition and Culture,
Zwierzyniec,
www.zwierzyniec.info.pl,
www.lubelskie.pl
The Carnaval Sztuk-Mistrzów in Lublin, photo by A. Koziara
199
Events calendar
The Pride of Poland in Janów Podlaski, photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
• “Pride of Poland”
Arab Horse Days,
Janów Podlaski,
www.janow.arabians.pl,
www.prideofpoland.pl
• Ecological Culture Festival
(including a bike rally),,
Józefów,
www.jkr.org.pl
• Bike Marathon across
the Parczew Land,
Parczew,
www.rowerowyparczew.pl
• International Hot-Air Balloon
Championships,
Nałęczów,
www.balony.spanaleczow.pl,
www.balony.zlun.pl
• „Tarka” Małopolska Horse
Stud Farm,
Wólka Wieprzecka,
www.gminazamosc.pl
• “Chmielaki” Nationwide
Festival of Hop-growers
and Beer-makers,
Krasnystaw, www.kdkkrasnystaw.pl
• Jagiellonian Fair,
Lublin, www.jarmarkjagiellonski.pl
SEPTEMBER
• Nationwide Pottery Meetings,
Urzędów,
www.urzedow.pl
• “Gwiaździsty” (Starry)
Bicycle Rally up Polak Hill,
www.wzgorze-polak.pl
Nałęczów – The International Hot-Air-Balloon Championships, photo
courtesy of the MOLV archive
200
The Jagiellonian Fair in Lublin, photo by M. Pietrusza
• From the Homestead
to the Town Fair,
Lublin, www.skansen.lublin.pl
• Cranberry Harvest,
Łążek Garncarski,
www.powiatjanowski.pl
• Horse Fair,
Lublin, www.skansen.lublin.pl
• “From the forests,
fields and gardens” Festival
of Autumn,
Kazimierz Dolny,
www.muzeumnadwislanskie.pl
• European Festival of Taste,
Lublin,
www.europejskifestiwalsmaku.pl
• ”Preserving Them in Memory” –
The Anniversary of Battles near
Tomaszów Lubelski,
Lubelski
Tomaszów Lubelski,
www.tomaszow39.com
• Powitanie sitarzy, co się
nazywa… radosne
(A joyful welcome
to the sieve-makers),,
Biłgoraj, www.bck.lbl.pl,
www.kresy2000.pl
• Jastrzębia Zdebrz Nationwide
Bicycle Rally,
www.roztoczezachodnie.pl
• Nationwide Roller Skiing
Championships,
Tomaszów Lubelski,
www.tuksroztocze.org.pl
• International Jazz Vocalist
Meetings,
Zamość,
www.kosz.zam.pl
The European Festival of Taste, photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
201
Events calendar
The Festival of Three Cultures in Włodawa, photo by A. Koziara
• Festival of Three Cultures,
Włodawa,
www.ftk-wlodawa.pl
OCTOBER
• Nationwide Polish Village
Theatre Gathering,
Tarnogród, www.tok.lbl.pl
• “Theatre Confrontations”
International Theatre Festival,
Lublin, www.konfrontacje.pl
• “Oldest Songs of Europe”
International Festival,
Lublin, www.npe-festiwal.pl
• Świdnik Jazz Festival,
Świdnik, www.mok.swidnik.pl
“Gryczaki” Buckwheat Festival in Janów Lubelski, photo by A. Koziara
NOVEMBER
• International Dance
Theatres Festival,
Lublin,
www.dancefestival.lublin.pl
DECEMBER
• International Festival Jazz Bez,
Lublin, www.warsztatykultury.pl
• Mikołajki Folkowe
(Folk Music Festival),
Lublin, www.mikolajki.folk.pl
• Marshal Holiday Fair,
Lublin, www.lubelskie.pl
• New Year’s Eve Run,
Nałęczów, www.naleczow.com.pl
"Chmielaki" beer festival in Krasnystaw, photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
The “Mikołajki” Folk Music Festival in Lublin, photo by A. Koziara
European Days of Good Neighbourliness, photo by A. Koziara
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information
Chapter 11
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Tourist information
TOURIST INFORMATION
The Land Art Festival at the Polish-Ukrainian border, photo by J. Koziara
En route - the Bug-River Bicycle Rally, photo by M. Dąbrowski
BIAŁA PODLASKA
BIŁGORAJ
Tourist and Cultural
Information Centre
Tourist and Cultural
Information Point
21-500 Biała Podlaska,
ul. Warszawska 11,
tel./fax 83 341 62 89,
www.bialapodlaska.pl,
citbialapodlaska@go2.pl
23-400 Biłgoraj,
ul. Kościuszki 41/43,
tel./fax 84 688 00 00,
www.muzeumbilgoraj.pl,
muzeumbilgoraj@op.pl
CHEŁM
Chełm Tourist Information Centre
22-100 Chełm,
ul. Lubelska 63,
tel. 82 565 36 67,
tel./fax 82 565 41 85,
www.itchelm.pl,
itchelm@wp.pl
HRUBIESZÓW
Transboundary Tourist
Information Centre
22-500 Hrubieszów,
ul. 3 Maja 15,
tel. 84 696 23 80,
www.miasto.hrubieszow.pl,
turystyka@miasto.hrubieszow.pl
A sightseeing group in front of Lublin Castle, photo by M. Dąbrowski
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JANÓW LUBELSKI
Tourist Information Point
23-300 Janów Lubelski,
ul. Zamoyskiego 59,
tel. 15 871 75 75,
www.janowlubelski.pl
JÓZEFÓW
Tourist Information Point
20-460 Józefów,
ul. Kościuszki 37A,
tel. 84 687 81 33,
www.ejozefow.pl,
jozefow@ejozefow.pl
KAZIMIERZ DOLNY
Tourist Information Centre
24-120 Kazimierz Dolny, Rynek 15,
tel. 81 881 07 09,
www.kokpit.com.pl,
cit@kokpit.com.pl
KRASNOBRÓD
Tourist Information Point
22-440 Krasnobród,
ul. Tomaszowska 25,
tel. 84 534 28 42,
www.it.krasnobrod.pl,
it@krasnobrod.pl
KRASNYSTAW
Tourist Information Point
22-300 Krasnystaw,
ul. Sobieskiego 3,
tel. 696 473 423,
www.lotkrasnystaw.pl,
info@otkrasnystaw.pl
Lublin Airport, photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
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Tourist information
A marina on the Vistula in Puławy, photo by S. Turski
LUBLIN
Lublin Tourist and Cultural
Information Centre
20-113 Lublin, ul. Jezuicka 1/3,
tel. 81 532 44 12,
www.lubelskietravel.pl,
www.lublintravel.pl, info@loitik.eu
ŁĘCZNA
Tourist Information Centre
21-010 Łęczna,
al. Jana Pawła II 95a,
tel. 81 752 64 78,
www.turystyka-pojezierze.pl,
turystyka@powiatleczynski.pl
NAŁĘCZÓW
Tourist Information Centre
24-150 Nałęczów,
Al. Kasztanowa 2,
RADZYŃ PODLASKI
OPOLE LUBELSKIE
Tourist and Cultural
Information Point
Tourist Information
Point
21-300 Radzyń Podlaski,
ul. Jana Pawła II 2,
tel. 83 352 15 60,
www.krainaserdecznosci.pl,
turystyka@pra.pl
22-600 Tomaszów Lubelski,
ul. Kościelna 9,
tel. 84 665 85 05,
www.roztoczewita.pl,
biuro@lot.roztocze.com
Tourist Information
Centre
24-300 Opole Lubelskie,
ul. Strażacka 1,
tel. 81 475 50 10,
cit@opolelubelskie.pl
www.opolelubelskie.pl/turystyka
PUŁAWY
Tourist Information
Centre
24-100 Puławy,
ul. Królewska 4,
tel. 81 887 96 04,
www.domchemika.pl,
turystyka@domchemika.pl
By the pond in the Spa Park in Nałęczów, photo by S. Turski
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Kayaking down the border Bug river, photo by M. Pomietło
tel. 81 501 61 01,
www.kraina.org.pl,
info@kraina.org.pl
SUSIEC
TOMASZÓW LUBELSKI
URSZULIN
Tourist Information Point
Polesie National Park
22-672 Susiec,
ul. Tomaszowska 100,
tel. 84 665 44 10,
www.susiec.pl,
it@susiec.pl
22-234 Urszulin,
ul. Lubelska 3a,
tel. 82 571 30 71,
www.poleskipn.pl,
poleskipn@poleskipn.pl
The Western Roztocze landscape, photo by M. Grum
209
The Wyspa Wisła recreation centre in Stężyca, photo courtesy of the MOLV archive
WŁODAWA
Tourist Information Point
22-200 Włodawa, ul. Kościelna 7,
tel./fax 82 572 20 69,
www.informacja.wlodawa.pl,
centrum.polesie@gmail.com
Tourist Information Point
22-200 Włodawa,
ul. Partyzantów 25,
tel. 82 571 70 730,
it.wlodawa@gmail.com
ZAMOŚĆ
Zamość Tourist Information
Centre
22-400 Zamość,
Rynek Wielki 13,
tel. 84 639 22 92,
www.turystyka.zamosc.pl,
zci@zamosc.pl
Zamość Tourist Information
Centre (ZCIT)
22-400 Zamość,
ul. Łukasińskiego 2e,
tel. 84 538 17 33,
zci@zamosc.pl
ZWIERZYNIEC
Roztocze National Park
22-470 Zwierzyniec,
ul. Plażowa 3,
tel. 84 687 20 66,
tel./fax 84 687 22 86,
www.roztoczanskipn.pl,
oem@roztoczanskipn.pl
"Szum" Trail in Roztocze, photo by K. Łagowski
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Tourist attractions of the Lubelskie Region
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TOURIST ATTRACTIONS OF THE LUBELSKIE REGION – tourist guide
TOURIST
ATTRACTIONS
OF THE LUBELSKIE
REGION
WOJEWÓDZTWO
LUBELSKIE
Editorial co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the framework
of Regional Operational Programme of the Lubelskie Region 2007–2013.
tourist guide