(Polish pronounciation is shown in parenthesis)
The area which currently forms the south-easternmost part of Poland lay
outside the boundaries of the nation that emerged at the end of the
Dark Ages, though it was incorporated into the early Polish state
established by Mieszko I and his son Boleslaw the Brave in the late
tenth century. However, this arrangement did not long survive the
latter's death:the territory was taken over by the
neighboring Ruthenians (ancestors of the present-day Ukrainians), and
became part of a large province known as Red Ruthenia (Rus'
Czerwona).The whole of Red Ruthenia was
conquered by King Kazimierz the Great in the latter half of the
fourteenth century, and thereafter served as Poland's eastern bulwark
until the Partition era, when all but a small northern section was
taken over by the Austrians, forming the main component of a new
province named Galicia. Following the Austrian Empire's collapse in
World War I, ownership of Red Ruthenia was disputed between the
resurrected Polish state and the Soviet Union. The matter was
initially resolved in Poland's favor as a result of its stunningly
conclusive victory in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-20 the only
defeat the Red Army ever suffered in the field. However, the Soviets
turned the tables in 1945, when Stalin gained international backing
for his plan to force Poland to cede most of Red Ruthenia to the
Soviet Republic of the Ukraine, in return for compensatory
territorial acquisitions elsewhere at Germany's expense. The Poles
were left with a rump, approximately equivalent to the portion they
had held a thousand years before.
Rzeszow (Zheshoov), 26 miles (42 km) south-west of
Lezajsk (Lezhaysk), was founded by the Ruthenians, and later passed through the
hands of various aristocratic Polish dynasties. It became
increasingly important during the Austrian rule of the Partition
period, towards the end of which is gained several imposing buildings
in the Viennese Secessionist style. After World War II, it was made
the focal point of the industrial re-generation of south-eastern
Poland, and it is now easily the largest city in the
region.
Back on the River San, 22 miles
(35 km) upstream from Lezajsk (Lezhaysk) and a similar distance east of Lancut,
is Jaroslaw. For several hundred years the town,
which takes its name from the Ruthenian prince who founded it in the
eleventh century, was one of Central Europe's most important trade
fair centers, and was inhabited by merchants of many different
nationalities. The main monumental legacy of this is the Orsetti
Mansion on the southern side of the Rynek, built in the late
sixteenth century for the Italian family after whom it is named. It
possesses a graceful loggia and a richly decorated attic, while the
interior, now housing the District Museum, retains its original
polychromed woodbeam ceilings. From another mansion on the south side
of the Rynek, guided tours are run round the extensive network of
underground town cellars, which were used not only for storage
purposes, but also for shelter in time of war. Another key building
on the square is the Town
The
Bieszczady (Bieshchady) Region
The extreme south-eastern
corner of Poland is composed of the Bieszczady (Bieshchady) mountains and their
foothills, the Gory Slonne. In the Middle Ages, a few towns with a
mixed Ruthenian and Polish population were established at the
northern fringe of this region, on the main trade route between
Cracow and Russia. Everything else remained an uninhabited wilderness
until the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when it was settled by
Ruthenian farmers and Wallachian nomads, descendants of the ancient
Thracians who had gradually been forced northwards. In time, two
distinct ethnic groups emerged from the intermarriage of these
peoples the Boykos (Boykowie) and the Lemkos (Lemkowie) or
Rusnaki.
This ethnic patchwork was tragically broken up in the
aftermath of World War II. A para-military group known as the
Ukrainian Partisan Army (UPA) took refuge in the wide spaces of the
Bieszczady (Bieshchady), and continued fighting for the independence of its
perpetually subdued country for 2 years after the cessation of
hostilities elsewhere in Europe. It remains a matter of dispute as to
what extent they were actively supported by the Boykos and the
Lemkos, but Poland's Communist government decided on a drastic course
of action when the deputy defense minister and erstwhile commander of
the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War, General Karol
Swierczewski, was assassinated by the UPA in March
1947.
The Eastern Beskid Niski and Pogorze Jaroslaw Krosno Przemysl Regional
Museum Rzeszow (Zheshoov) Regional Museum Sanok Ustrzyki (Ustzhikee)
Dolne
The
southern part of the old Krakowska province of Little Poland consists
of the foothills and mountains of the Western Carpathians (Karpaty
Zachodnie). Ever since tourism first became a popular activity around
the middle of the nineteenth century, this has ranked among the most
popular holiday destinations anywhere in Central Europe and rightly
so, as it contains a wealth of scenery which is considerably more
varied than might be expected of such a compact geographical
area. The Western Beskid Niski and
Pogorze (Pogoozhe). The Beskid Niski and its foothills, the Pogorze, are divided into two
sections, and mark the geographical transition from the Eastern to
the Western Carpathians, as well as the historic boundary between Red
Ruthenia and Little Poland. Poles settled in the westem Pogorze in
the early Middle Ages, but the Beskid Niski remained virtually
uninhabited until much later, being settled mainly by the Ruthenian
ethnic group known as the Lemkos. They retain a presence in the
area, and indeed have staged something of a cultural revival since
the fall of Communism. The most visible signs of their presence are
their distinctive wooden churches, which can be found in the majority
of villages throughout the Beskid Niski. Most were built for the
Uniate rite, though many have since been taken over for Roman
Catholic worship or for secular use. Wooden churches, this time built
by ethnic Poles of Catholic faith, are a feature of the Pogorze, and
indeed of the Carpathian foothills in general. These are far more
obviously "western" in appearance, though they have likewise changed
very little in style down the centuries. The Beskid Sadecki (Sondetski) The
Beskid Sadecki , the next mountain range to the
west, is somewhat higher than the Beskid Niski, with several peaks of
over 3,280 ft (1,000 m). Nonetheless, it is best known as a place for
recuperative holidays, being rich in mineral springs and having one
of the two main concentrations of spa resorts in Poland. The Dunajec (Dunayets),
one of the country's best-known rivers, separates it from the Podhale
and Pieniny, while one of its tributaries, the Kamienica, forms the
border with the Beskid Niski. Another Dunajec tributary, the Poprad,
cuts right through the heart of the Beskid Sadecki , dividing it into
eastern and western sections, the Pasmo Radziejowiej and the Pasmo
Jaworzyny. A loop road, which closely hugs one or other river valley
for almost its entire length, goes all the way round the latter,
giving easy access to all places of interest in the range. The Beskid
Sadecki is the westernmost territory inhabited by the Lemkos, and
thus also the most westerly outpost in Europe of Eastern Orthodoxy.
Many of the villages, particularly in the south of the range, have
wooden churches in the characteristic Lemko style, though most
surviving examples date back only to last century and are seldom the
equal of those to be found in the Beskid Niski and
Bieszczady (Bieshchady). The
Pieniny The Pieniny (Pyeneeny) is a small and particularly
beautiful chain which stands out from the other Carpathian mountains
in being formed predominantly of limestone. Below its jagged white
peaks are thickly wooded slopes, which look particularly glorious
when cloaked in autumnal reds and golds. There are three distinct
parts to the chain, each of which is divided by the frontier with
Slovakia. The main central section, the Pieniny Wlasciwe, is
separated from the Beskid Sadecki (Sondetski) to the east by the River Dunajec (Dunayets),
which also forms a spectacular gorge - a truly great natural wonder
which has long been one of Poland's most popular tourist attractions
along the international border to the south. To the east is the Male
Pieniny (literally 'Small Pieniny') which lies across the Dunajec (Dunayets),
divided from the Beskid Sadecki (Sondetski) by the valley of the Grajcarek.
Finally, the Pieniny Spiskie lies across the Dunajec from the
south-western end of the Pieniny Wlasciwe, and forms the northern
part of a small, time-warped rural region known as the Spisz, which
historically belonged to Hungary and was populated mainly by
Slovaks.
Despite its truncated
size, the part of Red Ruthenia still belonging to Poland ranks among
the country's most fascinating and diverse regions, one that makes a
very satisfying basis for a touring trip of a week or more. The
southernmost part, in and around the mountain ranges of the
Bieszczady (Bieshchady) and Beskid Niski, is an unspoiled rural area, much of it
wilderness, which is ideal for long yet not unduly demanding walks.
For several centuries, two ethnic minority groups, the Lemkos and the
Boykos, had their homelands there. Most were forcibly expelled in
1947, but their wooden churches, originally built for either the
Orthodox or Uniate rite, survive as a reminder of their former
presence.
Timber churches, this time built by ethnic Poles,
usually for Roman Catholic worship, are also characteristic of the
lower-lying areas further north. One of the great benefits in touring
Red Ruthenia by car is in the freedom this affords to stop off and
admire these wonderful buildings, whose sheer invention and artistry
entitles them to be considered among the finest expressions of folk
architecture to be found anywhere in Europe. Note that, while the
finest and most easily accessible are detailed in this chapter,
others can be found in literally dozens of villages not described
here.
In the northern part of Red Ruthenia, there are more
obvious setpiece attractions, including several magnificent castles
and palaces built by the great landed magnates. Of these families,
the Zamoyskis went a stage further than their rivals in establishing
the planned town of Zamosc (Zamoshch), a treasure of Italian Renaissance
architecture which is unquestionably among the most rewarding tourist
destinations in Poland. In and around Zamosc (Zamoshch) can also be found some
of the best-preserved monuments of Poland's Jewish community, which
traditionally had a strong presence in these parts. For several
centuries, it was the largest in the world, but was all but wiped out
by the Nazis in a systematic program of genocide whose early stages
were enacted in two of the extermination camps they established in
the region.
The Middle San
Basin
This development means that Rzeszow (Zheshoov) is now an ugly
sprawl of tower blocks and factories, though the Old Town does
survive as its core. On the central Rynek are the Town Hall,
originally sixteenth-century but remodeled in a heavy neo-Gothic
style, a statue to Tadeusz Kosciuszko (Tahde-oosh Koshtsyushko), hero of the American Wars of
Independence and the Polish struggles against the Partitioning
powers, and a number of historic houses. One of these contains the
Ethnographic Museum, featuring a collection of folk art and costumes.
On ul. Boznicza, just off the north-eastern end of the square, are
two former Jewish temples. The first of these, the Old Synagogue, is
mostly seventeenth-century in date, and now contains the city
archive. Immediately to the north is the New Synagogue, built by an
Italian architect, Giovanni Belotti, in the early eighteenth century;
this now functions as a commercial art gallery and cafe.
On
plac Farny, the next square to the west of the Rynek, is the parish
church. Originally Gothic, it was remodeled in the Baroque period,
and is primarily of interest for the Renaissance tombs of the
Rzeszow (Zheshoov)ski family, the first Polish owners of the town. To the west
is the Bernardine monastery, built in the 1620's at the behest of
Mikolaj Ligeza, the most prominent member of the next local dynasty.
It is a very early example of the Baroque style, with a ground plan
and a high altar which are both still clearly Renaissance. Presiding
over the chancel in a highly theatrical arrangement are eight
alabaster busts of members of the Ligeza family. To the side of this
is an elaborate Baroque chapel containing a supposedly miraculous
sixteenth-century statue of the Virgin. The walls are frescoed with
scenes illustrating how 100 different people were cured as a result
of her intercession. Outside the monastery is the Monument to the
Revolutionary Movement, a typically bombastic example of the
Socialist Realist memorials once common throughout Eastern Europe,
but which elsewhere have usually been removed.
South of the
parish church is ul. 3 Maj a, about halfway down which is the Piarist
monastery, which was likewise founded by Mikolaj Ligeza. The church's
facade, which was not added until later, was designed by Tylman van
Gameren, the Dutch-born architect who built so much of Warsaw.
Nowadays, the monastic quarters are occupied by the Regional Museum.
This is mostly devoted to changing exhibitions on historical themes,
though it is worth visiting for the sake of seeing the interiors, and
in particular the frescoed vaults. At the end of the same street is
the Savings Bank, a whimsical fantasy castle that is by far the most
eye-catching of the city's Secessionist buildings.
A little
way down ul. Zamkowa is the Lubomirski Palace, the summer residence
of the third and last of the Rzeszow (Zheshoov) dynasties. Built in the early
eighteenth century by Tylman van Gameren, it now serves as a music
college. Occupying a commanding position in splendid isolation at the
extreme southern end of the Old Town is the castle, a huge fortified
block built in the late sixteenth centuries for the Ligezas. It was
re-modeled on several subsequent occasions, but still retains its
ramparts and bell tower. For long used as a prison, it is currently
the seat of the law courts.
Hall, which was originally Gothic
but several times remodeled. Jaroslaw has several notable churches.
North of the Rynek are the Renaissance parish church and, on the hill
beyond, a fortified Benedictine convent, while to the east is the
mid-eighteenth-century Uniate church. The western part of town is
dominated by the twin-towered Dominican monastery; this was
originally built by the Jesuits in the seventeenth century, is
likewise fortified and contains a Gothic carving of the
Pieta.
Przemysl lies down the curvaceous course of the San
from Jaroslaw, 21 miles (34km) away by road. Another Ruthenian
foundation, it became a major episcopal center under Polish rule, and
the towers of the monastic houses dominate the cityscape to this day.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, the Austrian occupiers
made Przemysl into one of Europe's strongest fortresses, defended by
a 9 mile (15 km) long inner circle of walls and a 28 miles (45 km) long
outer ring. Much of this was destroyed in World War I, when the
garrison was starved into submission by the Russians, though
surviving sections can be seen all over the city. As a result of the
boundary changes formalized in 1945, Przemysl now lies hard by the
Ukrainian frontier, and swarms with cross-border traders. The nearest
crossing-point is 9 miles (14km) to the west, on the main road to
Lwow (now Lviv), which was for centuries one of Poland's largest and
most culturally vibrant cities.
Pzhemysl's Old Town clings
to the hillside on the southern bank of the San. The central Rynek
preserves a number of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century houses,
while just to the side is the Baroque Franciscan church. This has a
resplendent columned facade with a double stairway, while the
interior is crammed with Rococo adornments, which include illusionist
frescos, numerous altars, the pulpit and the organ. A block to the
rear is the former Jesuit church, whose college buildings are now
occupied by the Diocesan Museum. Further uphill is the Carmelite
church, a seat of a Uniate bishop prior to 1945. It subsequently
became a Roman Catholic parish church, but was recently returned,
after a prolonged and heated dispute, to the Uniates. Alongside, the
former Uniate Bishop's Palace now contains the Regional Museum. In
addition to the usual archaeological and ethnographical displays,
this features a valuable collection of Ruthenian icons brought from
Uniate churches throughout the region.
West along ul.
Katedralna from the Jesuit church is the cathedral. As so often in
Poland, the original Gothic building was completely transformed in
the Baroque era but, most unusually, the chancel was later returned
to its former appearance. Below this, the foundations of the previous
Romanesque rotunda have been uncovered. Among the Baroque additions
are the detached belfry, the elliptical chapel of the Fredo family
and the octagonal chapel of the Drohojowski family. At the highest
point of the Old Town, and commanding a fine view is the castle, now
rather ruinous but including a Renaissance section by an inspired
Italian architect, Galeazzo Appiani.
The former inhabited the highest parts of the
Bieszczady (Bieshchady) and in the area (now part of the Ukraine) directly to the
east, while the latter lived on the lower western fringe and in the
Beskid Niski and Beskid Sadecki (Sondetski) beyond. Both groups were farmers,
breeding cattle, sheep and goats. Each spoke their own dialect, a
form of Ukrainian. Both practiced a vigorous form of folk art,
particularly manifest in the extraordinarily inventive and
picturesque wooden churches found in almost every village, whose
style of construction remained essentially unchanged down the
centuries. Most of these followed the Uniate rite, though others
remained loyal to Eastern Orthodoxy. Generally speaking, the Boykos
were poorer and more conservative than the Lemkos, and less prone to
outside influences than their neighbors, who lived in close proximity
to Poles and Hungarians. This distinction is reflected in their
architecture. Boyko churches show lingering Byzantine influence, and
generally have a large central dome over the nave, with two smaller
domes of equal size over the narthex and sanctuary. Lemko churches,
on the other hand, often feature a west tower, and adopt the
principle of domes descending in size towards the east
end.
The following month, in an exercise codenamed
Operation Vistula, virtually the entire Boyko and Lemko population,
upwards of 200,000 in all, was forcibly evacuated and re-settled in
areas recently gained from Germany. Their villages were either razed
to the ground, or else re-populated with Poles, albeit at only a
fraction of their previous density. The churches were either
abandoned, or else handed over to the Roman Catholics. Much of the
Bieszczady (Bieshchady) returned to being a wilderness, and several parts were
subsequently designated as protected landscapes. Despite a modest
migration back to the region since the fall of Communism,
particularly by Lemkos, the situation remains little changed to this
day.
Sanok, located on a bluff high
above the River San, 38 miles (62km) south-west of Przemysl, is the
main gateway to the Bieszczady (Bieshchady) region. The town is a major industrial
center, best-known for the production of the Autosan buses that are a
familiar sight all over Poland. Although not particularly attractive
in itself, it is an excellent touring base, and also boasts two
really outstanding museums.
The first of these is the
Historical Museum housed in the castle, a much-remodeled
sixteenth-century building located directly above the river, and just
beyond the north-east corner of the Rynek. Supplementing the standard
displays of archaeology, local history and paintings is the largest
collection of Ruthenian icons to be found anywhere in the world
outside Moscow. These range in date from the fourteenth to the
eighteenth centuries, and were brought from the former Uniate
churches throughout the region. They show an evolution in style from
the rigid Byzantine hierarchy of the early works to a clear Roman
Catholic influence in those painted after the foundation of the
Uniate church in 1596.
Facing the castle from the south is
a branch museum, the Beksinski Gallery, devoted to the paintings of
one of Poland's leading contemporary artists, Zdzislaw Beksinski, a
native of Sanok. Influenced by both Expressionism and Surrealism, his
compositions are notable for their hallucinatory, dream-like sense of
fantasy. On the other side of the castle is a late eighteenth-century
Orthodox church.
About 1 mile (2km) north of the town
center, on the opposite bank of the San, is the Museum of Folk
Architecture, which is generally agreed to be Poland's premier
skansen. The buildings are arranged into five
sections, each representing a different ethnic group from south-east
Poland the
Boykos, the Lemkos, the Dolinianie (the
dalesmen of the region around Sanok), and the eastern and western
Pogorzanie (the inhabitants of the foothill areas further west). In
addition to numerous farmsteads, the exhibits include a watermill,
sawmill, a windmill, a fire station, a school, an inn and a cluster
of beehives. There are also three intact churches. That near the
entrance is the oldest: it dates back to the 1670's and comes from
the village of Baczal Dolny. It was used for Roman Catholic services
and has a complete set of late Baroque furnishings
inside.
Both of the other churches were formerly Uniate,
and are to be found in the section devoted to the Boykos, which is
beautifully landscaped on the hillside. The larger of these dates
from the 1730's and formerly stood in the village of Graziowa. It is
a classic Boyko design, with hipped mansard roofs, an arcade running
all the way round the building, and a two-story porch from whose
upper level women could observe the service. Inside is a
nineteenth-century iconostasis, while the detached belfry alongside,
which is older than the church, was brought from another site. At the
foot of the hill is an intact mid-eighteenth-century ensemble from
the village of Rosolin, consisting of church, belfry and mortuary.
The perfectly proportioned church is a little masterpiece, though it
is untypical of Boyko architecture, showing clear Roman Catholic
influence. It may have been designed by a Pole named Antoni, who
signed the folksy paintings inside which take the place of the
traditional iconostasis.
Within easy reach of Sanok two
outstanding wooden churches, both originally built for the Orthodox
rite, can still be seen in situ. That at Czertezh,
3 miles (5 km) along the main road to the west, dates back
to the 1730's and preserves its original iconostasis, though it is now
used for Catholic worship. The oldest surviving wooden Orthodox
church in Poland is at Ulucz, which is on a minor
road 9 miles (15 km) down the San from Sanok; it is no longer used for
services and is now an outstation of the skansen.
Begun around 1510, it gained its present form the following
century. Its central dome has been molded into the shape of an
octagon, while the western section has an amazing roof with spreading
eaves which covers both the narthex and the exterior gallery. Inside
is a dignified seventeenth-century
iconostasis.
Lesko, 9 miles (15 km)
south-west of Sanok, is built on a cliff top high above the San. It
marks the starting-point of the main loop road which goes all the way
round the Bieszczady (Bieshchady) mountains, as well as its smaller counterpart
which travels round Lake Solinskie, the hydroelectric and water
sports center just to the south. The town itself is best-known for
its Jewish heritage, having been settled by Sephardi Jews expelled
from Spain. A certain Spanish influence is manifest in the
architecture of the fortified Renaissance synagogue, nowadays a
commercial art gallery, which is located just off the Rynek. Downhill
and to the right is an extensive Jewish cemetery with over 1,000
historic tombstones, many with beautiful carvings. At the entrance to
town from the Sanok road is the castle, which was completely rebuilt
as a neo-Classical palace, and is now a holiday home and
hotel.
Ustrzyki (Ustzhikee) Dolne, l5 1/2 miles (25 km)
south-east of Lesko, is the last town before the mountains. During
the summer, it has a rail link with Przemysl,
which international boundary changes have elevated into an attraction
in its own right: the train travels via the Ukraine, passing through,
but not stopping at, a couple of Ukrainian villages en route.
Currently, this is the only way of seeing anything of the Ukraine
without having to buy a visa. Other than this, Ustrzyki (Ustzhikee) Dolne has
only a few low-key attractions to offer: the former synagogue on the
Rynek, which is now a library; a nineteenth-century Uniate church on
nearby ul. Kopernika; and the Bieszczady (Bieshchady) National Park Museum on ul.
Belzka.
Several fine wooden churches of the Boykos can be
seen in the villages near Ustrzyki (Ustzhikee) Dolne.
Kroscienko, on the rail line to Przemysl, 7 miles
(11km) to the north-east, has one dating from the end of the
eighteenth century which is still used for Orthodox services. The
village was settled by Greek refugees after World War II, and some
still live there. Another notable church, dating from a few decades
later, is in Liskowate, the next village to the
north.
Even closer to Ustrzyki (Ustzhikee) Dolne is Rownia,
which lies down a side road to the south-west, and is also
accessible in less than an hour via the more direct route of the
footpath marked with blue stripes. Built in the latter part of the
eighteenth century, the church has three domes, the central one of
which rises in tiers, while the outer ones are shaped liked bells.
Further down the same side road, or 5 miles (8km) south of Ustrzyki (Ustzhikee)
Dolne by the main road into the mountains, is
Hoszow. Hidden among the trees at the far end of
the village is a late nineteenth-century church in the architectural
style of the Hutsuls, an ethnic minority whose traditional homeland
now lies entirely within the Ukraine. They were even more loyal to
Byzantine models than the Boykos, favoring a cruciform plan based
around a single central dome.
Several more wooden churches
lie further south. On the main road, those in Zlobek
and Czarna Gorne both date from the
1830's; the former has lost its interior decoration, but the latter
still preserves its original iconostasis. Polana,
6 miles (10 km) west of Czarna Gorne on the road to Lake
Solinskie, has a church in the style of those in the Trans-Carpathian
region of the Ukraine. The village, which stands at the northern edge
of one of the Bieszczady's protected areas, the San Valley Landscape
Park (Park Krajobrazowy Doliny Sanu), is a small holiday center with
private rooms available for rent. It is particularly popular with
riding enthusiasts: local "hutsul" horses (which were originally wild,
but are now domesticated) can be hired there for exploring the
countryside.
East of Czarna Gorne, a side road leads to
Bystre, whose early twentieth century church,
regrettably now disused, remains loyal to the traditional forms but
is built on a noticeably larger scale. Its nineteenth-century
counterpart in neighboring Michniowiec (Mikhnyovyets) has had its
interior redecorated in line with its changed needs of Catholic
worship. Back on the main road, the mid-eighteenth-century church at
Smolnik, the last village before entering the
mountains proper, lies on a hillock at the crossroads south of the
village. The church at Chmiel, 4 miles (7km) along
the westbound road
which closely follows the course of the
River San, was built in the first decade of the twentieth century in
traditional Ukrainian style. Returning to Smolnik, it is a further II
miles (18 km) down the main road to Ustrzyki (Ustzhikee) Gorne.
A straggling community spread out along the valley of the
Wolosaty, a tributary of the San, it offers breathtaking views in all
directions.
Ustrzyki (Ustzhikee) Gorne is the main hiking base for the
Bieszczady (Bieshchady) National Park
(Bieszczadzki Park Narodowy), in whose heart it lies. This
otherwise virtually uninhabited area protects the highest part of the
mountain range. Together with adjacent areas in Slovakia and the
Ukraine, it forms the UNESCO-listed Eastern Carpathians World
Biosphere Reserve. Up to a level of 3,772 ft (1,1,150 m), the
mountains are covered with atypical Carpathian beech forest, seen at
its glorious best when cloaked with autumnal coloring. Beeches
account for about 85 per cent of the total number of trees. Firs,
sycamores and maples are also indigenous, as are the alders which
grow along the banks of the streams. Additionally, there are recent
plantations of pine, spruce and larch. Between 3,772 and 3,936 ft
(1,150 and 1,200 m) dwarf beeches are found. Higher up there are only
the poloniny, bare windswept meadows which are
unique in Poland and are primarily responsible for imbuing the
Bieszczady (Bieshchady) with an instantly recognizable character. Whortleberries
and cowberries grown among the high tufted hairgrass, which for
centuries was used for grazing purposes by Boyko
farmers.
The lynx is the emblem of the park; other mammals
living there include wild cats, wild boar, red and roe deer, brown
bears, elks, wolves and European bison, which were re-introduced in
the 1960s. Among more than 100 bird species are predators such as
eagles, eagle owls, buzzards, vultures and ravens.
A
certain amount of the park can be seen by car. From Ustrzyki (Ustzhikee) Gorne,
the Bieszczady (Bieshchady) loop road continues through the middle of the park,
then on into the lower western part of the range traditionally
inhabited by the Lemkos. Another well surfaced road leads east to the
Rozsypaniec pass on the border with the Ukraine. However, the best of
the scenery can only be experienced on foot, via the excellent
network of marked trails. These are not especially strenuous and
present no obvious difficulties, though it is essential to be well
prepared for the sudden and sharp changes in weather which are liable
to occur on the poloniny. Most walkers base
themselves in Ustrzyki Gorne(Ustzhikee Goorne) and make day trips into the mountains.
For those wishing to explore the remoter corners, there are several
mountain refuges offering overnight accommodation. Additionally,
there are more basic shelters and bivouac sites for those with their
own tent.
The highest peaks, which together make up the
so-called Bieszczady (Bieshchady) Crown, lie east of Ustrzyki Gorne. These
comprise Szerocki Wierch (4,159 ft/ 1,268m), Tarnica (4,415 ft/
1,346m), Krzemien (4,379 ft/1,335m), Kopa Bukowska (4,303ft/ 1,312m),
Halicz (4,372 ft/1,333m) and Rozsypaniec (4,175 ft/1,273m). It is
possible to combine several of these in one day, following the red
path from Ustrzyki (Ustzhikee) Gorne; the initial approach can be speeded up by
driving straight to the Rozsypaniec pass and ascending directly from
there. North of the peaks is the wildest and loneliest part of
the
park, where the traces of several razed villages can be
seen; this area can also be approached by car via the side road from
Stuposiany, which lies between Smolnik and Ustrzyki (Ustzhikee) Grime. The young
River San, at this point no more than a stream, forms the continuous
frontier with the Ukraine, and should on no account be
crossed.
West of Ustrzyki Gorne, the blue trail leads to
the summit of Wielka Rawka (4,271 ft/1,302 m) on the border with
Slovakia; the return walk can be done comfortably in less than a day.
However, the most rewarding scenery in the park lies on the western
section of the red trail. This ascends through the woods to the
Polonina Carynska, a long ridge whose highest point is (4,254 ft/
1,297 m), with spectacular views over virtually the whole range. The
path traverses this, then descends to the crossroads and bus stop of
Brzegi Gorne. It then continues up to the Polinina Wetlinska, where
there is a full-equipped mountain refuge. At the far end of this
ridge, whose maximum height is (4,110 ft/1,253 m), there is a choice
between descending to Wetlina, the tiny alternative resort to
Ustrzyki Gorne, or continuing on to the summit of Smerek (4,008 ft/
1,222 m), from where the path descends to the hamlet of the same name,
which lies just outside the park boundaries.
The main
resort for the western part of the Bieszczady is Cisna (Tsisna), 22 miles
(35 km) north-west of Ustrzyki Gorne, and 22 miles (36 km) south of
Lesko. Its main attraction is the narrow-gauge forest railway which
starts from the hamlet of Majdan, 1 mile (2 km) to the west and runs
for 15 1/2 miles (25 km) along the valleys of the Oslawa and Oslawica.
Built by the Austrians in the nineteenth century for military
purposes, it is still used by the local logging industry. Between
June and September, a special tourist train makes a daily return
journey along the entire route, giving the opportunity of seeing some
otherwise virtually inaccessible scenery, including several sparkling
little forest lakes. Because of the steep gradient, it travels at
little faster than walking pace on the outbound
Journey.
The northern terminus of the narrow-gauge railway
is Rzepedz, (Zhepedzh)which has both a road and a standard
gauge rail link with the small industrial town of Zagorz (Zagoozh), midway
between Sanok and Lesko. On the west side of the village is a typical
Lemko wooden church built in the 1820s. It is used for Uniate
worship, and has both an iconostasis and Catholic-style devotional
paintings. The church in Turzansk, just over 1/2
mile (1km) east of Rzepedz, is a decade younger and altogether more
sophisticated in design, featuring no fewer than six steeples, each
crowned with a graceful onion dome. It follows the Orthodox rite, and
still preserves its original interior decoration. Another wooden
Orthodox church of the same period is in Szczawne,
3 miles (5 km) north of
Rzepedz.
Komancza, (Koman'cha) 3 miles (5 km)
south-west of Rzepedz, offers a tantalizing reminder of the religious
diversity once characteristic of the whole Bieszczady (Bieshchady) region. Despite
being no more than a small village, it has four different places of
worship, including three parish churches. The large modern building
in the center was constructed in the 1980s by the local Uniate
majority, who had previously made an unsuccessful petition for the
early nineteenth-century wooden church at the western end of the
village, which is currently used by the Orthodox community.
At the opposite end of the village is another wooden church, built in
the 1950s by the Roman Catholic newcomers. About 1/2 mile (1km)
further north is the convent of the Nazarene Sisters, where Poland's
redoubtable post-war Primate, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, lived under
house arrest from 1955-6, the latter part of the 3-year internment
imposed by the Communist authorities for his opposition to the
regime. The church is now something of a shrine to his memory,
attracting large numbers of Polish pilgrims.
Immediately west of Rzepedz and Komancza, the Bieszczady gives way to another mountain
range, the Beskid Niski (literally, the Low Beskids). This is divided
into western and eastern sections, marking both the geographical
division of the East and West Carpathians, and the historical
boundary between Red Ruthenia and Little Poland, which also cut
through the Pogorze, (Pogoozhe) the foothills immediately to
the north. The eastern sections of the Beskid Niski and the Pogorze
see very little foreign tourism. Scenically, they are totally
eclipsed by the Bieszczady and by the mountains further to the west,
though there are a few notable historic towns.
The lowest
crossing-point anywhere in the Carpathians is the Dukla Pass, a
frontier post between Poland and Slovakia which was the scene of
bloody battles in both World Wars, the latter of which was
responsible for over 100,000 casualties. A further 11 miles (17 km)
north is Dukla itself, which is 28 miles (46km)
from Komancza, and linked to it both by main road and by a hiking
trail marked with red stripes which traverses virtually the whole of
the eastern part of the Beskid Niski. Despite its strategic
importance, Dukla has never been much more than a village, and it
only has a couple of historic sights. Of these, the parish church is
notable for its unusually complete late eighteenth-century
decoration, including two chapels founded by the local grandees, the
Mniszech family. The former Mniszech Palace is now the Regional
Museum, whose historical displays predictably focus on the battles
fought at the nearby pass.
Bobrka,
located down a side road some 7 miles (12 km) north of
Dukla, is an improbable claimant to the title of cradle of the
international petroleum industry. In 1854, a local engineer, Ignacy
Lukasiewicz, inventor of the kerosene lamp and of a method for
refining oil, sank what may have been the world's first oil well at a
site south of the village. Others soon followed and some of these
remain in operation to this day, despite their rudimentary
technology. The original well and its derrick form the centerpiece of
the Museum of the Oil Industry, an interesting variant on the
familiar skansen format.
Krosno,
6 miles (10 km) north of Bobrka, and 25 miles (40km) west of
Sanok, is nowadays the main petroleum center in Poland, though it
only produces a fraction of the country's requirements. The town is
also a leading glass manufacturer. Within the inevitable industrial
sprawl, the small historic core provides a reminder of the town's
early days as a staging post on the trading routes between Cracow and
Russia. On the Rynek are the old municipal pillory and a number of
arcaded houses. The Wojtowska Mansion at number 12 preserves its
original Renaissance appearance, but most of the others were rebuilt
in the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries. Just off the south-east
corner of the square is the Franciscan church, which boasts a number
of fine tombs of local notables, including that of Jan Kamieniecki,
which was carved by the Italian Renaissance master Giovanni Maria
Mosca, sculptor at the royal court in Cracow. The rich stucco of the
Oswiecim family chapel is by another prominent Italian-born
craftsman, Giovanni Battista Falconi, best-known for his work at
Lancut. On ul. Pilsudskiego is the parish church, originally Gothic,
but with a Baroque overlay. At the top end of the same street, the
former Bishop's Palace houses the Regional Museum, which is mainly
devoted to the two main local industries, the highpoint being an
impressive collection of historic kerosene
lamps.
Haczow, on a side road 6 miles
(10 km) east, boasts the oldest and largest timber church in Poland.
Although the belfry and the exterior gallery were not added until the
1620's, the nave and chancel date from around 1450. The exceptional
width of the former necessitated the construction of aisles, which
are rarely encountered in wooden architecture. Outside are carved
corbels in the shape of human masks, while inside are murals of the
Passion of Christ and the Life of the Virgin.
Several other
notable old wooden churches can be seen in the villages just to the
east on the main Sanok to Rzeszow (Zheshoov) road. That at
Humniska, 9 miles (15 km) from Haczow, is
sixteenth-century, as is its counterpart in Blizne
4 miles (7km) to the north, which retains its original
painted interior. From the latter, a side road leads 2 miles (3 km)
west to Jasienica Rosielna, whose
eighteenth-century church has Rococo decoration. Back on the main
road, another sixteenth-century church can be seen at
Domaradz, a road junction 4 miles (7km) north of
Blizne; this village also has an eighteenth-century
inn.
Further Information
Red
Ruthenia
Places to
Visit
Dukla
Mniszech
Palace (Regional Museum)
Open: May to September
Tuesday to
Sunday 9 am to 5 p.m., October to
April
Tuesday to Sunday 9 am to 3
p.m.
Orsetti
Mansion (Regional Museum) Rynek
Open: Tuesday to
Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 2 p.m., Friday 10 am to 6
p.m..
Regional
Museum
ul. Pilsudskiego 16
Open: Tuesday
to Sunday 10 am to 3
p.m..
Diocesan
Museum
ul. Katedralna
Open: Tuesday to
Sunday 10 am to 3 p.m..
ul. Katedralna
Open: Tuesday,
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 2 p.m., Thursday 10 am to 5
p.m., Friday 10 am to 6
p.m..
Ethnographic
Museum
Rynek 6
Open: Tuesday to
Thursday 9 am to
2 p.m., Friday 9 am to 5
p.m..
ul. 3 Maja
19
Open: Tuesday and Friday 10 am to 5 p.m., Wednesday and
Thursday 10 am to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 2
p.m..
Castle
(Historical Museum)
ul. Zamkowa
Open: 15
April to 15 October Tuesday
9 am to 3 p.m., Wednesday to
Sunday
9 am to 5 p.m..
Museum of Folk
Architecture
Biala Gora
Open: 15 April
to 15 October Tuesday
to Sunday 8 am to 5
p.m., 16 October to
14 April Tuesday to
Sunday 9 am to
2 p.m..
Bieszczady National Park
Museum
ul. Belzka 7
Open: Tuesday to Saturday 9 am to 2 p.m..
Little Poland:
(Malopolska)
The Western Carpathians
Each of the separate mountain ranges has a distinctive
character of its own. The crystalline High Tatras are the loftiest
and most imposing part of the entire Carpathian chain and, together
with the quite different but almost equally beautiful West Tatras,
are still a virtually uninhabited wilderness area. A short distance
to the east is the limestone range of the Pieniny, which is equally
popular with visitors, largely because of the spectacular raft trip
that can be taken through the Dunajec (Dunayets) gorge.
The whole of
the Tatras and the main part of the Pieniny have been accorded
national park status. This honor has also been conferred on the
central part of the Gorce and the Babia Gora massif in the Beskid
Wysoki, and is due to be given to the Magura range in the we stem
Beskid Niski. None of these is at all well-known outside Poland, and
are thus ideal destinations for those who want to get really off the
beaten tourist track. The other important range is the Beskid
Sadecki (Sondetski), whose recuperative spa resorts offer an antidote to the more
strenuous pursuits associated with its counterparts.
By far
the most developed resort in the Western Carpathians, one which even
during the Communist years was a regular fixture in English-language
tourist brochures, is Zakopane. One of only a handful of places in
the region large enough to be called a town, it lies directly below
the Tatras, but also has the benefit of easy access to the other
ranges, all of which are feasible targets of day trips. There are
surprisingly few hotels in any of the other resorts, though plenty of
accommodation is available in holiday homes which were formerly owned
by trade unions, and in private houses, which display signs with the
legend pokoj or noclegi if
they have rooms to rent.
While it is possible to gain at
least some acquaintance with the beauty spots of the region through
traveling by car or by public transport, this is the one part of
Poland where it is essential to walk to see the best of the scenery.
Color-coded trails comb all the ranges, and in the national park
areas it is mandatory to stick to these waymarked paths. Decent
footwear is a prerequisite when walking in the Carpathians, even
although most paths present no technical difficulties. There are, it
is true, some challenging routes, particularly in the Tatras, but
even this range has plenty of easy low-level walks which are often
equally rewarding. For those who wish to tackle some of the more
ambitious routes, and do not want to have to return to a resort every
night, there is a network of mountain refuges in each range, usually
located in picturesque wooden chalets. Accommodation is basic and
cheap, and is mostly in dormitories. Guests are never tamed away, no
matter how busy they might be.
Highly detailed maps of each
range are available locally and elsewhere in Poland at a minimal
cost: in addition to detailed local information, they show the course
of all the trails very clearly. One important point to remember is
that the international frontier with Slovakia cuts right through the
Western Carpathians, often along mountain ridges, but that it is
forbidden to cross over to the other side at anywhere other than an
official border post.
The oldest town in
the Pogorze is Biecz. It was a place of some importance in the Middle
Ages, thanks to its pivotal setting on the trade routes between
Cracow and Hungary, and also had a morbid claim to fame as the seat
of a school of public executioners. However, it was by-passed by the
industrial development which affected many of the neighboring towns,
and now has a delightfully decayed appearance, its surviving historic
buildings appearing incongruously grandiose for what is now little
more than a village.
Of these, the finest is the parish
church, which is set in a large enclosure with a detached belfry and
a Renaissance entrance gate. Building began in the fourteenth
century, but was not completed until the 1520's, resulting in a late
Gothic hall design with elaborate net vaults. Inside are some
outstanding late Renaissance and early Baroque furnishings, including
the tomb of the magnate Mikolaj Ligeza, the high altar, the choir
stalls, and the pulpit, which is adorned with relief carvings of
musicians.
On the Rynek just to the west is the Town Hall,
which is crowned by a tall slender Renaissance tower with a Baroque
top. North of the church is the most substantial surviving section of
the medieval wall. Another part of the fortifications encloses the
burgher's mansion on ul. Wegierska to the south, which now contains
part of the local museum. Its star attraction is an intact pharmacy
with attached laboratory; ethnological exhibits and a collection of
old musical instruments are also on display. A branch of the museum,
focusing on local history, occupies another Renaissance mansion on
nearby ul. Kromera.
Binarowa, 2 miles
(4km) north-west of Biecz, has an attractive wooden church which is
thought to date from around 1500. Its interior is completely covered
with paintings: the ornamental polychromy on the vault dates from
around the time of the church's construction, while the scenes on the
walls were not added until the mid-seventeenth century. There are
also some good furnishings, including a painted pulpit and folksy
fifteenth-century carving of the Madonna and Child.
Wojtowa, a similar distance south of Biecz, also has a
wooden church, which is likewise sixteenth-century in
date.
Gorlice (Gorlitseh), nowadays the largest town
in the area, lies 8 1/2 miles (14km) south-west of Biecz (Byech). Its main
claim to fame is as the place where Ignacy Lukasiewicz carried out
his pioneering experiments in oil refining in the early 1850s, prior
to sinking the world's first oil well in Bobrka in the eastern Be
skid Niski. The town's museum, located just off the Rynek on ul.
Waska, is primarily devoted to Lukasiewicz and the local oil
industry. Although not in itself attractive, Gorlice is the main
hiking base for the western Beskid Niski, which otherwise has very
little in the way of accommodation, other than a few mountain
refuges.
Sekowa, which lies just beyond
the northern fringe of the Beskid Niski, 3 miles (5 km) south of
Gorlice, boasts the most southerly of the wooden churches originally
built for Catholic use. The main body of the building, whose most
prominent feature is its magnificent plunging roof, was constructed
in the 1520's; the bell tower and the covered verandahs were not added
until the seventeenth century. Known as soboty
(literally, 'Saturdays'), the latter were built to shelter
worshippers from isolated farms who arrived in the village late on
Saturday night in order to participate in the early mass the
following morning.
Part of the western Beskid Niski is due
to be designated as the Magura National Park
(Magurski Park Narodowy). The most valuable natural features of the
intended park are the rock bastions, which are in various stages of
decay, and the forests, which include many trees which are several
centuries old. Over one hundred different birds nest in the area,
including eagles, buzzards and woodpeckers, while indigenous animals
include beavers, otters, wolves, lynxes and wildcats. From Gorlice,
the blue trail goes southwards, skirting west of Sekowa prior to
traversing Magura Malastowska, the western of the two hill ranges in
the park. The green trail goes south-east from Gorlice via the other
range, the Magura Watkowska, meeting up with the main red trail,
which traverses the entire Beskid Niski, at the summit of Watkowa
(2,775 ft/846m). A little further south is the junction with the blue
trail.
At the southern end of the Magura Watkowska (Vontkovska)is the
village of Krempna, which lies 25 miles (40km)
south-east of Gorlice on the bank of the still-young Wisloka, a major
tributary of the Vistula. Its wooden church, originally Uniate but
now Catholic, dates back to the second half of the eighteenth
century. The iconostasis from the same period is preserved inside,
along with a fragment of another from the previous Orthodox church on
the site.
Wooden churches can also be seen in three adjacent
villages. That in Kotan, 1/2 miles (3 km) to the west of Krempna,
stands in total isolation to the north of the village. It was also
built in the eighteenth century, but no longer has its iconostasis,
which is now in the Icon Museum in Lancut. The church in Swiatkowa
Mala, a further 3 km west, is a century older and has recently
regained its partially-preserved iconostasis. Its counterpart in its
twin community of Swiatkowa Wielka, /2 mile (1km) to the north, is
much larger and once again eighteenth-century in
date.
Moving westwards from Gorlice, the first interesting
village is the straggling community of Szymbark, some 5 miles (8km)
away. In addition to a now-disused eighteenth-century wooden church,
this has a small Ethnographic Park containing a number of reassembled
rural buildings, including two windmills, two manor houses and
several peasants' cottages. The 3 miles (5 km) separating Szymbark and
Bielanka to the south mark both a geographical and an ethnic
transition, the latter being a leading center of Lemko culture. Not
only does it have a wooden church in the typical Lemko style, it is
also home to a song and dance troupe which regularly tours
abroad.
By far the largest town in the region is Nowy
Sacz (Sonch), which lies above the confluence of the Dunajec (Dunayets) and Poprad, 25
miles (40 km) west of Gorlice. Despite its name , it has already
celebrated its 700th anniversary, though it preserves only a handful
of notable historic monuments and is primarily of interest for its
museums and as a touring base. The Rynek, which has a bombastic Town
Hall in the middle dating from the end of the nineteenth century, is
the largest main square in the country after that of Cracow. A couple
of blocks to the west is the Franciscan church, which still preserves
much of its original Gothic shape. The parish church of St. Margaret,
just off the eastern side of the square, has not been so fortunate,
having been subject to frequent alterations which have left it as a
stylistic hotchpotch.
On the latter's southern side is the
Gothic House, a former ecclesiastical residence which is now home to
the Regional Museum. This contains several hundred works by the Lemko
artist Nikifors, who gained an international reputation for the naive
paintings he executed between the end of World War II and his death
in 1968. Another highlight is an important collection of fifteenth-
to eighteenth-century icons brought from the former Orthodox and
Uniate churches of the region, many showing an obvious debt to Roman
Catholic art. There are also a few examples of the work of the local
fifteenth-century painters who formed, in conjunction with their
counterparts in Cracow, the first recognizable Polish school of
painting. Finally, the museum has an extensive array of folk art of
the region, most of it with religious subject matter.
On ul.
Joselewicza to the north of the Rynek is the former synagogue, which
dates back to the seventeenth century and was later a leading center
of the revivalist Hassidic movement. It has lost its internal
decoration and now serves as a commercial art gallery. Another
gallery has been set up within the ruins of the castle beyond, which
commands a fine view over the Dunajec (Dunayets). Built in the fourteenth
century for King Kazimierz the Great, it was blown up by the
retreating Nazis at the end of World War II.
The
Ethnographic Park, one of the best skansens in
Poland, lies 1 1/2 miles (3 km) east of the town center in the
district of Falkowa. It is due to expand considerably in the future,
but around fifty redundant rural buildings have already been
re-erected on the hilly site, and the interiors of a dozen or so of
these, all of which are furnished in the appropriate style, can also
be visited. They are grouped according to ethnographic regions, and
include a special section devoted to Gypsy culture.
Nowy
Sacz (Sonch)'s older sister town of Stary Sacz (Sonch) lies 6
miles (10 km) south, high above the Poprad, just before it joins the
Dunajec (Dunayets). Its cobbled Rynek is among the quaintest squares in the
country: the houses, which are only one or two story high, mostly
date from the eighteenth century, and one of them contains a
delightfully ramshackle local museum. To the south is the parish
church, a Gothic building with Baroque decoration. More significant
is the fortified convent of the Poor Clares to the east, which was
founded in 1280 by the Blessed Kinga, widow of King Boleslaw the
Chaste. The Baroque frescos in the nave depict scenes from the life
of the foundress, whose statue can be seen in the chapel devoted to
her memory. Opposite the latter is the seventeenth-century pulpit,
which incorporates a florid carving of the Tree of
Jesse.
Rytro, 6 miles (10 km) up the
Poprad from Stary Sacz (Sonch), is a small resort crowned by the ruins of a
medieval castle. Its central location within the Beskid Sadecki (Sondetski) makes
it the best base for those wanting to make long hikes within the
range. The western section of the red trail traverses the entire
Pasmo Radziejowe, terminating at Kroscienko at the foot of the
Pieniny. It goes via several peaks, including Radziejowa (4,139
ft/1,262m), the highest peak in the entire range. The green trail
also goes all the way across the Pasmo Radziejowej, ending up at
Szczawnica (Shchavneetsa). There is a junction with the red trail at Przehyba (3,854
ft/ 1,175 m), enabling walkers to make a day-long circular trip from
Rytro, with the alternative of stopping for the night at the refuge
below the summit. The eastern part of the red trail crosses the Pasmo
Jaworzyny via many of its main peaks, with two refuges en route; the
first stage of this can likewise be used as the start of a circular
walk. These trails, like all those in the Beskid Sadecki (Sondetski), are
officially classified as easy, and present no special technical
difficulties.
At Piwniczna, an
alternative and slightly larger resort 3 miles (5 km)
beyond Rytro, the road down the left bank of the Poprad
leads on to an official border crossing into Slovakia, 1 1/2 miles
(3 km) further south. To continue round the Beskid Sadecki (Sondetski) loop, it is
necessary to cross over to the right bank of the river, which for the
next 15 miles (25 km) or so serves as the international frontier.
Zegiestow, 9 miles (15 km) upstream from Piwniczna,
is divided into two distinct parts, with a spa quarter by the Poprad
and an old village, complete with a wooden church, up the little
valley to the north. Two of the following villages,
Andrzejowka and Milik, likewise
have Lemko churches; the former is on the main road, the latter lies
up the valley of the same name.
A further 1/2 miles (3 km) on
is Muszyna, a popular spa resort located on a
short stretch of the Poprad which lies entirely within Polish
territory, at the river's confluence with the Muszynka. The ruined
castle dates back to the beginning of the fourteenth century, while a
seventeenth-century inn in the town center now houses the Regional
Museum, with displays on local arts and crafts. Muszyna was for
nearly half a millennium the property of the bishops of Cracow, and
hence its parish church, which was built in the seventeenth century,
has always been used for Roman Catholic worship.
Most of the
nearby villages, on the other hand, have traditionally been inhabited
by Lemkos who adhered to the Uniate faith. In the three tiny valleys
north of Muszyna are the villages of Szczawnik, Zlockie and
Jastrzebik, which each have a nineteenth-century wooden
church complete with original iconostasis. However, the finest and
oldest wooden church in the Beskid Sadecki (Sondetski) is in Powroznik, 5 km from
Muszyna along the loop road, which at this point starts to double
back towards Nowy Sacz (Sonch). Built in the I 640s, the Powroznik church is
a classic example of the Lemko style, with three onion domes of
diminishing size. The central panel of the eighteenth-century
iconostasis has been removed to make way for a Roman Catholic altar,
but some older icons are preserved on the main walls, while the
sacristy preserves murals from around the time of the church's
construction.
Krynica (Krineetsa), Poland's most
famous spa, lies 3 1/2 miles (6km) north of Powroznik at the terminus
of the branch railway from Nowy Sacz (Sonch), which closely follows the
course of the loop road already described. Strung out along the
wooded valley of the Kryniczanka, a tributary of the Muszynka, at an
average altitude of around 1,968 ft (600m), it first came to
prominence in the middle of the nineteenth century, and soon
developed into one of the most fashionable watering-holes of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire. With the advent of Communism, it inevitably
lost some of its luster, but it is once again making a determined
pitch at the foreign tourist market. Other than Zakopane, it is
probably the Polish resort most commonly featured in package holiday
brochures, profiting from the fact that it has a winter sports season
in addition to its main summertime business of catering for walkers
and recuperative holiday makers.
The life of the town
centers around its pump rooms, the principal one being on the main
promenade, al. Nowotarskiego. Usually around ten different local
mineral waters can be sampled there. Of these, the purple-brown
Zuber has the reputation of being the most
concentrated to be found anywhere in Europe, containing 24 grams of
solid matter per litter. Towards the northern end of the promenade is
the valley station of the funicular railway which ascends to the
summit of the Gora Parkowa (2,430 ft/741 m), which can also be
reached from the town center via the blue trail.
For a more
ambitious walk, the obvious goal is Jaworzyna (3,654 ft/ 1,114 m), the
highest point in the Pasmo Jaworzyny, with a mountain refuge below
the summit. It can be reached either by the green trail from the
north of Krynica (Kryneetsa), or by the red trail from the southern part of town,
the latter being the first stage of the path all the way across the
range to Rytro.
Also within easy access of Krynica (Krynitsa/Krynytsya) are
several small Lemko villages. Mochnaczka-Nizna (Mokhnachka-Nizhna), 3
miles (5 km) to the north-east and reachable either by road or by the
eastern section of the red trail, has two wooden churches, one from
the mid-nineteenth century in the northern part of the village and a
smaller one from the late eighteenth century towards the southern
end. There are also two churches in Tylicz, 3
miles (5 km) south along the valley of the Mochnaczka (Mokhnachka), which
historically had a mixed Polish and Lemko population. The Catholic
church dates back to the early seventeenth century, whereas its
Uniate counterpart, nowadays the cemetery chapel, was built in the
late eighteenth century. Tylicz is equally accessible from Powroznik
via a road along the serpentine course of the Muszynka, or from
Krynica (Kryneetsa) either by road or by following the red or green trails east,
then switching to the black trail. A further 1 1/2 miles (3 km)
south-east is Muszynka, which is located near the
well-head of the eponymous river, and is centered on a fine late
seventeenth-century wooden church.
Although most tourists come on day trips from
Zakopane, there are two little resort towns within the Pieniny
catering for holiday makers. Kroscienko, which lies 21 1/2 miles
(35 km) south-west of Stary Sacz (Sonch) on the main route between Nowy Sacz (Sonch)
and Zakopane is, on balance, the better base for those wishing to
walk in the range, as it has a bridge over the Dunajec (Dunayets) and hence
ready access to the trailheads. Szczawnica (Shchavneetsa), 3 miles (5 km) to the
south at the confluence of the Grajcarek with the Dunajec (Dunayets), is a
slightly more characterful place, with some nice old wooden houses
and spa buildings in the eastern part of town. Its big disadvantage
is that the only way of crossing the Dunajec is via the seasonal
ferry, which stops operating in the late afternoon.
On the
other hand, Szczawnica (Shchavneetsa) offers ready access to the Male Pieniny, which
actually has the highest peak in the range, Wysoki Skalki (3,444ft/
1 ,050 m). This lies right on the Slovak border, and is an easy ascent
via the green trail from Jaworki, 4 miles (7 km) up the Grajcarek from
Szczawnica (Shchavneetsa). This trail passes through a fine deep ravine, the Wawoz
Homole, which lies immediately south of the village. Yaworki is
itself of interest for its late eighteenth-century wooden church, the
most westerly surviving example of the characteristic architectural
style of the Lemkos. It passed from the Uniates to the Catholics
after World War II, but still preserves its
iconostasis.
Most of the Pieniny Wlasciwe has been
designated as the Pieniny National Park (Pieninski Park Narodowy).
.............................
Local Links:
Return to Lemko Home Page
Document Information Document URL: http://lemko.org/lih/travel/beskid.html
Copyright © 1999 LV Productions
E-mail: webmaster@lemko.org
© LV Productions