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Post by Bonobo on Nov 14, 2021 12:01:12 GMT 1
A new article about Kazimierz Dolny www.onet.pl/turystyka/idziemydalej/ulubiona-miejscowosc-wypoczynkowa-warszawiakow-zachwyci-kazdego/hzbrhmw,30bc1058
The favorite holiday destination of Warsaw residents. It will delight everyone!
A small town with a great history - this is how Kazimierz Dolny can be described in a few words . It attracts tourists not only with numerous monuments, but also with a beautiful and picturesque location on the Vistula River. It is also a Mecca for artists and art lovers - there are over 60 original galleries here! It is probably one of the most famous Polish towns , which is eagerly visited by the residents of Warsaw and Lublin every summer weekend.
Krzysztof Mańkowski, Joanna Kurcińska
11.6 thousand
June 20, 2021, 04:00
Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz Dolny - Krzysztof Mańkowski, Joanna Kurcińska / We go further
We have prepared a subjective guide for you, in which we included the most important attractions of the city. See 15 things that we think are worth doing in Kazimierz Dolny.
1. Start from the Market Square - the heart of Kazimierz Dolny
The medieval paved market square is undoubtedly the central point of Kazimierz Dolny. On summer weekends, it is bustling with life from morning until late evening hours. It is here that residents, tourists, but also various artists and performers gather. There are many restaurants and cafes around the square. It is worth taking a seat in one of the pubs located around the market square and watching the life going on here.
Kazimierz Dolny - the market squareKazimierz Dolny - the market square - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
The market square is surrounded on three sides with tenement houses , although most of the buildings we look at are post-war buildings. With three exceptions, which will be discussed in a moment. Originally, wooden houses that stood here burned down in fires, and in their place renaissance tenement houses were erected, which, unfortunately, have not survived to our times.
Kazimierz Dolny - the market squareKazimierz Dolny - the market square - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
In the lower part of the square there is also a historic well from the 19th century, one of the most characteristic elements of the Renaissance city. It was given its present appearance in 1913 by Jan Koszczyc-Witkiewicz, a famous architect and conservator of monuments. A similar well is also located in the upper part of the market square. In addition, two more such wells can be found in Kazimierz: on Krakowska Street and on Lubelska Street - although the latter is not a monument. According to tradition, whoever drinks from the well will be a frequent visitor in Kazimierz Dolny!
2. Find your favorite, historic tenement house
There is no need to convince anyone that Kazimierz Dolny is a real architectural gem . There are many great buildings in the city. There are as many as 250 of them in the register or register of monuments . Many of them impress with their appearance.
Capdepera Castle was once actually a fortified village
One of the most beautiful scenic routes in Europe. Do you dare to ride it?
While on the market square, be sure to pay attention to three buildings: two Przybyłowski tenement houses (Mikołaj and Krzysztof) and the Gdańsk tenement house .
The Przybyłowski tenement houses were built in 1615 and are considered the most beautiful Polish buildings of the Renaissance era. Unfortunately, the name of the architect is unknown, although the similarity with the architecture of Zamość is noticeable. The facades of the twin similar tenement houses are decorated with bas-reliefs depicting people, animals, floral, mythological, Christian, medieval fantasies, Renaissance grotesques and philosophical maxims. Although you can get the impression that the tenement houses constitute one structure, when you look up you can see that they have different attics. Currently, the premises of the City Hall and the bank are located here.
The Gdańsk Tenement House was built at the end of the 18th century and is called the Gdańsk House . Its name refers to the times when Kazimierz Dolny was called " little Gdańsk" , and both cities had lively commercial contacts.
Where else can you look for historic tenement houses? For example, at Senatorska Street , where the wealthiest inhabitants of the city used to live! Kamienica Celejowska is one of the most valuable, historic buildings in Poland. It was erected before 1635 of limestone at the request of a wealthy merchant Bartłomiej Celej. Its high attic with carved mascaras is considered the most beautiful in Poland. Unfortunately, like other tenement houses on this street, it burnt down in 1915, but in the 1970s it underwent a major renovation. Since 1964, a branch of the Vistula Museum has been located here, where you can see, among others a model of the city as of 1910
Kazimierz Dolny - the Celejowska tenement houseKazimierz Dolny - Kamienica Celejowska - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz Dolny - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
The nearby Kamienica Biała , although modeled on the Kamienica Celejowska, is much more modest. It comes from the 17th century. Another interesting building is located on the same street - the old Bathhouse , which once housed a
3. Meet the most famous mongrel from Kazimierz
When you are in the market square in Kazimierz, be sure to look for a dog statue . It's a mongrel named Kwadrat , who apparently liked to hang out here. But what's interesting - only in summer. In winter, he returned to the Janowice shore and only in the next season did he return to Kazimierz. It was like that for many years, and the residents always made sure that he had enough to eat. Unfortunately, a summer different than any other has finally come - Kwadrat did not appear in Kazimierz and it soon became clear that it would never come back. A painter decided to ask a sculptor he knew to commemorate his canine friend. And so, on the market square, there was a statue of a dog, to which the painter's dog - Werniks , posed. And where does his shiny and threadbare nose come from? The guides around Kazimierz Dolny agree that rubbing it brings happiness to everyone!
Kazimierz Dolny - a statue of a mongrelKazimierz Dolny - mongrel monument - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
4. Climb the Trzech Krzyży mountain and admire the panorama of Kazimierz Dolny
Kazimierz Dolny looks really great from above. The most beautiful view of the city is from the Hill of Three Crosses . At least this was the claim of one of the most popular painters in Kazimierz, Franciszek Kmita , known as the Canaletto of Kazimierz . He settled here in 1953, and for many years he painted one of his most famous paintings - an impressive canvas depicting winter in Kazimierz - from this place.
Panorama of Kazimierz DolnyPanorama of Kazimierz Dolny - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
At the summit in 1708, three crosses were placed , which were to commemorate the victims of cholera from the beginning of the 18th century. But the arrangement of the crosses was probably a continuation of earlier traditions. The name Góra Krzyżowa (Góra Krzyżowa) appears as early as in the 16th-century city books, which may indicate that there used to be an early medieval place of worship here.
The hill is 190 m above sea level and you can enter the route using a shorter and slightly steeper route from Krzywe Koło Street or a longer one, which starts near the castle. Unfortunately, before reaching the top, tourists will have an unpleasant surprise - admission to the mountain, owned by the city, is ticketed and costs 4 zlotys .
5. Visit the ruins of the Castle and the tower
On the neighboring Hill of Three Crosses and at the same time the highest in Kazimierz Dolny, it is worth seeing the remains of a medieval defensive complex , which consists of a tower called the tower and the ruins of a castle .
Kazimierz Dolny - the castleKazimierz Dolny - the castle - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
Kazimierz Dolny - the towerKazimierz Dolny - baszta - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
The castle was built in the 40th XIV in. The reign of King Casimir the Great. Its shape was adapted to the topography. There were living quarters on the side of the town, and a gate on the opposite side. The castle was rebuilt many times. It was destroyed during the Swedish Deluge, and in 1806 the Austrians blew up parts that were in danger of collapsing. Therefore, today we can only see the walls and foundations as well as the ruins of towers and a residential building. In the place of the quadrilateral residential tower, there is a terrace and a viewing point.
Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz Dolny - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz Dolny - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
The tower is the oldest building in Kazimierz and it was built at the turn of the 13th / 14th century . It is 20 m high (originally it was higher and had a conical roof), and the thickness of its walls in the ground floor reaches up to 10 m. The tower used to be a customs duty collection point on the trade route running through it. It is possible that it also served as a lighthouse . The fire lit on it could have been a clue for raftsmen sailing on the Vistula. The tower offers a beautiful view of the surrounding area: below you can see the ruins of the castle, in the east the Vistula, and in the distance, in good weather, even Puławy.
Admission to the castle and the tower costs PLN 7 (tickets can be purchased only at the ticket office at the castle).
6. See the oldest organ in Poland in the parish church of St. John the Baptist and St. Bartholomew
Going down the castle hill, be sure to visit the parish church of St. John the Baptist and St. Bartłomiej , which proudly towers over the market square. It is the city's most important temple and has a truly unique treasure. They are the oldest , fully preserved organ in Poland, made by Szymon Lilius around 1620 . The instrument, despite the passage of time, maintains its full concert capacity. Many original elements have been preserved in it, although unfortunately some of them had to be replaced with new ones due to the damage done by the Swedes in the 17th century.
In summer, the Kazimierz Organ Festival is organized here, which attracts many excellent musicians from Poland and abroad.
7. Change your perspective - look at Kazimierz Dolny from Góra Plebania and see the Reformed Monastery
Almost exactly in front of the castle hill, there is a place formerly called Wietrzna Góra . It is probably here that the history of Kazimierz Dolny began. Currently, this special place is the site of the Franciscan monastery complex and offers a beautiful, though less known panorama of the city.
The church was built in 1591, and over 30 years later, the Reformers were brought here, who until 1785 enlarged the temple and the neighboring buildings. The vast majority of the present church furnishings come from the 18th century and are the work of Kazimierz artists. The Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Kazimierz for almost 400 years and attracts pilgrims from all over the country.
Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz Dolny - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
Inside the monastery walls there is a 25-meter well with a turnstile from 1629, and on the walls there are Passion stations created in 1814 by an anonymous painter.
8. Walk along the Vistula boulevards and see the old granaries of Kazimierz
The history of Kazimierz Dolny is inextricably linked with the Vistula . It was here that one of the main ports on the Central Vistula River was built, thanks to which the city quickly grew rich on trade. Along the Vistula banks, merchants built granaries - grain warehouses. Apparently, in the 17th century there were as many as 60 of them here, half of which were brick granaries, but only 11 have survived to this day. Kazimierz's granaries are free-standing, white buildings with red roofs, facing the river. It is precisely the facades, which became more and more impressive as the wealth of the owners grew, and gave them extraordinary beauty. And they were quite unusual for commercial buildings.
Most of the surviving granaries are located at Puławska Street : Ulanowskich Granary (Puławska 54), Feierstein Granary (Puławska 60), Twin Granary (Puławska 68), Pod Wianuszkami (Puławska 80), Hotel Król Kazimierz (Puławska 86) and Hotel Granary 1 (Puławska 86) 116).
The best way to admire the granaries is walking along the Vistula boulevards, almost from the very entrance to Kazimierz Dolny from the side of Puławy, up to Krakowska Street, where one of the most impressive granaries stands: the renaissance Kobiałka Granary, which now houses the Hotel Granary.
9. Go on a cruise on the Vistula
An interesting idea to get to know Kazimierz from a different perspective is a cruise on the Vistula . Ships run throughout the day in the summer season, taking on board both individual tourists and organized groups. The trip lasts about 60 minutes , it sails up the Vistula River to Krowia Wyspa, where the ferry returns to Kazimierz. Normal ticket costs PLN 25 .
10. Eat a butter cockerel - the symbol of Kazimierz Dolny
While strolling around Kazimierz Dolny, sooner or later you will find rooster-shaped yeast pastries on the stalls . It tastes like challah, and the best-known producer of this delicacy is the Sarzyński bakery at 6 Nadrzeczna Street.
Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz Dolny - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
Besides, the rooster became a kind of symbol of Kazimierz Dolny . How did he get here? One of Kazimierz's legends brings the answer . According to her, a devil used to fly over Wietrzna Góra, where fires were lit and pagan rituals were performed. He liked the view very much, and when the dawn broke he appreciated the beauty of the area even more and decided to settle here. As the city grew steadily, the devil had more and more souls to tempt. However, soon a monastery was erected on the hill (the one we wrote about in point 7) and the devil had to move to the castle moat.
One day the devil saw a handsome rooster in Kazimierz Dolny and decided to eat it. From then on, he ate only roosters, and soon there was only one last rooster left in the entire city. He decided to outsmart the devil and hid with a hen in a previously prepared hideout. The devil used all his powers to find him, but fortunately he failed. While he was looking for a rooster, the Franciscans blessed the devil's hole and everything around with holy water, so eventually the devil had to leave the city. The saved rooster could come out of hiding and stroll proudly in the Kazimierz market square. In memory of this event, roosters began to be baked in Kazimierz Dolny, which are today a symbol of the city and at the same time an obligatory delicacy during sightseeing.
The vicinity of Kazimierz Dolny is a real paradise for lovers of loess ravines . The city is almost surrounded by them on every side. It is worth spending at least some time and going to one of them. The most famous and probably the most beautiful of them is Root Ravine Dół .
In this amazing gorge , about 400 m long, the height of the walls can sometimes be as high as 8 m! Its name comes from the characteristic twisted roots of the trees sticking out at the tops. The walk is not demanding, but it is better to wear sports shoes , and in the summer you must have a good mosquito preparation . They can really make the trip very unpleasant!
Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz Dolny - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
The gorge is located about 2 km from the market square. You can come by car and leave the car in a nearby car park (parking fee is PLN 5, admission to the ravine is free, although the Kazimierz authorities plan to introduce fees).
Other popular ravines in the area are: Norowy Dół, Plebanka, and Wąwóz Małachowskiego.
12. Have a coffee in the historic Old Cottage
When returning from the Root Ravine of the Valley, make sure to stop at Stara Chata . This building from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries is a zero-class monument , i.e. one of the highest artistic, historical and scientific value in the world. It is the oldest wooden cottage of Kazimierz Dolny and the surrounding area. The owner of the cottage was the Kobiałek family, who found shelter in it, taking care of 200 nearby streets. This family memento survived thanks to the determination of successive generations of Kobiałków. The building was restored in the 1980s, and today you can drink coffee and try home-made pastries here.
13. Learn about the centuries-old history of Jews in Kazimierz - visit the synagogue, Jewish cemetery and butchery
Jews lived in Kazimierz Dolny almost from the very beginning of the town's existence. Some historians believe that the Kazimierz community is one of the oldest in the Lublin region, next to Lublin, Chełm and Szczebrzeszyn. The location of Kazimierz Dolny on the trade route favored the settlement of the Jewish community.
The Jewish quarter developed at the back of the Market Square - around the square today known as the Little Market Square . However, this name has been in use only since the interwar period, and earlier it was called Plac Towarowski, Back of the Market or Świński Rynek. Wooden buildings dominated in the Jewish quarter. This place was teeming with life: there were plenty of service points, shops and butcher's shops, as well as kosher butcher's shops where you could buy meat from animals killed in accordance with Jewish religious regulations. A synagogue was also built. It is not known where the first temple was built, but the present one is an object from the second half of the 18th century. Both the synagogue and the butchery were destroyed. It was rebuilt by Karol Siciński.
In Kazimierz Dolny, there is also one of the most unique Jewish cemeteries - Jewish cemeteries . Its characteristic element is an unusual wall-shaped lapidary made of tombstones from the old Jewish cemetery, destroyed by the Germans during World War II.
At that time, the occupiers forced local Jews to pull out the tombstones and use them to pave the area around the Reformed Monastery. The inscriptions and polychromes of the plates were to be handcuffed, but the Kazimierz painter Antoni Michalak persuaded the Germans to simply put them face down to the ground, which would save a lot of time. The real purpose of this procedure, however, was completely different - it was to save beautiful, richly decorated plates.
Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz Dolny - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
In the 1980s, the excavation of tombstones began and it turned out that a significant part of it was preserved intact. Then, it was decided to build a symbolic monument from the slabs, which was placed in the new Jewish cemetery in Czerniawy, just over a kilometer from the center of Kazimierz Dolny.
Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz Dolny - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz Dolny - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
14. Wander off the beaten track and find your favorite gallery in the streets of Kazimierz
Kazimierz Dolny has always been a Mecca for artists . This was due to the extremely picturesque location, as well as numerous architectural monuments, which were natural painting locations. It was noticed already in 1792 by Zygmunt Vogel , the court draftsman of King Stanisław August Poniatowski, who was followed by other artists.
Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz Dolny - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
Kazimierz Dolny also became popular among art academies who brought their students to classes here. The most numerous students were from Warsaw, but also from Lublin, Łódź, Lviv, and less often from Kraków and Vilnius. The painters were followed by writers, poets and filmmakers , and in turn - by tourists. In the times of the domination of socialist realism, this place was a real refuge for artists. Stanisław Łozorek was the first to sell works on the Kazimierz market in 1969 and soon found followers. Many artists associated with Kazimierz permanently, opening their own galleries here . Most of them are located on Lubelska and Senatorska Streets. While in Kazimierz Dolny, it is worth visiting at least a few of them!
15. Visit Mięćmierz - a former rafting village and a living open-air museum
Mięćmierz is a former rafting village located just 3 km from the Kazimierz market square. In the past, the inhabitants of the village transported people and goods across the Vistula to Janowiec. Currently, it is a summer resort with old thatched cottages . These huts - as it turns out - were partially moved from neighboring villages. How did it come about? From the 1970s, more and more famous people started to visit Mięćmierz. It was they who started to move buildings from other towns here. One of the most interesting objects is the windmill from Osin. It is entered in the register of monuments, has retained its original structure and essential equipment. Only the wings and external stairs were deconstructed according to the design of the owner, Ryszard Dziadosz. Although the windmill is located on private property, it can be viewed from the outside.
MięćmierzMięćmierz - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
Windmill in MięćmierzWindmill in Mięćmierz - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
In Mięćmierz it is also necessary to climb a small hill - Albrechtówka , which offers a beautiful view of the river valley, the Krowia Wyspa fauna reserve and the castle in Janowiec .
Mięćmierz view of the castle in JanowiecMięćmierz view of the castle in Janowiec - Joanna Kurcińska, Krzysztof Mańkowski / We go further
Read also our text about the Krzyżtopór Castle in Ujazd .
Kazimierz Dolny - map of attractions
We hope that during your visit to Kazimierz Dolny you will complete at least a few points from our list. It is a really beautiful city and we are sure you will like it. In one day, you can walk across it and along it, all attractions are located close to each other. We must also point out that our list does not exhaust all places worth visiting in Kazimierz Dolny, so it's a good idea to spend at least one night.
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