Podlaskie tourist guide - part II

Places of historic interest
Ciekawostka
WOODEN ARCHITECTURE OF PODLASKIE
Sio³o Budy Open-air Museum/Museum’s archive
TITBIT
A borderland region from time immemorial, Podlaskie Voivodship of today is a cultural,
ethnic and religious mosaic proud of its Polish, Belarusian, Lithuanian, Jewish, Russian,
German, Ukrainian and Tatar inhabitants, whether Catholic, Orthodox, Uniate, Evangelical
or Muslim. Specific cultural landscape, ethnic and religious diversity, richness of rites and
traditions are the most characteristic features of this region, visible also in its architecture,
including the wooden rural architecture.
The typical wooden rural architecture of Podlaskie makes many villages look like “live”
open-air museums. Perfectly preserved, dense complexes of old wooden farm buildings in
north-eastern Poland are a rarity on European scale. The region’s small towns and villages
feature interesting wooden public buildings, such as offices, schools, railway stations.
Podlaskie’s landscape is dotted with a number of wooden windmills, watermills, smithies,
chapels, roadside crosses, traditional fencings.
The Bia³ystok Countryside Museum (Branch of Podlaskie Museum), Museum of Agriculture
in Ciechanowiec, Kurpie Open-air in Nowogród and Open-air in Puñsk display precious
wooden rural buildings. These museums, as well as other institutions of this type (e.g. the
Regional Museum in Lipsk), boast unique collections of folk culture.
The annual Best Preserved Monument of Rural Architecture Competition, held since
2005, helps preserve wooden architecture.
AUGUSTÓW COUNTY
Augustów
• Yacht Club Complex, 1933-37, including Yacht
Club building, wooden porter’s lodge, marina,
forest park,
• Mid-16th c. urban layout with Zygmunt August
Sq., transformed into a park in 1860, rows of
19 th c. tenement houses,
• Holiest Heart of Jesus Minor Basilica, 1906-11,
eclectic style,
• Old Post-Office with park, typical H. Marconi
design, 1829, at present 1st Grade Music
School,
• Tombs in the parish cemetery, 1800, with the
oldest and grandest ones focused around the
cemetery chapel funded by the Truszkowski
Family in 1820, a number of iron castings
from the Sztabin Metalworks,
• Augustów Canal – most attractive water route
in Podlaskie, built 1823-1839 by Gen. Ignacy
P¹dzyñski. Military shelters in Promiski, Gliniski,
Augustów and Sucha Rzeczka built by
Polish Army in 1939.
Augustów – Studzieniczna
• Our Lady of Szkaplerz Parish Church Complex,
1836, interior antler decorations,
Chapel accessible through a causeway, 1920,
painting of Our Lady of Studzieniczna, nearby
well supplying water, which, according to local
legends, “miraculously cures diseases”,
• Augustów Canal with buildings and installations,
1825-39.
Gabowe Gr¹dy
• Wooden Old Believers’ Church built on eastwest
axis.
Krasnybór
• Annunciation of Holy Virgin Mary Church, former
Uniate Orthodox Church, 1614,
• Tower, first mentioned in mid-19 th c., probably
built the Dominican monks in 18 th c., interior
frescoes, painting of Holy Virgin Mary and
Baby Jesus (early 17 th c.), sculpture of Crucified
Christ (17 th /18 th c.),
• Manor-like brick presbytery, 1939, built in
place of former monastery,
• St. Roch Church,1870,
• Tomb of Wiktoria Rymaszewska with 4 castiron
columns, 19 th c.
Lipsk
• Late 16 th c. grid urban layout,
• Neo-gothic Our Lady of Angels Church, 1906
– 1914, precious icon of Our Lady “the Basilian”
with Baby Jesus, 16 th /17 th c.,
• Catholic House, 20s 20 th c.
• Freedom Mound commemorating Polish assumption
of independence in 1918,
• Residential buildings, early 20 th c.,
• Military shelters on so-called Molotow line,
1940-41.
Mikaszówka
• One-nave wooden St. Maria Magdalena
Church, 1907, with two towers and original interior
antler decorations, nearby wooden bell
tower and cast-iron monument from Sztabin
Metalworks,
• Mikaszówka – one of the locks on Augustów
Canal, 1828.
Rudawka
• Kudrynki and Kurzyniec – locks on Augustów
Canal, 1829, Kurzyniec lock is a Polish-Belarusian
border crossing.
Sztabin
• 18 th c. urban layout designed by Joachim
Chreptowicz,
• Neo-gothic St. Jacob the Apostle Church,
1905 – 10,
• sundial and cast-iron bust of Joachim Chreptowicz,
19 th c.
Œwiête Miejsce
• Sacred spot on Rospuda River in the vicinity
of the village of Jaœki, ancient place of pagan
cult later adapted by the Catholic Church,
place of Midsummer Day celebrations (June
24 th ).
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Places of historic interest