what bryndza is, and why You’ll always be treating Your guests with it from now on
to learn that the first oil well was created precisely in a small Galician town, and will want to know, why here?
in the wild backwoods of Bieszczady, and decide to get some rest in a shelter built by You
a wooden Galician town, and will start to regret that You live in a brick built large house
Wawel
We’ll start the day by visiting Cracow’s Old Town, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. We’ll visit the parish of St. Mary’s Basilica and see its gothic masterpiece — the Veit Stoss Altarpiece — and then we’ll discover the source of wealth of former Cracow — the sixteenth-century Kraków Cloth Hall. Afterwards, we’ll head toward the edifice of one of the oldest academies in the region — the Jagiellonian University – founded in 1364. After dining in one of the old urban cellars, we’ll go to the Wawel Castle, to the king’s residence and the cathedral where the majority of Polish monarchs were buried. We’ll go downhill from the king’s hill toward Kazimierz — “the Polish Jerusalem” — a district, where before the World War II the majority of 64 thousand Cracow Jews lived. We’ll visit the old cemetery with the sixteenth-century tombstone of the Remah — one of the most important rabbis of the Ashkenazic Diaspora, as well as two out of seven synagogues that survived — the gothic Old Synagogue and the Moorish Revival Tempel Synagogue.
Overnight stay in Cracow
After leaving Cracow, we’ll head toward Lanckorona, a picturesque town located on a hill with its historic wooden housing. After a lunch break in a café run by local artists, we’ll go further southward to Sromowce Niżne. From there we’ll go for river rafting down the Dunajec Gorge, and will marvel at Pieniny and the Three Crowns Massif — the highest summit in the region. Then, we’ll be invited to a series of tastings — we’ll start from visiting a local senior shepherd who will present us how to make highlander cheese. Then, we’ll taste Slivovitsa in one of the manufactories in Łącko — local fruit and fruit preserves have been rafted to the South of Poland — Gdańsk — since the 12th century, from where they have been distributed to other countries. After this exciting time, we’ll head back toward the hotel located in the vicinity of the Krynica-Zdrój health resort.
Overnight stay near Krynica-Zdrój
Dunajec
Haczów
We’ll start the day by having a walk across the spa town of Krynica-Zdrój, paying a visit among others to mineral water pump rooms and wooden Swiss-style villas. After leaving Krynica-Zdrój, we’ll head off to Gorlice — it’s where in 1854 Ignacy Łukasiewicz drilled the first oil well in the world. After an hour of passing through a picturesque route leading through the medieval Biecz, we’ll arrive in Krosno. We’ll visit there a glass factory and learn how it is produced — Krosno is considered the Polish centre of this raw material. Then, we’ll pay a visit to a church in Haczów. A fifteenth-century wooden construction and a unique polychromy in the indoors dating back to the times of the elevation of the church was a reason to inscribe the temple on the UNESCO list. We’ll celebrate the end of the day with supper and a tasting of Carpathian wines in the manor house near Krosno.
Overnight stay in Dwór Kombornia and an evening wine tasting
After breakfast, we’ll head off to Sanok. We’ll start sightseeing the town, which is situated at the San river, from the castle collection of icons — one of the most magnificent in the whole country. Then, we’ll go to a typical wooden town of Galicia constituted by houses moved here from the surrounding area. After traditional Carpathian dinner we’ll move toward Lesko, where we’ll visit one of the few synagogues preserved in the region which was built as early as in the 17th century. The next point on the agenda will be an excursion to the depths of the wildest Polish mountains, where we’ll visit a craft brewery in one of the lost villages, and taste beer brewed right there. In the evening we’ll arrive at a carefully redecorated larch hut to stay there overnight.
Overnight stay near Lesko
Parish Lutowska
Church in Smolnik
We’ll start another day of our excursion by walking on one of the polonynas found in Bieszczady, with a short break in the mountain shelter. Strengthened by fresh air, we’ll go to a wooden Orthodox church in Smolnik. The temple built in 1791 by Boykos — highlanders of the Rusyn roots — was included on the UNESCO list because of its unique form. Following this, we’ll leave the wood in Bieszczady and head out northward straight to a hotel in the impressive residence of the magnate Sapieha family.
Overnight stay in Krasiczyn
After breakfast, we’ll visit the Renaissance-Mannerist castle in Krasiczyn, as well as the beautiful surrounding park. Then, we’ll go to the nearby town of Przemyśl inhabited by Ukrainians, Poles and Jews for hundreds of years now. After visiting the old town with its Orthodox and Catholic churches located on the picturesque hills, we’ll take a walk across the forts of the fortress in Przemyśl — one of the largest fortresses in Europe. It was the pride of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, being three times besieged during the Great War. After leaving Przemyśl, we’ll go to Leżajsko — an important centre on the trail of Galician Hasidic Jews visited by thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. Finally, we’ll get on the way to a hotel in another magnate residence in Łańcut.
Overnight stay in Łańcut
Krasiczyn
Castle in Łańcut
We’ll start the day by visiting the residence of the Lubomirski family in Łańcut Castle. We’ll see the preserved indoors and gardens of the castle created as early as in the 17th century. Then, we’ll move westward to one of the largest towns of former Galicia, namely to Tarnów. We’ll take a walk across the market square, and admire the beautiful mannerist town hall and the historic old town. Thereupon, we’ll head toward Cracow. In Cracow, before supper, we’ll have time to go shopping and sightseeing around the town.
Overnight stay in Cracow
It’s also possible to extend the programme, and::
Polski
