MUSZYNA COMMUNE

The Orthodox Church of St James the Younger in Powroźnik

The Orthodox Church of St James the Younger in Powroźnik is the oldest Orthodox church in the Polish Carpathians – it was built in 1600. Initially it was smaller and…it was located in a different place. After the flood, it was moved so that it was further from the river. It was rebuilt and extended numerous times. It is a typical tripartite Lemko Orthodox church. It consists of the narthex with a turret where the bell from 1615 survived, the nave and the presbytery by which there is the vestry – this part is the oldest one and in the 17th century it was a small Orthodox church. The interiors are richly decorated. In the oldest part (today’s vestry) we can see the figural polychromy from 1607, the iconostasis from the years 1743 – 1744 and the beautiful icon ‘the Last Judgement’ from 1623. The Orthodox Church in Powroźnik is full of treasures that is why it was listed as a UNESCO site in 2013.

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From one Orthodox church to another one through the Leluchowskie Mountains

The Wooden Architecture Route of Lesser Poland can be definitely taken by car but you can also follow it on foot! Especially due to the fact that a number of wooden sites are situated in mountains. Lemko people used to build their temples in mountains where they also lived and worked as they were shepherds. While in Powroźnik, leave your car and follow the blue trail on foot to Dubne (904 m). From the summit, we can take the yellow trail and go down to Wojkowa to visit the picturesquely located Orthodox Church of Sts Cosma and Damian built at the end of the 17th century. Then, we follow the yellow trail to the border of the country and continue along the red border trail. We climb up to Barwinek (801 m) and go down to visitmalopolska.pl visitmalopolska.pl visitmalopolska.pl

Dubne (the trail crosses the border and leads to Slovakia right before the village). We head for Dubne to see another beautifully located Orthodox Church of St Michael the Archangel. This is the next tripartite temple in the west Lemko style. We will cover the next 4 km following an asphalt road. Going along the border, we will reach Leluchów where the Orthodox Church of St Demetrius built in 1861 stands among mountains. We can come back to Powroźnik from Leluchów by train. The whole trail covers a distance of 20 km – we can shorten it by 10 if we skip Wojkowa and Dubne going from Powroźnik to Leluchów along the blue trail.

Bats in an Orthodox church

The lesser horseshoe bat is a small and charming bat which likes wooden temples. It is a rare species which is present in Europe. It has light brown fur, small eyes and around its nostrils there is a growth in the shape of a horseshoe. It is solely 4 cm long but its wingspan is 25 cm! It winters in the caves of the Beskids and in summer creates mating colonies in various, sometimes surprising, places. The space where the female gives birth to a pup and then brings it up must be peaceful, vast and have comfortable exits. Attics of old wooden Orthodox churches not used by anybody seem to be ideal for such purposes. The bats have made themselves at home in Izby, Leluchów, Wojkowa or Dubne. In Poland the lesser horseshoe bat is under strict visitmalopolska.pl protection that is why so much is being done to help it survive. One of the ways to protect it is to make sure that it has a proper place to set up its colonies. Due to the fact that the bats like old Orthodox churches, their parish priests may apply for funds for repairing roofs – such funds are obtained from the European Union and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. Sometimes, it is the only way to renovate these incredible places which otherwise will not be granted any other financial help. Moreover, breeding bat colonies, which are becoming more and more popular among tourists, gain safe homes.

Another mountain trail ‘from one Orthodox church to another’ starts in Muszyna Commune, in Szczawnik, and ends in Wierchomla Wielka, in Piwniczna Commune. In Szczawnik, right by the yellow trail, the Orthodox Church of St Demetrius from 1841 is situated. It is a typical west Lemko Orthodox church, tripartite with shingled walls. Inside we can admire the late-baroque iconostasis from the turn of the 19th century. Behind the church, there is a mineral water spring. From the temple we go north along a gravel road, along the Szczawnik Stream up to Bacówka over Wierchomla which is another wooden site. Today it serves as a tourist shelter but it used to be…a granary which stood in Złockie. The granary was moved to a clearing over Wierchomla in 1978. The shelter was erected as a part of a greater campaign to build small, mountain shelters for adventure tourism in the Beskids. The campaign was initiated by Edward Moskała. We can admire the Tatras from Bacówka. In order to reach another wooden site, we need to change the trail into the black one and follow it first to Wierchomla Mała and later to Wierchomla Wielka. In the latter one, the Orthodox Church of St Michael the Archangel built in 1821 can be found. It is a typical Lemko, tripartite temple. Inside we will see the baroque-classical polychromy with architectural and biblical motifs and the iconostasis which dates back to the second half of the 19th century. The whole trail trail is only 12 km long and it is very pleasant. If you left your car in Szczawnik, you can come back there by bus (through Muszyna) or on foot through Pusta Wielka (1,061 m) along a panoramic trail which covers a distance of 10 km.

On the route - in the Dunajec Valley

From Piwniczna we head towards Szczawnica. Going through the mountains, we would only have to cover 25 km – it is a very interesting route which leads through Radziejowa and Przehyba, partially along the Main Beskid Trail. Going by car, we need to go around the whole Radziejowa Range, go through the Poprad River Valley and go up the Dunajec Valley in Stary Sącz. Looking for wooden sites, we should stop in the Sądecka Basin. Stary Sącz is our first stop where we can see wooden buildings from the 19th century. Szeklers Gate should also attract our attention – it was a gift for Stary Sącz from Hungary on the occasion of the canonisation of St Kinga. A bit further, in Nowy Sącz, we can visit the Sądecki Ethnographic Park where wooden constructions prevail. On an area of almost 10 hectares there are buildings from various villages of Sądecki Land, mainly from the 19th century. The museum is divided into four parts in which we can admire the heritage of Sącz Lachs, Polish Uplanders, Sącz Highlanders and Lemkos. There are both temples and secular buildings, for instance, a wooden manor, peasant cottages or a school. The last stop on the route to Szczawnica is neighbouring Krościenko over Dunajec. You should stop at the Square to see its wooden buildings. Even though the town is older, the wooden houses date back to the 19th century. Four houses on the southern frontage should draw our attention – these storey buildings serve as great examples of spa architecture. Also in Zdrojowa Street a few log buildings were erected due to the fact that a resort was being founded in the 19th century. muzeum.sacz.pl/strony_filie kroscienko.pl/strefa-turystyczna