Elegant villas, unique heritage parks, and historic churches – wooden architecture from Małopolska never fails to impress with its originality. In the beautiful natural surroundings, you can find a 1500 km long route that takes you on a trip through the most amazing examples of Polish folk culture.
Following the Wooden Architecture Route in Małopolska is like travelling back in time. On the route, you can find monuments dating back to as late as 16th century. The local heritage parks with houses full of old tools shed light on how life in Galicia looked like hundreds of years ago.
The grass is always greener on the other side
The Wooden Architecture Route in Małopolska comprises as many as 255 buildings that include not only old sacred architecture, but also rural buildings, manors or granaries. Eight of the most exquisite buildings were entered onto the list of UNESCO World
Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites. Among them are four Catholic churches located in Binarowa, Dębno, Lipnica Murowana and Sękowa; and four Orthodox churches in Powroźnik, Owczary, Kwiatoń and Brunary Wyżne.
One route, four trails
The Wooden Architecture Route in Małopolska was initiated by Małopolska region in consultation with the authorities of the surrounding voivodships. The 1500 km long route was divided into four shorter trails for the convenience of tourists. When coming back from Kraków, it is worth visiting the heritage park in Dobrzyce and “the Chapel on Water” located in Ojców National Park. The chapel was transformed from spa baths and its base consists of pillars planted in the bed of the flowing river stream. Lipnica Murowana is considered one of the most interesting places near Tarnów. It is where you can find St. Leonard’s Church, which was entered onto the UNESCO list, onto the UNESCO list,
and historical, wooden houses that remember the Middle Ages. It is also worth visiting Wincenty Witos House in Wierzchosławice.Travellers who are closer to Nowy Sącz can find on the trail, among others, Baroque mansion in Laskowa and the Sołtys Farm House in Jurgów. When planning a trip, you must definitely include Krynica Zdrój in your plans. Apart from interesting architecture designed in the Tyrol style, you will find there the Nikifor Museum dedicated to the famous Polish naïve art painter.Interesting examples of monumental architecture can be found in Podhale and the Pieniny, more precisely in Chochołów where the most picturesque complex of folk wooden architecture is located.
Not only architecture
The Małopolska route is a treat not only for history or architecture lovers. All of the four trails guarantee time spend surrounded by beautiful nature, as the picturesque buildings are most often located in national parks. A bicycle trip or a hike along one of the four routes is a great idea for a weekend getaway.
In addition to natural and architectural monuments in Małopolska, you can also enjoy the most magnificent examples of Polish folklore, while in the open-air museums you can try your hand at old crafts (baking, wheelwrighting or smithery) or see the equipment used by the people who lived there centuries ago.
