|
|
Wooden architecture
Fine wooden architecture is abundant in the Malopolska region. We would like to invite you on a tour of the uniquely beautiful wooden structures within the city of Tarnow and the surrounding towns and villages. Cottages, mansions, and churches were all constructed with wood; the oldest and largest number coming from the 15 th century. Dozens of these churches between the Raba and the Wisloka Rivers have endured the elements and still maintain their original structure today. These buildings symbolize the strength and religious devotion of the local people, that has also weathered many tough times. Although many of the structures are very old, some of the most recent ones were built in the 20 th century. Many of them have one nave, a high shingled roof and face the West.
Wooden churches were built when stone was scarce and timber was readily available. The preferred timber was Larch and the method of construction consisted of placing long boards of wood on top of one another one by one and then linking them at the corners. In the late 13 th century when Gothic influence reached Poland, apart from the Romanesque, churches became more elaborate and elegant. Brick Gothic churches were inspirational and heavily influenced the style of wooden churches, causing a common structure of a closed triangular presbytery and Gothic portals. Additionally, construction of the rooves became more detailed and complex.
Polish churches were built in Gothic style until the late 17 th and even 18 th century, despite the popularity and dominance of Renaissance art and architecture at that time.
Biesiadki maintains the parish Church of Sw Mateusz Apostol Ewangelista (St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist) that was built in 1661 in Baroque and Gothic styles. Its interior has: buttresses with vaults, a woodwork portal and door, Gothic furnishings in the main entrance, and Baroque objects dated to the 17 th -19 th centuries.
Binarowa is the home of the Gothic church of Sw Michal Archaniol (St. Michael the Archangel), which was founded around the turn of the 16 th century and was thoroughly renovated in 1641 and 1890. Designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Bochnia has a belfry located next to the parish church of Sw Mikolaj B. The bells are recreations of the originals built in 1609, which burned in 1983.
Dabrowa Tarnowska contains the church of Wszyscy Sweci (All Saints) that was built in 1771 in Baroque style and its interior, mainly in Rococo, dates back to the end of the 18 th century.
Dolega Mansion is a one-story structure built around 1845 in a very classic style and consisting of a main edifice with two wings.
Gosprzydowa has the parish church of Sw Urszula z Towarzyszkami that was built in 1697. The Baroque interior is dated back to the 17 th and 18 th centuries and its stone stoup was constructed in 1585.
Iwkowa owns the cemetery church of Narodzenie NMP, dated to the second half of the 15 th century. On the walls of its presbytery, there are murals depicting the Passion of Christ.
Jastrzebia contains the parish church of Sw Bartolemiej Apostol (St. Bartolemew the Apostle), built in the early 16 th c. Inside the church you can view the late Baroque style altars, pictures, sculptures, a stone Renaissance-Baroque baptismal font, and a Gothic bell dated between the 15 th c. and 16 th c.
Lipnica Murowana, Ciezkowice and Zakliczyn are all arcaded houses that are located in the market square, that were built some time between the 18 th and 19 th centuries. They are one-story high and have unique arcading supported by wooden pillars and facing the town square.
Gnojnik is where the church of Sw Marcin Bp. (St. Martin the Bishop) stands. It was built at the turn of the 17 th century in the style of Baroque with late Gothic elements that is no longer used.
Lipnica Murowana owns the church of Sw Leonard (St. Leonard), which was constructed in the late 15 th c. and contains an interior that is decorated with valuable paintings from the 16 th and 17 th c. This church is also one of the most fascinating and well-preserved in Poland, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Moszczenica maintains the cemetery chapel of Chrystus w Ciemnicy, erected in the second half of the 17 th century. There is an ornately designed wood portal near the entrance and Baroque wall paintings that narrate the scenes from the Passions of Christ.
Nowy Wisnicz has a mansion located near the town Koryznowka, that is dated back to the early 19 th century and maintains a biographical museum of Jan Matejko (built in classical style).
Podole is the home of the parish church of Podniesienie Krzyrza Panskiego constructed under Gothic influence with a Baroque tower in the early 16 th century. The interior is adorned with a mural created in 1542.
Pogwizdow has the church of St. Simon and the Apostles Judah and Thaddeus, that was founded sometime between the 15 th and 16 th centuries. Within the church there are Baroque furnishings from a period between the 17 th and 18 th centuries.
Rozdziele contains the parish church of St. Jacob, built in 1563 and founded by King Zygmunt August in Krolowka; it was transferred to Rozdziele in 1990. At the entrance of the structure there is a portal with the intricate woodwork of a coat of arms "Topor" that is from the second half of the 16 th century.
Sobolow has a parish church dedicated to the honor of All Saints, which was built at the turn of the 17 th c. Its interior is decorated with a flying buttress, Baroque furnishings, and a 1583 picture of the Crucifiction.
Ujscie Solne is a historic town located near the mouth of the river Raba. It was given its royal charters in 1360 by King Casmir the Great; the salt from Bochnia was unloaded there. From this post was developed a large market sqare that spawned multiple outreaching roads. Also preserved are wooden houses near the town square that were constructed in the 19 th and 20 th c.
Wojnicz is a small town which founded the auxiliary church of St. Leonard. It is reported to have been built in 1209, but experts have dated its origin to approximately 1460.
Zalipie is the only "painted village" in Poland that preserves the tradition of decorating both the interior and exterior of houses with murals of bouquets. At the present, there are about thirty cottages and farm buildings that have walls adorned with these unique flower paintings.
Zawada contains the church of Sw Marcin B that was built in the 15 th c. and then reconstructed a few times during the late Gothic period, which is evident in the structure's design.
|
|

2 0 0 8 © T o u r i s t I n f o r m a t i o n C e n t r e - T a r n o w - P o l a n d
|
