St. Paraskeva's Tserkva in Radruż

St. Paraskeva's Church in Radruż (say "RAH-droosh") is one of the oldest and best-preserved wooden tserkvas – Eastern-rite churches – in Poland: a late-Gothic timber church from the end of the 16th century on an oval hill in the Eastern Roztocze region, right by the Ukrainian border. Enclosed by a stone wall with a bell tower, it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage property "Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine" since 2013 and a Polish Historic Monument since 2017.

Where it is and how to get there

Radruż is a tiny village in the Podkarpackie (Subcarpathian) region, about 3 km from the spa town of Horyniec-Zdrój, 24 km from Lubaczów, roughly 92 km from Przemyśl and 125 km (78 miles) from Rzeszów – around two hours by car. Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport is the nearest international airport. Combine it with the UNESCO-listed tserkva in Chotyniec, about 60 km away. A car is essential for exploring this remote borderland. The museum does not publish parking information.

A short history

The church was built in the late 16th century, probably funded by Jan Płaza (died 1599), a member of parliament and royal administrator of Lubaczów. The carpenters used fir and oak and drew on late-Gothic building traditions. First Orthodox, later Greek Catholic, it now serves as a museum: since 2010 the complex has been a branch of the Borderlands Museum (Muzeum Kresów) in Lubaczów.

Its hilltop position above the Radrużka stream and the stone wall give the complex a defensive character – in the troubled 17th century, villagers sheltered here during Tatar raids. The current wall dates from 1825. During restoration in 1963–1965, eight small coins of King John II Casimir from 1665 were found under a corner of the foundation. The World Monuments Fund put Radruż on its Watch list in 2012, a year before the UNESCO inscription.

The UNESCO listing

Inscribed on June 21, 2013, the property groups 16 wooden tserkvas – eight in Poland and eight in Ukraine – built of horizontal logs between the 16th and 19th centuries by Orthodox and Greek Catholic communities. The Polish eight are Brunary Wyżne, Chotyniec, Kwiatoń, Owczary, Powroźnik, Radruż, Smolnik and Turzańsk. Poland now has 18 World Heritage Sites in total; the latest, the Modernist Center of Gdynia, was added in July 2026.

What to see

The church has the classic three-part plan – sanctuary, nave and narthex, each square – built of horizontal logs. The tall, two-story nave is crowned by a four-sided log dome with a shingled lantern, while the lower sanctuary and narthex have gabled roofs. Wide covered arcades on posts run around the whole building, a feature found in this region only here and in nearby Nowe Brusno. Scholars note its close resemblance to the Church of the Holy Spirit in Potelych, just across the border in Ukraine.

Inside, wall paintings from 1648, applied directly to the timber of the iconostasis wall and sanctuary, are probably the work of painters from Potelych. Elements of an iconostasis brought from Łańcut were conserved and installed in 2012.

The complex also includes:

• the bell tower (exterior only – entry is not allowed),
• the deacon's house (former mortuary), the churchyard with stone crosses and the crypt of the Andruszewski family, and the wall with two gates,
• a museum building with permanent and temporary exhibitions,
• two old cemeteries outside the walls with historic carved-stone gravestones from the Brusno workshops – free to visit at any time.

Opening hours and tickets (as of October 2026)

According to the Borderlands Museum:

• October 1 – March 31 (winter 2026/27): Tuesday–Sunday 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., closed Mondays; guided entries to the church at 9:15, 10:15, 11:00, 12:00, 13:15, 14:15 and 15:00,
• April 1 – September 30: daily 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., entries from 10:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Tickets: regular 20 PLN (about €4.50), reduced 15 PLN, family 40 PLN (up to five people, maximum two adults); children under 7 free. Entry is free on Wednesdays in the autumn-winter season (Mondays in summer), when a guide costs 80 PLN per group of up to 25 and must be booked. The ticket includes a guided tour of the church (about 45 minutes), the grounds inside the walls and the museum exhibition.

The site is closed on certain holidays – in 2026 including November 1–2, December 23–27 and December 31. Bookings: +48 606 357 108, radruz@muzeumkresow.eu. Photography is allowed without flash or tripod; pets are not permitted inside the walls (assistance dogs excepted).

Is it worth visiting?

Definitely. Radruż combines one of the finest medieval-rooted timber churches in Central Europe with a peaceful borderland setting and, unlike most tserkvas, reliable opening hours. Stay in Horyniec-Zdrój, a small spa known for its sulfur waters, and explore the woods and villages of Eastern Roztocze.