Market Square in Pruchnik

Once every house on the market square in Pruchnik had an arcade, so you could walk all the way around without leaving the shelter of a roof. Around 40 wooden buildings still stand around the square and along the lanes that lead off it, most of them with arcades – one of the few surviving ensembles of small-town timber architecture in Poland. No wonder director Jan Jakub Kolski filmed scenes for his film "Ułaskawienie" (The Pardon) here in 2017.

A small town founded in 1436

Pruchnik was founded as a private noble town in 1436, in what was then the Ruthenian province of the Polish kingdom. The centre keeps its original layout: a large square with several lanes radiating from it. The buildings burned down several times; the present ones are already the third generation since the first half of the 18th century. Most date from the 19th century, and the Zając House has the year 1869 carved on its main ceiling beam. Until the Second World War arcaded houses lined three sides of the square; during the occupation some were pulled down, including two coaching inns. Pruchnik lost its town rights and only regained them on 1 January 2011.

What to look for

• The arcades – carried on rows of round or square posts, some with diagonal fluting that echoes 18th-century ornament. Originally traders laid out their goods under them on market days.
• Balustrades and gables – boards cut into fanciful patterns and plank-clad gables show the skill of local carpenters. A Rococo-style wooden lattice echoes the galleries of the Franciscan church in Przemyśl.
• How the houses stand – some face the square with their gable, others with the long side of the roof, depending on the width of the plot.
• Construction – almost all have log walls with corner joints, while the longer buildings use a post-and-beam frame.
• The well on the square – with a board telling the local legend of the "wolf's well".

Beyond the square

Jews lived in Pruchnik from the 16th century and formed a large part of the population before the war. During the occupation the Germans set up a ghetto here and deported and murdered its inhabitants. A neglected Jewish cemetery survives. Also worth a look are the 15th-century Church of St Nicholas with the parish museum next to it, and Kańczudzka Street with another group of arcaded houses.

Tripto tip

The square is open at all times. Allow 30–45 minutes for a walk around it, or about an hour and a half with the church and Kańczudzka Street. Pruchnik lies on the Mleczka river on the road between Rzeszów and Przemyśl (regional roads 880 from Jarosław and 881). The houses are private homes, so take photos from the street and do not enter the yards. The wooden façades look best in morning or late-afternoon light. The town is on the Wooden Architecture Route of the Podkarpackie region, which makes it easy to fit into a longer tour.