Wooden Architecture Route in Lesser Poland (Małopolska)

More than 1,500 km of routes and over 250 wooden monuments – Catholic and Orthodox churches, bell towers, manor houses, villas and open-air museums – make up the Wooden Architecture Route in the Małopolska region. Eight of them are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the church in Lipnica Murowana even has an information board in Japanese, because visitors from Japan come specially to see it. It is not a single attraction but a network from which you can build a weekend trip or a whole holiday.

History of the route

The route was created in 2001 on the initiative of the Małopolska region, and neighbouring regions – Silesia, Subcarpathia and Świętokrzyskie – later joined in. Between 2001 and 2003 all sites were marked with information boards and road signs; the signage was renewed in 2008. In 2013 the route received the Gold Certificate of the Polish Tourism Organisation for the best tourist product. Since 2007 selected sites have hosted the concert series "Music Enchanted in Wood".

Four routes

The Małopolska section is divided into four routes:

• Kraków and surroundings – including the open-air museum in Dobczyce, St Bartholomew's Church in Mogiła and the "chapel on the water" in Ojców National Park, converted from former spa baths and resting on pillars set in a stream.
• Tarnów and surroundings – including Lipnica Murowana with St Leonard's Church and the house of the peasant politician Wincenty Witos in Wierzchosławice.
• Orawa, Podhale, Spisz and Pieniny – including the church in Dębno, the wooden village of Chochołów and the Sołtys Farmstead in Jurgów.
• Nowy Sącz and Gorlice – including the Baroque manor in Laskowa, many wooden Orthodox-rite churches and Krynica-Zdrój with its museum of Nikifor, the naive painter.

Eight UNESCO sites

• Churches: Binarowa, Dębno, Lipnica Murowana and Sękowa – inscribed in 2003.
• Greek Catholic churches (tserkvas): Brunary Wyżne, Kwiatoń, Owczary and Powroźnik.

The Gothic Church of St Michael the Archangel in Dębno dates from the 15th century; from the road you can see its shingled roof, its tower and the log fence topped with a little roof.

Interesting facts

In 2008 the route drew around 80,000 visitors. In some summers more than 50 sites could be visited free of charge with a guide on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and in other seasons around 80 churches, chapels and manor houses that are usually closed were opened to visitors. Many of the guides speak foreign languages.

Tripto tip

Do not try to cover the whole route – choose one route and two or three sites a day. Many churches are locked on ordinary days, so before you set off check whether a summer opening programme is running that season, or arrange a visit by phone. Summer weekends bring the most open doors and concerts.