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The Cistercian Trail

When the Cistercians arrived on Polish lands in the 12th century, their monasteries became centres of culture, economy and contact with Western Europe. The Cistercian Trail, established in September 1990 at the abbey in Mogiła near Kraków, today links abbeys scattered from Pomerania to Silesia; it holds the status of a European Cultural Route, and on the ground it is marked by crosses with rounded arms.

The order lives in four monasteries

Cistercians have resided in Mogiła and Szczyrzyc without interruption since the first half of the 13th century, and after years of absence they returned to Jędrzejów and Wąchock. Three more churches remain under monastic care: Oliwa cathedral, the Romanesque church in Sulejów and the abbey in Henryków, where since 1993 the common novitiate of Polish Cistercians has operated.

Romanesque, baroque and records

Among the trail's dozens of sites, the Romanesque complexes of Wąchock and Sulejów stand out, as do baroque Krzeszów with its Piast Mausoleum and chapels. Lubiąż is the largest Cistercian abbey in Europe — its walls are still in the hands of a foundation carrying out restoration. Trzebnica delights as one of the most magnificent 13th-century complexes in Europe, and the abbey in Łekno from the 1140s is regarded as probably the oldest on Polish lands; precious Bibles belonging to the monks of Łekno are kept at the castle in Kórnik. In Jędrzejów — one of the oldest abbeys in Poland — awaits the sanctuary of Blessed Vincent Kadłubek.

Practicalities

The route includes dozens of sites: from Oliwa, Pelplin and Żarnowiec, through Chełmno, Toruń and Wielkopolska, to Lower Silesia, Małopolska and the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. For sightseeing it is best to pick one region — for example, starting in Jędrzejów combines conveniently with nearby Ponidzie and Kielce.