Lubomirski Family Seats Trail

The Lubomirski Family Seats Trail links places where one of the most powerful families of the old Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had residences or founded churches, monasteries and schools. The route was devised and organised by the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola, housed in the Lubomirski castle in Rozwadów. It runs through south-eastern Poland, western Ukraine and northern Slovakia, and includes Łańcut Castle, Baranów Sandomierski Castle and the residences in Rzeszów and Przeworsk.

History: a family that shaped the Commonwealth

The family's economic power was built by Sebastian Lubomirski (c. 1546–1613), who became administrator of the Kraków salt mines in 1581, entered the Senate in 1591 and received the title of Count of Wiśnicz from Emperor Rudolf II in 1595. His son Stanisław married Zofia Ostrogska, whose dowry in 1613 brought 18 towns, 313 villages and 163 manor farms. In the 17th and 18th centuries the family owned Nowy Wiśnicz, Łańcut, Baranów Sandomierski, Rzeszów, Jarosław and Przeworsk, among others.

Four Lubomirskis held the office of Grand Marshal of the Crown. Jerzy Sebastian Lubomirski was the only Polish magnate who refused to swear allegiance to Charles X Gustav during the Swedish Deluge. The family also supported culture: it kept court theatres, and Henryk Lubomirski helped found the Lubomirski Princes' Museum (1823) at the Ossolineum – the first publicly accessible private museum in the Polish lands.

Route and what to see

According to the Stalowa Wola museum, the trail starts at the Lubomirski castle in Rozwadów and ends in Wiśnicz in Lesser Poland. The Podkarpackie Regional Tourist Organisation describes a variant of about 488 km from Stalowa Wola to Podolínec in Slovakia, covering 18 localities, including nine former family seats. On the Polish section, stop in:

• Stalowa Wola (Rozwadów, Charzewice) – the Lubomirski castle (home of the museum), a Capuchin monastery and a manor park; the Lubomirskis held these estates for over 200 years.
• Baranów Sandomierski – the castle and park complex and the Church of St John the Baptist.
• Rzeszów and Boguchwała – the castle, a summer palace of 1712 and the Boguchwała palace of 1728.
• Łańcut – the castle complex with its 33-hectare park.
• Przeworsk and Przemyśl – palaces with parks and monasteries linked to the family's foundations.

Tripto tips

The trail is not meant to be driven in a single day – its creators recommend it in full, in sections or as a series of weekend trips. The easiest start is the Łańcut – Rzeszów – Przeworsk triangle, adding Baranów Sandomierski and Stalowa Wola. The Slovak section crosses the border at Barwinek – Vyšný Komárnik and the Dukla Pass, so bring your documents. Check opening hours and ticket prices separately for each site, as there is no joint ticket.