Preserving for posterity – the work of Count Stadnicki
‘In order to preserve the remains of the ancient Carpathian primeval forest for eternity and to pass them on in the possibly most original state to posterity’ – this is how Adam Count Stadnicki, the owner and manager of the Nawojowa forests, justified the protection of the valuable forest stand in Barnowiec at the beginning of the 20th century, when he created the reserve.
It’s thanks to his decision that beautiful beech, sycamore, fir and elm trees have survived to the present day on the slopes of the Sokołowska Mountain. So, it’s quite likely we encounter them, hiking unhurriedly along the yellow trail from Hala Pisana to Frycowa. Or perhaps our eagle eye will spot somewhere else the carmine-pink blossoms of herb-Robert, fields of perennial honesty, or the coralroot bittercress adorned by pink or white blossom. It’s also worth mentioning that Barnowiec Nature Reserve has been for years part of the impressive Poprad Landscape Park covering 53,000 hectares (link to description of the Poprad Landscape Park).
This in turn includes not only the Radziejowa and Jaworzyna Krynicka ranges in Beskid Sądecki, but also the part of the Czerchowskie Mountains located in Poland. More than a dozen reserves were created in this area with numerous nature trails, and over 350 km of hiking trails were marked out. They lead among several hundred-year-old trees, fantastic rocks, rocky outcrops, near caves and landslide lakes, mysterious fens and peat bogs. We can also find here numerous mineral water springs, thanks to which today we can benefit from the development of such well-known health resorts as Szczawnica, Krynica, Piwniczna, Żegiestów and last but hardly least, Muszyna.
Poprad Landscape Park also protects thousands of hectares of wonderfully beautiful landscapes, magnificent specimens of fauna and flora, as well as unique pearls of architecture: both brick and wooden edifices. It’s one of the most beautiful lands in Poland, still somewhat mysterious and not very well known.
Reed canary grass, glyceria, swamp horsetail, and common reed can all be found in the Poprad Landscape Park. Here we can also learn the difference between an oatgrass meadow, a meadow overgrown by gladiolus and bent grass community, and the dry Pieniny meadow. Its picturesque boundaries are defined by the following rivers: Dunajec, Poprad and Kamienica. Come, wander, discover!
Trails for the curious
⇒ Nature Trail in the Obrożyska Linden Forest Reserve
⇒ Nature Trail in the Roztoka area
⇒ Nature Trail on Parkowa Mountain in Krynica
⇒ Geological Trail ‘Uhryński Stream’
⇒ Fir Path in Uhryń
⇒ Nature Trail ‘Rogasiowy Szlak’
⇒ Nature Trail ‘Little Pieniny’
⇒ Count Adam Stadnicki Nature Trail
⇒ Nature Trail Feleczyn Wilderness
⇒ Nature and Forest Trail on Jaworzyna Krynicka
⇒ Ornithological Path on the Polish Shovel
⇒ Ecological Park in Roztoka Wielka, Nature Trail through forest habitats in Nawojowa
► Nature Reserves:
⇒ Baniska
⇒ Barnowiec
⇒ Hajnik
⇒ Kłodne nad Dunajcem
⇒ Obrożyska Linden Forest
⇒ Lembarczek
⇒ Łabowiec
⇒ Nad Kotelniczym Potokiem
⇒ Okopy Konfederackie
⇒ Pusta Wielka
⇒ Professor Czaja Reserve in Łosie
⇒ Uhryń
⇒ Wierchomla
⇒ Żebracze
► There are four more reserves in the park’s buffer zone in the area of Małe Pieniny:
⇒ Wysokie Skałki
⇒ Zaskalskie-Bodnarówka
On foot, by bicycle, on horseback and on skis
The Poprad Landscape Park is also an ideal place for all those who wish to walk at their own pace, without stress, away from the crowds, enjoying the silence, in contact with nature and their own thoughts.
These trails can be enjoyed at weekends, or you can choose to stay a few days longer to tackle longer, more demanding routes starting, for example, from one of the shelters or one of the villages picturesquely located on the Beskid slopes or nestled in charming valleys. Beskid Sądecki can be explored on foot, by bike (there are very easy routes, but some also require considerable fitness and experience), on horseback or by car.
When the slopes of Beskid Sądecki are covered with the white powder, you’ll find ideal conditions for both cross-country and downhill skiing. You can go skiing on well-prepared trails at the Jaworzyna Krynicka ski resort, Henryk Ski, and the Słotwiny Arena in Krynica-Zdrój, but also in Tylicz Master-Ski, TyliczSki, Wierchomla Mała and Szczawnik (Dwie Doliny Muszyna – Wierchomla), Kokuszka, Rytro (RyterSki), Sucha Dolina, Krościenko nad Dunajcem, and Szczawnica.
► Hiking trails:
⇒ blue: Leluchów – Powroźnik – Krynica-Zdrój – Przełęcz Krzyżowa – Runek – Pusta Wielka – Żegiestów-Zdrój, 42.5 km
⇒ yellow: Muszynka – Okopy Konfederatów Barskich – Wojkowa – Muszyna – Szczawnik – Pusta Wielka – Żegiestów-Zdrój, 35.3 km
⇒ green: Wysowa – Huzary – Krynica-Zdrój – Przełęcz Krzyżowa – Jaworzyna Krynicka – Muszyna, 30.4 km
⇒ black: Tylicz – Huzary – Krynica-Zdrój (Roma), 4.6 km
⇒ yellow: Krynica-Zdrój – Przełęcz Krzyżowa – voivodeship road – Huzary – Krynica-Zdrój, 17 km
⇒ red: (Main Beskid Trail): Mochnaczka Niżna – Huzary – Krynica-Zdrój – Jaworzyna Krynicka – Runek – Hala Łabowska – Hala Pisana – Rytro – Niemcowa – Wielki Rogacz – Przehyba – Przełęcz Przysłop – Dzwonkówka – Krościenko nad Dunajcem, 66.5 km
⇒ black: Żegiestów Wieś – Pusta Wielka, 7.9 km
⇒ black: Wierchomla Wielka – PTTK Shepherd’s Hut at Wierchomla, 3.8 km
⇒ blue: Piwniczna-Zdrój – Łomnica-Zdrój – Hala Łabowska – Łabowa, 18.1 km
⇒ yellow: Frycowa – Hala Pisana – Piwniczna-Zdrój – Niemcowa, 23.0 km
⇒ green: Nowy Sącz – Wilcze Doły – trail junction at the foot of Makowica, 17.7 km
⇒ blue: Barcice – Potok Życzanowski – trail junction at the foot of Makowica, 10.2 km
⇒ yellow: Łomnica-Zdrój railway station – Łomnica-Zdrój – Hala Łabowska, 11.1 km
⇒ green: Barcice – Wdżary, 6.6 km
⇒ blue: Rytro – Wdżary – Przehyba – Sewerynówka – Szczawnica, 19.4 km
⇒ red: Piwniczna-Zdrój – Obidza – Jaworki, 17.1 km
⇒ green: Piwniczna-Zdrój – Obidza, 10.8 km
⇒ blue: Wielki Rogacz – Obidza – Przełęcz Rozdziela – Szafranówka, 18.8 km
⇒ yellow: Stary Sącz – Przysietnica – Wielka Przehyba, 14.5 km
⇒ green: Jazowsko – Przehyba – Szczawnica, 19.4 km
⇒ yellow: Łącko – Jaworzynka – Dzwonkówka – Bereśnik – Szczawnica – Szafranówka, 20.7 km
⇒ green: Tylmanowa – Jaworzynka, 5.1 km
► Cycling trails (link to the website with description of the cycling trails in the Poprad Landscape Park):
⇒ red (Carpathian Bicycle Trail): Nowy Sącz – Rytro – Piwniczna-Zdrój – Żegiestów-Zdrój – Muszyna – Leluchów
⇒ blue (Cross-Border Bicycle Trail): Muszyna – Powroźnik – Tylicz – Wysowa
⇒ green: Czaczów – Składziste – Hala Łabowska – Runek – Wierchomla Wielka
⇒ green: Kosarzyska – Niemcowa – Wielki Rogacz – Obidza – Przełęcz Rozdziela – Jaworki
⇒ blue: Rytro – Wielki Rogacz
⇒ green (Royal Bicycle Trail): Stary Sącz – Przysietnica – Gołkowice – Łazy Brzyńskie – Przełęcz Przysłop
⇒ black: Szczawnica – Sopotnicki Potok Valley – Jastrzębi Potok Valley – Szczawnica
⇒ blue: Szczawnik – PTTK Shepherd’s Hut at Wierchomla – Runek – Szczawnik
⇒ black: Piwniczna-Zdrój – Kokuszka – Groń – Piwniczna-Zdrój
⇒ blue: Piwniczna-Zdrój – Obidza
► Horse trails:
⇒ Trans-Beskid Horse Trail: Jaworki – Obidza – Piwniczna-Zdrój – Hala Pisana – Hala Łabowska – Uhryń
⇒ Beskid Sądecki Horse Trail: Tylicz – Krynica-Zdrój – Słotwiny – Runek – Hala Łabowska – Hala Pisana – Makowica – Wola Krogulecka – Barcice – Przysietnica – Skałka – Przysłop Pass – Dzwonkówka – Krościenko nad Dunajcem
⇒ Horse trail in the Leluchów Mountains: Wojkowa – Powroźnik – Mount Dubne – Malnik – Dubne – Leluchów
Beskid Sądecki – a balance between nature and civilisation
There is a little bit of everything here and for everyone. The mountains are not very high, they reach 1,266 metres amsl, but they can be a real challenge even for experienced hikers, and there are also areas that are perfect for leisurely, almost effortless walks. There are massive forest complexes interspersed with picturesque, often deeply incised valleys and scenic glades. Without the slightest difficulty, we can discover here some wooden churches of marvellous beauty, perfectly blended with the landscape, including edifices inscribed on the UNESCO list.
You’ll also find a lot of wildness and freedom remaining, and just the right dose of comfort after a long hike. When visiting Beskid Sądecki, you can rest in a mountain shelter, set up a base in one of the charming and mysterious spots (e.g., Stary Sącz, Nowy Sącz, Rytro, and Tylicz, or opt for a relaxing stay one of the charming health resorts: Krynica-Zdrój, Piwniczna-Zdrój, Żegiestów or Muszyna.
Beskid Sądecki is part of the Western Beskids. It covers 670 square kilometres on the Polish side. Its boundary from the south-west and west is marked by the valleys of the Dunajec River, Grajcarek, Biała Woda and the Rozdziele Pass, from the north-west it neighbours the Wyspowy Beskids and from the north the Sądecka Basin. To the north-east and east, its border is formed by the valleys of the Kamienica Nawojowska, the Krzyżówka Pass, Mochnaczka Stream, Muszynka River and the Tylicka Pass (border with the Niski Beskids).
Beskid Sądecki is dominated by Radziejowa – 1,262 metres amsl, an extremely popular tourist destination not only in spring, summer and autumn, but also in winter. When looking at a map from before 1918, you would see the name Beskid Nadpopradzki instead of Beskid Sądecki. It’s divided into: Radziejowa Range (located on the south-western and western side of the Poprad River), Jaworzyna Range and Leluchów Range (located on the north-eastern and eastern side of the Poprad River).
Through the Uhryń Gorge, on the traces of Rogaś and mysterious mofettas
Beskid Sądecki also tempts with its unusual attractions: those created by the nature as well as by man. They can be found in landscape parks and reserves, but also outside them. Who wouldn’t be tempted by seeing, for example, the lovely Uhryń Gorge. Of course, it’s not as impressive as the Dunajec Gorge, but it can still win many hearts. If we go to the Łabowa area, we’ll see not only the picturesque meandering stream, but also the rocks, up to 65 million years old, that it cuts through.
Those who decide to explore the trails leading through the Roztoka Valley, one of the most beautiful valleys in Poland, can, for example, set off along the paths used by Rogaś from the Roztoka Valley, the hero of a story by Maria Kownacka. The longest variant of this scenic off-road trail is about 12 km long and its starting point is located near the Ryterski Raj ski station. During a pleasant walk, our eyes will see not only splendid fir and beech forests, deeply cut ravines of the Roztoka Mała and Roztoka Wielka, but also an old quarry, the Popielicowa chalet, the Baniska Reserve (established on the northern slopes of Radziejowa by Count Adam Stadnicki), Rogasiowy Paśnik, Rogasiowa Glade, and the Rogaś Spring.
In the Beskid Sądecki, it’s easy to find mofettas, i.e., places where, according to the locals, you can see the breath of the devil. One of the most famous ‘boiling’ springs, named after Professor Henryk Świdziński, is located on the border of the villages of Jastrzębik and Złockie. What are these mofettas, anyway? As the scientists remind us, they are sites of cold volcanic exhalation consisting mainly of carbon dioxide. The high saturation of this gas with carbon dioxide creates bubbles of varying size and unpredictable tempo that constantly emanate from these springs. Located in the valley of a swampy stream, below the road from Jastrzębik to Złocki, the bulgotka named after Professor Henryk Świdziński is regarded as the largest and most impressive spring of this kind in Poland and one of the few in Europe. Sometimes it can also be a death trap for insects and small birds... If you want to see this volcanic wonder of nature, you have to go to the area around Muszyna.
Gardens of the Senses and UNESCO treasures carved out of wood
Smell, taste, touch, hearing, sight – they all accompany us from the moment we’re born. We often don’t even realise that we owe them the way we perceive the world around us. To find it out for yourself, while in the Muszyna area, it’s worth going to Sensory Gardens.
In the Scent Zone, for example, we’ll find plants that smell familiar, even a bit domestic, we associate some of them with the kitchen, others with forests and meadows, but there are also some that will surprise us. But will we immediately answer the question of what smells so good: hyacinth, mint, garlic, or perhaps thyme, sage or lilies? Just stop for a moment, close your eyes, take a deep breath... Only in this particular part of the Sensory Garden alone, we can spend a few hours savouring the extraordinary fragrance compositions. And this is, after all, barely one stop on the unhurried ‘sensory’ walk.
If we add to this the magnificent panoramas, the wonderful view of the Muszyna health resort and its numerous attractions, e.g., the Magic Gardens, the Bible Gardens, the beautiful Market Square, the magnificently renovated castle (former seat of the rulers of the Muszyna State), the Poprad Valley, but also the extraordinary properties of the water bubbling from the depths of the earth, we won’t leave Muszyna for a long time. And don’t forget that there’s another health resort quite close by, namely Żegiestów, neighbouring to the north (!) with Slovakia (on the so-called Polish Shovel).
God the Father, the Son of God, the Holy Spirit, the Mother of Christ, Moses and Abraham, the saints, the blessed and the inhabitants of Jerusalem have all set their meeting place here on the centuries-old boards. And we can take part in it as well. For this to happen, we need to take a look at the church of St James the Apostle in Powroźnik. Once an Orthodox church, today a church surrounded by a solid stone wall, a green ring of trees and adorned with a slender bell tower. If we want to look into the eyes of God, we need to enter the sacristy. This is because it’s home to a magnificent polychrome, an elaborate work by masters from the early 17th century. No wonder the church is inscribed on the UNESCO list. And if only for this reason, it’s worth being tempted to visit Powroźnik.
And it’s worth noting that this isn’t the only place in the Beskid Sądecki where we can find monuments of this class. Beautiful pearls, though carved from wood, are also adorning Leluchów, Dubne,Wojkowa, Andrzejówka, Szczawnik, Złockie, Jastrzębik, Słotwiny, and Milik. They are all included in the Małopolska Wooden Architecture Route.
Krynica Zdrój – pearl of the Polish health resorts
Beskid Sądecki also hides the brightest pearl in the crown of Polish health resorts. In Krynica-Zdrój, we can count not only on the miraculous properties of water saturated with free carbon dioxide, but also on the unmistakable atmosphere of an elegant resort. A health resort that is chosen by crowned heads, presidents and prime ministers, as well as the world of high finance and artists to restore their strength and health.
The power of Krynica’s waters was known and appreciated as early as the 17th century. The activity of the health resort began with the construction of the Little House in 1794. It was subsequently turned into the first bath house. Not surprisingly, Krynica was officially recognised as a health resort as early as in 1807. Later on, Józef Dietl, a professor at the Jagiellonian University, turned his attention to what then was a little-known Lemko village, and transformed it into a renowned resort.
Krynica was also the home of Nikifor Krynicki, tuberculosis sufferer and pauper wsho was often cruelly ridiculed, but he was also an incredibly talented self-taught painter, considered today to be one of the world’s most outstanding representatives of the so-called primitivist painters. If we want to learn more about his extraordinary fate and works, it’s worth visiting the Nikifor Museum dedicated to the painter. And if we’re talking about Krynica, we can’t forget about Jan Kiepura and his Patria. This son of a baker from Sosnowiec not only conquered stages across the whole world, but also fell in love with this remote corner of Beskid Sądecki and considered it as his little homeland. It was here that he erected, among other things, a luxurious villa, which he symbolically named Patria.
Of course, these are not the only Krynica paths to wander. After all, we don’t want to miss the Old Health Resort House, the Main Pump Room, the ‘Słotwinka’ Pump Room, Romanówka Villa, or even a simple walk to Parkowa Mountain. And we’ll also be tempted by the attractions that await us in Słotwiny, such as the uniquely constructed viewing tower.
Peoples and nations that inhabited Beskid Sądecki
Those who like to immerse themselves in the past will also enjoy the beautiful Sądecki Ethnographic Park and the neighbouring unique Galician Town. This will give us an insight into the everyday life of the Lachy, Polish Uplanders, Highlanders, Lemkos, Carpathian Gypsies and Germans.
In the open-air museum, you’ll find peasant buildings ranging from the chimneyless cottages of the poor to the wealthy and solid brick homesteads. You can also admire examples of beautiful manorial buildings and elaborate churches, but also a sawmill, a fulling mill and a mill by the stream. The buildings are equipped with furniture, furnishings, clothing and paintings. It’s also a place where you can learn about the rich rituals, beliefs, dances, song and music, and medicine and magic of the ancient inhabitants of the Beskid Sądecki region. It’s a fascinating expedition into a world that no longer exists!
Health and beauty – only in Beskid Sądecki
If you’re thinking about health and beauty – there’s no better place to devote care and attention to them than in the Beskid Sądecki. The greatest treasure of this land consists of the numerous springs and ponds with extraordinary properties, bubbling up from the depths. It’s not without reason that such renowned health resorts as Krynica, Muszyna, Piwniczna and Żegiestów – monumental, yet hidden from the eyes of outsiders – were established among the picturesque mountains and valleys.
What do they offer? Everything you can think of in the world of beautifying, nurturing, relaxing, conditioning and even mineralising treatments. You can choose to have a massage, or you can take a nap in the world of saunas: dry, aromatic as well as herbal, or enjoy mud and steam baths. This is, of course, only a modest preview of what’s worth trying in the health resort towns of Beskid Sądecki. It’s the perfect place to get some peace and relaxation in times as stressful as these.
Niski Beskids – a world still mysterious and little known
Charming Lemko chyżas and mysterious kiwons. Picturesque Orthodox churches and other houses of worship. The craftsmanship of the old masters captured in stone and wood. Treasures underground and on the UNESCO list. Beautiful, empty mountains and picturesque, deserted valleys. Unhurried life: this is what our imagination suggests to us when we think of the Niski Beskids. And it’s a picture not too far from reality. We could also add, for example, that the world’s – this might surprise you! – oil industry was born in this area, and that the turmoil of history didn’t spare it.
So, why don’t we start with the borders? The Low Beskids neighbour the Sądecka Basin to the west and Beskid Sądecki to the south-west. In the east, it reaches the Łupkowska Pass and thus borders the Bieszczady Mountains, in the north-east, it borders the Bukowskie Foothills, in the north it borders the Central Beskidian Foothills and in the south it passes into the Ondawa Foothills. The Niski Beskids are dominated by: Lackowa (997 metres amsl) on the Polish side and Busov (1,002 metres amsl) on the Slovak side. Its beautiful natural heart – both the Małopolska and Podkarpacie parts – is protected by the Magura National Park.
As a result, French rose, Solomon’s seal and catnip can be found here, along with wild garlic, purple gallinule and hart’s-tongue, while bears, wildcats, badgers, wolves, capercaillie, as well as blindworms and smooth snakes roam the park’s backwoods undisturbed. Buzzards, Ural owls and even golden eagles watch over this unique kingdom from the skies. The trails traced in the Magura National Park are particularly popular among tourists who wish to find peace and quiet and enjoy the solitude of their own thoughts.
From picturesque chyżas to paraffin and the UNESCO list
The valleys of Bieliczna, Regietów, Radocyna, Cichania, and Jasiel, once populous and bustling, today are an ideal place for those who want to rest from the hustle and bustle of the world. Why are they so ‘empty’? Several decades ago, during Operation Vistula, Lemkos were displaced from these areas. Nature took over what was no longer used by humans. All that remains of the old world are traces of houses, overgrown orchards, baulks disappearing among the trees, Orthodox churches, wayside shrines...
Here and there you can still see a traditional chyża, i.e., a hut where people and animals once lived under the same roof. This is because the large roof, usually covered with straw, protected the chamber and the alcove, as well as the utility and livestock rooms. The attic, on the other hand, served as a barn. There are not many of them left... That’s why it’s worth taking a look at the Lemko open-air museum in Zyndranowa.
Low Beskids is also a world of exquisite masters, and their extraordinary works are most easily seen in the wonderfully beautiful wooden Orthodox and Catholic churches. Several of them have even received recognition from world experts, which led to them being inscribed on the UNESCO heritage list. This was the case for example with the slender 17th-century Orthodox Church of St Parascheva in Kwiatoń, considered as one of the most beautiful examples of Lemko sacral architecture. The Orthodox Church of the of the Care of the Mother of God in Owczary is also a wonderful example of the craftsmanship of the ancient builders (link to description of the Orthodox Church of the Care of the Mother of God in Owczary). And this work of art, covered by distinctive triple-pitched roofs, dates from the 17th century. Likewise honored with placement on the prestigious list arethe churches of Sts Philip and James in Sękowa (with a beautiful flowing roof that reaches down practically to the ground) and St Michael the Archangel in Binarowa from around 1500.
Of course, these are not all of the unique pearls which you can find on the Wooden Architecture Route. Therefore, it is also worth going to Bartne, where you’ll see the Greek Catholic Church (of Sts Kosma and Damian) and the Orthodox Church (also of Sts Kosma and Damian). In Kotania, you’ll also find the Greek Catholic Church of Sts Kosma and Damian, and while in Szymbark, you can visit the Church of St Adalbert from the 18th century. Once in Szymbark, you can’t miss the marvellous beauty of the Renaissance castellum, which used to be a defensive manor house of the Gładysz family. And yet, this is barely the tip of what this extraordinary land offers the tourists.
Water and oil – natural treasures of Low Beskids
The Gorlice Oil Basin, which few people remember now, is also one of the oldest areas where oil was extracted. This is also where innovative methods for its exploration began. And it shouldn’t be forgotten that the world’s first school for teaching drillers was established in the small village of Ropianka.
Stanisław Jabłonowski is considered to be one of the pioneers of the oil industry, along with the anonymous inhabitants of the region who extracted the black gold. It was the paraffin from his dig site – extracted by hand, with buckets – which Jan Józef Ignacy Łukasiewicz used in his Gorlice pharmacy for experiments. The brilliant apothecary was also the originator of the industrial exploitation of this raw material. It was also Łukasiewicz who, on 31 July 1853, by lighting up one of the rooms of the hospital in the Lychakiv district of Lviv, not only made the doctors’ work easier, but changed the face of the world.
And it shouldn’t be forgotten either that the world’s first street oil lamp – lit by the local councillors – was installed in Gorlice. Today, at this spot: at the junction of Węgierska and Kościuszki Streets, we find a chapel with a beautiful replica of a 16th-century statue of the Sorrowful Christ, and a mural on the wall recalling the event.
– This liquid is the future wealth of the country, its prosperity and well-being for its people, it’s a new source of income for poor people and a new industry that will bear abundant fruit – this is how the imaginative pharmacist, visionary, businessman, MP, but also revolutionary, independence activist, social activist and great philanthropist spoke prophetically about paraffin.
Few people realise that it’s still being extracted in these areas. Unusual kiwons, i.e., pumpjacks, can be found in Kryg, Dominikowice, Ropianka and Libusza, among others. Anyone wishing to follow the trail of oil, which is by the way not limited to the Małopolska region, can take a trip along the Carpathian-Galician Oil Trail, which leads from Gorlice to Boryslav, Drohobych and Lviv in Ukraine. On the Polish side, it includes, among others, the former pharmacy and laboratory of Łukasiewicz in the Gorlice Town Hall, the Open-Air Petroleum Museum ‘Magdalena’ in Gorlice, the pine tar producer’s farmstead in Łoś, the Ignacy Łukasiewicz Museum of Oil Industry and oil well in Bóbrka.
Another treasure of this land are mineral water springs bubbling from the depths and representing extraordinary properties. Therefore, it’s worth thinking about relaxation and rejuvenation, e.g., in the intimate health resort of Wysowa-Zdrój and Wapienne. Or maybe we’ll be tempted by the picturesque Jasiołka Gorge between Ostra and Piotruś? Yet other water reservoirs await tourists in Klimkówka (on the Ropa River), Sieniawa (on the Wisłoka River) and Krempna (on the Wisłoka River).
In Beskid Sądecki and Low Beskids there are also a huge number of war cemeteries (Eastern Front of World War I Route in Małopolska)! They can be found in almost every village, but also on the slopes, in the valleys. Everywhere, where soldiers fell and died, where a bullet or illness reached them. Extraordinary, however, are those left behind by the bloody Battle of Gorlice of 1915, during which German and Austro-Hungarian troops forced the retreat of the Russian army. These cemeteries – erected between 1915 and 1917 – are works of art by, among others, Dusan Jurkovic. They can be found, for example on the Małastowska Pass, at the Rotunda or Beskidek.
The final resting places of tens of thousands of soldiers from World War I, aren’t, unfortunately, the only such places here. Historical cataclysms didn’t spare the area in later times either. And you can still see it today!
Beskid Sądecki and Niski Beskids – where time slows down
Time flows here in a different, slightly slower pace. So, there’s time for wandering, enjoying the views and for reflection. It’s a world for all those who seek a break from those things that can sometimes make modern civilisation so tiring. You’ll discover here both unspoilt natural beauty, sublime works of art, colourful and highly complicated stories, mineral water with miraculous properties, but also landscapes that will stay in your memory for a long time. You don’t believe that? Check it out!