Traces of the past
The greatest treasure of the Silesian Beskid was, for centuries, that of wood, with the local highlanders being the masters of carpentry. No wonder, then, that the beauty of the Beskid is most often rendered in wood. To smell old shingles or become spellbound by the artistry of former architects, it is enough to follow the Route of Wooden Architecture, the Beskid loop of which includes these monuments:
- The parish church dedicated to Saint James the Greater in Szczyrk;
- The parish church dedicated to Saint Anne in Ustroń-Nierodzim;
- The wooden Habsburg Hunting Castle in Wisła;
- The parish church dedicated to the Finding of the Holy Cross in Wisła-Łabajów;
- The chapel dedicated to Saint Hedwig of Silesia on Zadni Groń in Wisła-Czarne;
- The parish church dedicated to Our Lady of Fátima in Istebna-Stecówka;
- The church dedicated to Saint Joseph in Istebna-Mlaskawka;
- The votive chapel of the Konarzewski family in Istebna-Andziołówka;
- The Church of the Holy Cross in Istebna-Kubalonka;
- Wooden houses in the centre of Istebna and its hamlets;
- Exhibitions of folk art in regional chambers: the chambers run by Maria Gwarek, Helena and Mieczysław Kamieniarz, and Tadeusz Rucki – all in Koniaków.
Still, the Beskid 5 is more than just wooden architecture monuments. One of the sights most frequently visited by tourists is the Residence of Presidents of the Republic of Poland, the so-called Presidential Castle, located on the mountainside of Zadni Groń in Wisła Czarne. The Castle was built for the President Ignacy Mościcki in the years 1929-1931. It was designed by Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz and erected in place of the former Habsburg Hunting Castle. Currently, the premises belong to the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland and are used for representative purposes. Another site worth seeing in Wisła is the Evangelical Cemetery „Na Groniczku,” where a number of people of merit for Wisła were laid to rest: Bogumił Hoff, the first to appreciate the summer-resort aspect of Wisła; Andrzej Podżorski, the initiator, and first manager, of the Beskid Museum; Prof. Stanisław Hadyna, the founder and director of Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble; the Bishop of Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland and the vice-president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Prof. Andrzej Wantuła; or Paweł Raszka, a mayor who held his office for 47 years. It is also recommended to visit an old 1794 inn in the centre of Wisła, where the Beskid Museum is located, and the old highlander Kocyan's Cottage in Wisła-Nowa Osada, which seats a gallery of folk art.
Among sites most popular among tourists found in Szczyrk is St. Mary’s Sanctuary „On the Hill,” although the existing church is not a historical object – it was built in the years 1948-53. According to available records, in 1894 local girls were visited by an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On the main altar of the church there is a painting completed according to the girls’ instructions; the church interior is made of wood. In close proximity to the sanctuary is a grotto with a “miracle fountain.” The sanctuary is maintained by the Salesian Society.
One of the key monuments of the municipality of Istebna – apart from the aforementioned wooden architecture objects – is the parish church of the Good Shepherd dating back to the 17th century, adorned by the local artists: Ludwik Konarzewski senior, Jan Wałach, Ludwik Konarzewski junior, Marta and Jolanta Konarzewski. Jan Wałach’s paintings are also found in the church dedicated to Saint Bartholomew in Koniaków and the church dedicated to Saint Peter and Paul in Jaworzynka.
A real gem of the municipality of Brenna is the Hunting Manor „Konczakówka,” built in the nineteen-twenties by Brunon Konczakowski. The building is a dovetailed log house erected by local carpenters. The building materials used are arolla pine wood and larch wood. The wood was imported from the Alps particularly for this purpose. The building is Tirolean style, with carved window frames and shutters and balcony galleries made of wood. The interior was designed so as to resemble a hunting residence, with hunting trophies, and drawings or engravings which represent hunting, as the main decorating objects. There is only a small part of the former owner’s collection in the manor house; the more valuable exhibits have been included in museum collections in Cieszyn, at the Wawel Castle in Cracow, as well as the Polish Military Museum in Warsaw. Next to the manor house is the Saint Hubertus Chapel, built of sandstone, where one of the eye-catching elements is the stained-glass work representing this patron saint of hunters. Since 1989 the facility has served as a training holiday centre of the Forest Inspectorate of Ustroń.
When travelling around the municipality of Brenna, it is also recommended to visit one of the oldest churches in the Cieszyn Silesia area – the All Saints Church in Górki Wielkie dating back to the 15th century. In the church there is a late-Gothic stone portal at the sacristy door with the coat of arms of the Górecki family. There is also a Catholic cemetery on a small hill near the church, where Zofia Kossak, her husband Zygmunt Szatkowski, their son Juliusz, Zofia’s father Tadeusz and many others were laid to rest.
The key monumental sights of the Ustroń area are the following: the Roman-Catholic church dedicated to Saint Clement of Rome (consecrated in 1788 and representative of Late Baroque; the interior attracts visitors’ attention with the pulpit, the baptistery and the effigy of Saint Clement) and the Augsburg Evangelical church dedicated to Saint James, built in 1835. One of the components of the altar is a Last Supper painting by J. Stetke. Another worthwhile monument is the 17th century stone altar on Równica (by the red route), which served as a place of assembly and divine service for protestants in times of religious persecution.
