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Architecture Highlights

The Municipality of Jarocin

Town Hall building (Jarocin)

It’s the town’s showcase. Constructed 1799-1804 where the earlier, wooden building used to stand, it is surrounded by interesting 19th-century tenement houses. The Town Hall building features very rare arcade galleries. At noon a bugle-call is played from the Town Hall, according to the melody composed by Mr. Franciszek Szymankiewicz. The gallery includes a branch of Municipal Library and the Regional Information Centre, plus a coffee shop. The Town Hall houses the Town Council and the Town’s Registry Office. The last floor belongs to the Regional Museum.

St. Martin’s Parish Church (Jarocin)

This Late Gothic brick parish church was built in the 16th century. It features a sundial on the outside wall of the chapel, as well as a traditional clock tower. The church is surrounded with a wall, decorated with wooden cloisters and Stations of the Cross within. A 1744 baroque figure of Lawrence of Rome and two stone stoups are to be found in the churchyard.

The Palace of Radoliński Family (Jarocin)

This English Neo-gothic-style palace was built between 1847 and 1853, commissioned by Władysław Radoliński, by then the owner of the lands of Jarocin. It has been rebuilt a number of times. Its current appearance is significantly different from its original form. Inside, some Neo-gothic wooden details and original wooden staircase remained in their original forms. Currently the palace houses the Public Library for Jarocin, the First-Degree State School of Music and a Youth Hostel, administered by the School Complex no. 5.

Small Treasure House (Jarocin)

The building stands on the grounds of a former wooden tower, which was burnt down between the 14th and 15th century.
At the beginning of the 16th century, a stone housing tower was built in its place. Today the building houses a branch of the Regional Museum and serves as a gallery for temporary exhibitions.

 

The ruins of the Holy Ghost Hospital Church (Jarocin)

The ruins can be found in the municipal park, approaching from the part of Św. Ducha Street. Initially, the building would serve as a hospital church, as commissioned between 1428-1437 by Pruski family, i.e. the landowners in the village of Prusy. Stone church was probably erected around 1516. Since 1833, the temple has been ruined and masses are held only occasionally.

 

The post-evangelical church of St. George (Jarocin)

Although it was built 1847-1848, it was renovated and reconstructed according to Neo-Romanesque style in 1894. Between 2002-2003 renovation works were conducted and a stained glass window, featuring the patron saint, appeared in the tower’s window. Since the Second World War, St. George’s church is a catholic temple.

 

 

Christ the King Parish Church (Jarocin)

Built in 1930, according to a project by Mr. Stefan Cybichowski. It is a large, three-nave church with neoclassical decoration. An adjoining tower was built in 1999.

St. Anthony’s Church (Franciscan) (Jarocin)

A modern church designed by Mr. Tadeusz Kowalczyk and built between 1976 and 1979. The design is based on a rose flower structure; the shape is modern and the interior space distribution is concise. The cross on top of the tower reaches 37 metres of altitude. The adjoining Franciscan monastery was built between 1976 and 1981.

The Synagogue (Jarocin)

Count Władysław Radoliński, by then the owner of Jarocin’s lands, laid the cornerstone in 1841. During the German occupation, as well as right after the war, the building served as a gym. It is now a private property.

Railway Station (Jarocin)

Built by the end of the 19th century. It is the oldest railway station of its kind in Wielkopolska region. It was also one of the first stations in the area to feature electric lighting. Above the window frames can be seen murals, depicting scenes related with the town. The station houses a historic steam locomotive (1951). The station and its surroundings were renovated in 2013.

 

Steam Locomotive Shed (Jarocin)

Since 2009 the Wielkopolska Railway Society, which has its headquarters in Jarocin, has been adopting the terrains not currently used by Polish State Railways (PKP S.A.), not to let the old steam locomotive shed buildings go to rack and ruin. The goal was to create an exhibit of historic railway equipment and vehicles.

As a part of the Society-led conservation workshops, the exhibition items are being systematically renovated. The collection features 19 vehicles (and is still growing): steam locomotives, a steam engine, and cargo and passenger wagons.

 

Town Park (Jarocin)

It is one of the largest parks of this kind in Wielkopolska Region. It was established in 1840-50 in form of a landscape park, of 30.3 ha of total area (some 75 acres). Mr. Piotr Józef Lenne, a famous park designer whose designs had been implemented in Vienna, Berlin and Wrocław, designed it. The old stand of trees is a precious component of the park, as well as one of the longest hornbeam alleys in Europe, and many monumental trees.

 

The Granary (Jarocin)

This 19th-century old granary building, by the Aleja Niepodległości street, will be adopted as a part of an on-going enterprise to create Polish rock music history & Jarocin festivals’ museum in Jarocin.  Polish Rock Granary will form part of Jarocin’s Regional Museum, in order to collect, store and exhibit all souvenirs and other items important for Polish rock music history, as well as with over thirty years of history of the legendary Rock Music Festival in Jarocin.

The exhibit is planned to feature multimedia elements; the guests will have the opportunity to see rich photographic records of all editions of the Festival, made by professional photographers, amateurs, as well as the communist security service officers. Documentaries and original music and film records of the concerts will be available to the public, in order to show the phenomenon of Jarocin. It will be possible to witness the history of the event by means of press reports, published over the years in national and local newspapers. Exclusive 20-minutes long documentaries will be shot to present each edition of the festival: since the very first one, held in 1980, until the most recent ones. The aim is to show the evolution of the event, in accordance with the social and political reality changes. The exhibit will feature original posters, leaflets, passes and tickets, souvenir t-shirts, buttons, and hundreds of other objects essential for the festival. The souvenirs donated by Polish rock musicians will be of particular interest to all rock music fans. The granary shall become a house for many cultural projects and events. Young bands will have the opportunity to perform on the ground floor of the building, serving as a music inn.

 

 

Combat Boot Monument (Jarocin)

The monument is one of the town’s highlights, as the town itself is often called “the capital city of Polish rock music”. The legendary giant combat boot installation (over 2 metres high) was set in July 2011 in Jarocin’s town centre. Combat boots like this one became popular in the 70s and 80s in Great Britain, and are often associated with punk rock music. They were considerably popular in Poland by that time as well, however very hard to buy and therefore often “acquired” from military warehouses or imported from Romania. The idea of the Boot emerged from the very festival, being the symbol of rebellion and protest, just like the town itself – thanks to the legendary rock concerts. The sculpture is there to commemorate Ms. Felicja Pawlicka, its originator, who died in a car accident in 2010. Ms. Małgorzata Kruk and Mr. Jakub Bogatko made this idea real, commissioned by Jarocin’s Foundation Ogród Marzeń [Dream Garden]. Private sponsors and the voivodeship’s local authorities also provided financial support.

 

CIELCZA

A village next to Jarocin-Poznań route, lying next to an inselberg of moraine origin, called Pagór Cielczy [Cielcza’s Hill]. Local parish was established here in 1378. The Church of St. Margaret was designed by Mr. Stanisław Cybichowski and built between 1912-1913. Adjoining parish house was built in 1933. Local fire station owns a sculpture of St. Florian, commissioned to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the fire-fighting service. Many legends are related to this village; according to one of them, the village used to be known for witches’ Sabbaths held at the crossroads in a forest nearby.

 

GOLINA

A village situated by the motorway to Wrocław. Its name refers to fallow lands; previous versions might have sounded Golinia or Golenia. 10th-century settlements’ remains can be found in the village. Also, the village features St. Andrew’s wooden church (second half of the 17th century). Its roof is covered with shingles and features a pinnacle; the presbytery is slightly narrower than the nave. Inside: a 1935 polychromic paintings and the main altar with the miraculous image of the Our Lady of Consolation (17th century). Next to the church there is a wooden, square bell-tower of 1750. A 20th-century rectory is situated in the village, as well a parish house from 1939 and a 19th-century monument of St. Lawrence. The village is famous for spun-on stitch embroidery, the so-called snutki golińskie. The tradition is still alive in the village; it has survived until present day thanks to Ms. Helena Moszczeńska, the wife of the last squire of Golina. Also, a folk group “Goliniacy” is active in the village.

 

 

ŁUSZCZANÓW

A village situated next to the Wilkowyja-Lisew route. The first mentions on its existence are dated back to 1305 and relate the act of conferring the right to own Vczonovo village lands to Cistercian monks from Ląd. The village’s housing is concentrated along one street, as well as the only school built in 1871. Some charming shrines can be found there, such as St. Lawrence shrine (19/20th century) and the figurine of Our Lady of Lourdes (probably early 20th century). The distinctive feature of the village used to be the 19th-century post mill, now renovated and transferred to the grounds of Łuczanów Primary School. A Post Mill Cultural Centre “House of Bread” is now being established there.

 

POTARZYCA

A village situated next to the Rusek-Golina route. First signs of human presence in this area are dated to 4000 BC. The settlement is mentioned for the first time in 1391. 1403-1458 it used to be a small town, which sent a single soldier for the Malbork quest in 1458. A 19/20th century manor house in the village has been recently renovated and surrounded with park. The church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross stands in the village’s centre; the baroque construction was built in 1795, and the adjacent tower in 1880.

 

ROSZKÓW

Since the 19th century Radoliński family owned the village. Local Most Sacred Heart of Jesus church was built in 1988. The village features an early 20th-century manor house complex: a one-storey house with adjacent park and pond. A 19/20th-century granary is to be found next to it. The village is famous for an artificial water reservoir, created 1994-1997; it is a perfect spot for anglers and these searching for quiet moments of relax.

 

SIEDLEMIN

A village situated at the far end of artificial water reservoir “Roszków”, created on the river Lubieszka. Local church of St. Michael was built between 1846 and 1848. The church is surrounded with stonewall; the gate’s two pillars are decorated with two figurines, Christ and Virgin Mary. Nearby an early 20th-century rectory building can be found. The village also features a Late Classicism manor house, built probably in 1830. 

MIESZKÓW

A village situated next to the Jarocin-Poznań motorway and railroad. Its name probably originates from the old Polish name Mieszko, or from the word mieszek [a small money bag or a bellow]. Mieszków enjoyed a town charter between 1777 and 1873. The town square is a remainder of that period. Local church of St. Lawrence was built in 1767; its interior and decoration are late 18th-century Rococo; the epitaphs inside commemorate Mr. Ludwik Herstopski, the town’s founder, and Mr. Władysław Taczanowski, MP. A Baroque late 18th-century manor house is to be found in the village as well; the square features a monument dedicated to general Stanisław Taczak, the first leader of Wielkopolska’s uprising.

 

RADLIN

A village situated next to the Jarocin-Gniezno railroad. The name originates from the word radło (a plough). Opaliński family, who erected an impressive palace here, owned the village since the 16th century. However, now the building is completely ruined. Next to these ruins, in a former palace garden there is a parish cemetery. On the other side of the street there is a parish church of St. Valentine, built in four years, 1686-1688, with an adjacent Renaissance shrine of Our Carmelite Lady and a gravestone of Mr. Jerzy Opaliński, The Great Chancellor of the Crown. A wooden, 19th-century bell-tower stands next to the church. Many legends are told on Radlin and its owners; one of them says there is a tunnel, connecting the palace and the church.

 

 

TARCE

A village situated next to the Jarocin-Konin road. Tarszice was its first name; current one was established between 17-18th centuries. From 1866, Tarce was owned by Ostroróg-Gorzeński family, and then by Skarżyński family. Local park surrounds an eclectic palace from 1871. Local forest features many ponds and a spring. Ms. Aniela z Biegańskich Gorzeńska-Ostrorożyna commissioned a copy of the figurine of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1920, which now stands next to the spring. There are many legends related with this village, such as the one telling the story of the ghost of a cook, which now haunts the palace; or the story of carriage that travels across the park at night. Within the park’s premises, next to the ponds, there is a designated camping spot. A forester’s cottage is located on the way to Kadziak; next to it stands a stone to commemorate deceased members of local hunting club. Within the premises of a hamlet Tarce Osiedle, a new chapel of Divine Mercy has been built.

 

 

WILKOWYJA

You can find this town by the road Jarocin-Żerków, upon the river Lutynia. Highlights: a Neo-Gothic church of St. Adalbert, built in 1855; a shrine neighbouring the church, with an early 19th-century figurine of St. Barbara. Next to the church, in a park – a 1921 rectory, featuring a four-columns porch. An old mill, now a private property, was included in “Młyn nad Lutynią [A Mill upon Lutynia]”, a short story by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. Other highlights: two reinforced concrete bridges from 1914. A legend has it that St. Adalbert of Prague stayed here for a night’s rest on his way to Gniezno, and that during his stay wolves’ howl was heard; supposedly the town was named after this event.

WITASZYCE

A village situated next to the Jarocin-Kalisz road. Its name probably originates from a male name “Witasz”. Two churches: 1808 church of the Holy Trinity (featuring a wooden bell-tower) and a 1928 parish church of the Assumption of Mary. By the main road within the landscape park there is a 1899 palace turned into a hotel, as well as an old manor housing the Museum of Two Empires: Napoleonic Empire and Star Wars Saga Empire.

 

ZAKRZEW

A village was known of as early as in 1399. Established on the grounds of belonging to the neighbouring Prusy village. Cohn family purchased the grounds in 1855, and then it passed to Carst and Draheim families. An 1886 Neo-renaissance, Queen Anne Stuart-style palace is to be found in the park; it features non-plastered, clinker brick façades and pale-plastered ornaments. After 1948 the building served as a Mother and Child Centre, later to become a Welfare Home. The park also features a pond and a memorial stone, dedicated to Eli Carst, a banker from Berlin and the historic owner of the lands (1850-1919). 

 

Municipality of Jaraczewo

Total area: 132.9 sq km (some 32,840 acres). Population: 8,400. Location: Nizina Południowowielkopolska, by the frontier of Wysoczyzna Mieszkowska and Wysoczyzna Koźmińska geographical areas. Lubieszka and Obra rivers run through the municipality; Lubieszka, Lutynia River’s left side stream, runs through its eastern limits, whilst Obra, Warta River’s left side stream, follows a narrow river bed through the southern and western parts of the municipality. Capital: Jaraczewo, first mentioned in 1394.

 

CEREKWICA

A village situated 13 km southwest from Jarocin, next to Jaraczewo-Rusko road, upon the Obra River. First mentioned in 1397; a family house for th Cerekwicki family (coat of arms: Zaremba). Sośnicki, Bojanowski and Czapski families, among others, owned the village throughout the years. 1876 palace, representing late classicism, is to be found in the park. Since 1892 it had housed a facility for “morally neglected children”. In September 1939 the Nazis used it as a transitional camp for forcibly displaced population, mostly landed gentry, thus imprisoning some 270 people there.

 

GOLA

A village situated 3 km west from Jaraczewo. First mentioned in 1400. There is a park with two ponds and a historic manor house (second half of the 19th century), now housing a school. In 2003, at the edge of a forest neighbouring with Gola community, a four thousand years-old tumulus was discovered, as well as a two thousand years-old urnfield cemetery.

 

GÓRA

A village situated by the road to Leszno, occupying the lands at the foot of and on northern edge of Wysoczyzna Kaliska area. A church of the Assumption of Mary (1817-1830), representing late classicism period, is to be found in the village, as well as a 1877-1878 palace, being an example of Neo-renaissance and surrounded by a 1.5 ha (some 3.7 acres) landscape park, established in the mid-18th century. The park is neighboured by old grange buildings, including a 1840 granary. Since 2010, local Jaraczewo Municipality Public Library branch houses the Chamber of the Region: an institution to collect local community’s mementos. It also curates temporary exhibits, such as “Wielkopolskie Uprising Soldiers from Jaraczewo”.

 

JARACZEWO

A village situated upon Obra River. An 1843 church of St. Mary Magdalene, representing late classicism, as well as a 19th-century rectory are to be found in the village. A 19th-century marble gravestone made for Józef and Eleonora Jaraczewscy is to be found inside the church. Then, a manor house complex is situated upon the right bank of Obra, featuring a one-storey 1813 house with a half-hip roof (including a later, two-storey wing, a porch, grange buildings i.e. an 1830 stable, a distillery, and a 1880 granary). Wielkopolskie Uprising Soldiers’ Landscape Park is situated next to the complex; also a Romanesque Revival building of a former synagogue, from the 19th century, which currently houses the local cultural centre. Next to the centre you shall find a three-storey, early-20th century mill, featuring an old brick warehouse built in 1883. In the proximities of the village there is a monument commemorating American pilots who crashed here in 1945.

 

ŁOWĘCICE

A village situated upon Obra River. First mentioned in 1382, used to belong to Cerekwica lands. A German colonizer village was set up here in the late 1800s, for which an evangelical church was built in Poręba, a village located nearby. Remains of a park, surrounding 1850s manor house, are to be found on the right bank of Obra River. The blessed Grzegorz Bolesław Frąckowiak SVD, executed in 1942 in Dresden for conspiracy, was born in the village.

 

NOSKÓW

A village first mentioned as early as 1371. Named after the village owners, the Noskowski family (coat of arms: Zaremba). The church of Holy Trinity was built in 1749, commissioned by Mr. Józef Dobrzycki; rebuilt in 1927, according to the project of Mr. Stefan Cybichowski. Inside you shall find rich furnishing, featuring objects from the Middle Ages. However, the village had already had a church before this one, since the 14th/15th century. A wooden, 18th-century bell-tower, an 1842 rectory and a 1920s parish house are to be found in the church’s neighbourhood.

 

PANIENKA

A village situated in the municipality of Jaraczewo. Local parish was first mentioned in 1390; the village was by then owned by Gorazdowski family (coat of arms: Zaremba). A wooden church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, built in 1787 as commissioned by Izabela Gajewska (née Mycielska), stands on the village’s highest hilltop. Inside: 16th and 17th-century furnishing. There is a rectory of classicist aesthetics and a 1946 shrine, which features a plaque to commemorate 18 victims of the Second World War, neighbouring the church.

 

RUSKO

A village situated northwest from Jarocin, by the road to Pogorzela. Named after bog iron deposits. First mentioned in 1392; with the passage of time the village was owned by Zaremba, Suchorzewski, Objezierski and Czarnecki families, among others. Local church was built in 1833 and features an interesting wattle and daub construction method. During a general renovation in 1913 the northern chapel, as well as the church-porch well reconstructed. Inside, the church features mostly Baroque decorations. A landscape park, surrounding the Czarnecki family palace built between 1873 and 1875, covers the eastern part of the village.

 

The Municipality of Kotlin

Location: Nizina Wielkopolska [Wielkopolska Lowlands], within the limits of Wysoczyzna Koźmińska. Total area: 84.1 sq km (some 20,800 acres). Population: 7,300. Capital: Kotlin, mentioned in Diplomatic Code of Wielkopolska as a village to have been granted ius novi fori charter before 1283 and divided into two entities.

KOTLIN

A village situated upon the Kotlinka River. First formally mentioned in 1397, although a 6th-century BC settlement remains were found in the area. The local Neo-Gothic church of St. Casimir, built in 1858, is surrounded with impressive lime trees. In the village there is a mid-17th-century manor house, built in wattle and daub, and surrounded by a 4 ha (some 10 acres) of park. Ogończyk family owned the manor, and a neighbouring granary. There is a monument by the Poznań-Katowice road, commemorating the victims of the Second World War.

KURCEW

A village situated by Sławoszew-Pleszew route, first mentioned in 1434. In the 19th century the lands belonging to Kurcew had a total area of 1442 morgens (some 2051 acres). In 1903, Mr. Władysław Grabski, a renowned activist for Poland’s independence and a MP and a senator in independent Poland, became the owner of the village. There is a ruined palace, built probably in the late 19th century and surrounded with a run-down park.

 

ORPISZEWEK

A village situated by the Kotlin-Suchorzew route. First mentioned in 1411; with the passage of time the village was owned by Suchorzewski, Rudnicki and Centkowski families, and in 1884 Rychłowski family purchased it. In the village there is a run-down early 19th-century park, featuring a fully preserved entrance gate. On the edge of the park there is a one-storey and somehow neglected, 19th/20th-century manor house representing neoclassicism in style of Italian Neo-renaissance.

 

MAGNUSZEWICE

A village situated by the road from Zakrzew to Kotlin. First mentioned in 1389; a hometown of Magnuszewski family. In the village you will find a wooden church of St. Barbara, built 1751-1754. Baroque interiors feature an interesting main altar and two side altars, both from late 18th century. Wooden bell-tower built in 1816. An early 19th-century manor house neighboured by the remains of a park and some monumental oak trees is to be found northwest from the church.

 

RACENDÓW

A village situated by the road from Wola Książęca to Czermin. First mentioned in 1388. A settlement for German colonizers was set here in 1898; a church was built in 1911, now a filial church belonging to the parish in Sławoszewo. A cemetery nearby features a monument dedicated to previous German colonizers.

SŁAWOSZEW

A village situated by the Kotlin-Dobieszczyna route. Zarembowie Sławoszewscy owned the village in the 14th and 15th centuries. Then it passed to Opaliński and Taczanowski families, among others. There is a wooden church of St. Sophia, built around 1717, with a tower featuring a Baroque cupola. A wooden bell-tower stands next to the church, as well as some monumental oaks – one of the first natural monuments within the municipality of Kotlin. Remains of an old Parzew estate, i.e. a manor house (1st half of the 19th century) and a park, stand in the proximities of the church.

 

TWARDÓW

A village situated on the right bank of Lutynia River, by the old narrow-gauge railway Witaszyce-Zagórów. It is an old knights’ village with its own coat of arms (“Ogończyk”; it is nowadays the coat of arms of the Municipality of Kotlin). Next to the church: a figurine of Mary, featuring a 12-star wreath over her head. The church: Neo-Romanic, of St. Peter and St. Paul, built in 1895. There is also a palace, built in the late 19th century, renovated recently and surrounded by remains of an old park, formerly covering over 3.4 ha (some 8.5 acres) of land and enclosing many monumental oak trees.

 

The Municipality of Żerków

A village situated upon the middle Warta River, in a broad glacial Warciańsko-Odrzańska valley. Wzgórza Żerkowskie is a varied highland landscape area, through which flow the rivers Lutynia, Prosna and Warta. Total area: 170 sq km. Population: approx. 10,600. Capital: Żerków, as mentioned in a document dated to 1283.

BRZÓSTKÓW

A village situated at the feet of Wał Żerkowski hill and Pradolina Warciańsko-Odrzańska glacial valley. Named after an Old Polish name for the Scots elm, brzost. Remains of an old narrow-gauge railway: side tracks of a narrow-gauge Witaszyce railway, active between 1911 and 1979, are to be found by the main road from Śmiełów to Żerków.

 

 

 

Manor house estate, second half of the 18th century

A spacious ground-floor house, covered with a broken-pitch roof, built in a style proper for Classicism. It is neighboured by a 5.45 ha (some 13.5 acres) park with a pond. An old granary by the house is a remainder of the old grange buildings, now inexistent. 

 

DOBIESZCZYZNA

A village situated within the limits of the Municipality of Żerków. Formerly it included Lubina Wielka village, as well as the Glinki settlement. There is a 19th-century manor house built by the Kirstein family. After the Second World War it passed into the hands of the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco who used the house as an orphanage. A neat park surrounds the estate.

 

LGÓW

A village situated at the feet of Wał Żerkowski hill. Probably named after a former inhabitant, Leg or Łeg. A historic wooden church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (17th century) features a single nave and a chancel larger than the nave itself; brick elements were added later and therefore are visually different, i.e. a grave chapel of the Gorzeński family (19th century) and a church-porch. A Baroque pinnacle is notable on the church’s roof. The church interior’s decoration is of uniform, late Renaissance-style (first half of the 17th century). A family grave stands next to the church, where Mr. Zbigniew Ostróg-Gorzeński of Tarce lays. A figurine of Mary stands on the church’s premises. Small fragments of a landscape park (0.6 ha – 1.5 acre), with lime trees of up to 480 cm in circumference, are the remains of an old manor house estate of the Gorzeński family. A bridge and remains of embankments in the village are the remaining traits of the narrow-gauge Witaszyce railway tracks, leading to the village from Przybysław.

 

 

KOMORZE PRZYBYSŁAWSKIE

A village first mentioned in 1360. Certain document sources state that Komorze witnessed a battle between the Teutonic Knights’ ally Wincenty of Szamotuły, and king Władysław I Łokietek in 1331. The legend has it that one of the greatest Polish romantic poets Adam Mickiewicz stayed in Komorze, on his way to join the November Uprising (also known as the Cadet Revolution). During the interwar period (1918-1939) Wojciech Kossak, one of the greatest Polish painters, stayed here as well. The Skórzewski family owned the village since the 18th century. There is a 19th-century manor house with grange buildings and distillery on its western side, within a slightly run-down landscape park.

 

KRETKÓW

A village set near the left bank of Prosna River. There is the church of All Saints, built at the turn of 18th and 19th century, with a tower finished with an obelisk-shaped cupola. Also, a neo-classicist palace (19th century) is to be found in a park (total area: 5.4 ha, some 13 acres), full of monumental trees.

 

POGORZELICA

A village first mentioned in 1187 as the lands were obtained by the Order of St. John, from the prince’s hands. In 1253 princes Przemysław II and Bolesław Pobożny, as well as catholic hierarchs held a meeting in the village, to negotiate the granting of right to Gniezno-Kalisz district to prince Bolesław Pobożny. Throughout the 19th century the village was an important customs hub on the Warta River and ceased to be one later due to the development of railway transport. In the village you shall find a Neo-Gothic church (late 19th century), as well as the remains of an old grange.

 

ŚMIEŁÓW

A village set on the left bank of Lutynia River, within the limits of Żerkowsko-Czeszewski Landscape Park. A palace built in 1797 for the Gorzeński family, representing Classicism, is the highlight of the village. Poet Adam Mickiewicz stayed in this palace in 1831. Before the Second World War, the palace was used as a holiday resort. During the war the Germans seized it. After the war was over, it served local workers until 1975, when it became the Museum for Adam Mickiewicz, a branch of National Museum in Poznań. An English landscape park surrounds it; 12 ha total area (some 30 acres), designed at the turn of the 18th and the 19th century. It features a number of different trees and bushes, as well as “Sophie’s garden” with the figurine “Lady Harvester”. Sophie was one of the protagonists of an epic poem Pan Tadeusz [Sir Thaddeus] by Adam Mickiewicz, first published in 1834. An old stable, a granary, and a distillery, designed by the palace’s architect Mr. Stanisław Zawadzki stand next to the palace. Our Lady of Częstochowa’s shrine is nearby. Five monumental oaks and a stone with a commemorative plaque (in a form of an open book), dedicated to Adam Mickieiwicz, stand by the road to Pyzdry, just after the bridge over Lutynia River. The palace also witnessed the visits of Henryk Sienkiewicz (Noble prize-winning novelist), Władysław Tatarkiewicz (philosopher and art historian), Ignacy Paderwski (pianist and former Poland’s prime minister) and general Józef Haller.

 

 

ŻERKÓW

A small town set among the hills of Wał Żerkowski (including its highest spot: Łysa Góra, 161 MASL). Due to a considerable variety of terrain features, these lands have been called the “Polish Switzerland”. The town was named after an Old Polish name Żyrek. The town’s most prosperous period coincided with the times of active trade via the Amber Road. There is a 12th-century church of St. Stanislaus the Martyr, rebuilt within the 1710-1718 period to comply with Baroque building standards, commissioned by Mr. Maciej Radomicki. It is a single-nave temple, featuring three wooden rococo altars. On the top of the hill there is a parish cemetery and a chapel of Holy Cross (1708). Just behind the local school there is a notable relay station tower, made of reinforced concrete and seen from a number of locations nearby. There is a park too (3.6 ha – some 9 acres), to which one can enter through a three-arcade gate, built in the early 18th century. Former palace was demolished between 1941 and 1942. On the Kościelna Street there is a building of an old post riders’ office (18th/19th century), covered with a half-hip roof. By the road to Śmiełów there is a neo-Baroque, early 20th-century evangelical church.

 
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