Wojciechów - a village located in Poland, in Lubelskie Voivodeship, in Lublin poviat, in Wojciechów commune.
Geographic coordinates: 51 ° 14′08 ″ N 22 ° 14′41 ″ E
Wojciechów and the rural commune of Wojciechów are located in the Lublin poviat, between Nałęczów and Bełżyce by the road 827. The area is crossed by the Bystra, Czerka and Ciemięga rivers. The Bystra Valley is an ecological corridor between the protected landscape areas Vistula, Bystrzyca and Hog. The specific conditions of the valley microclimate prevail here, and the picturesque surroundings of ravines and hills are enchanting. The forests cover a large area, they have abundant undergrowth and undergrowth. The area is a quiet and attractive place to relax, numerous agritourism farms invite you to stay.
Wojciechów is famous for its regular blacksmithing events, such as the National Blacksmith Workshop, the National Blacksmith Art Fair and the National Blacksmith Meetings.
In September 1939, a group of peasants from Wojciechów helped to save the treasures of Wawel.
During the Nazi occupation, Wojciechów was a strong center of the Home Army and the Peasants' Battalions.
The beginnings of settlement in this area date back to the 8th century, but information from church chronicles about the existence of a wooden Catholic church of st. Adalbert in the village of "Woycechow" date back to the fourteenth century (1328). The first owner of Wojciechów is the castellan of Lublin, Jan née Szczekocki, of the Odrowąż coat of arms.
In the mid-fourteenth century, the construction of defensive fortifications began. Wojciechowskie fortalicjum Surrounded by a dry moat that has survived to this day, it was a solid brick building on the mezzanine. At that time, it was a rarity in the landscape of the Lublin region, where wooden buildings predominated. The stronghold of Wojciechów was of strategic importance for the reigning monarch - it was situated on a route of constantly growing importance: Krakow by Offices, Bełżyce, Wojciechów, Kock on Łuków and Lithuania. Fortality with a residential tower was created by Jan Pilecki, married to Zofia, the Odrowąż coat of arms.
From 1561, the church was turned into a Calvinist church by the owner of the property, the former pastor of Wodzisław, Stanisław Spinek. Orzechowscy, the next owners of the village were arians. In 1632, Paweł Orzechowski built a palace residence and used the tower for economic purposes.
Multiple changes of owners in the nineteenth century led to the destruction of the building, a lonely tower, called the Arian tower, and the manor house (today the seat of the commune) remained.
Worth seeing and visiting in Wojciechów:
- Manor house from the second half of 19th century. Built on a rectangular plan, made of brick, with a porch supported by four columns. At the beginning of the 20th century, the manor was handed over by the last owners of Wojciechów - the Popławski family, intended for the seat of the Commune Office. A plaque commemorating the actions of the Home Army soldiers is embedded in the wall of the building.
- Church of st. Theodora - late baroque, built in 1725. Larch, surrounded by a brick fence, stands on a small hill surrounded by linden and maples. It was funded by Teodor Orzechowski, a convert from Calvinism to the Catholic faith, the then owner of Wojciechów.
The furnishings prove the late baroque character of the building. In the wooden, baroque main altar there are paintings of Our Lady of Perpetual Help from 1836 and St. Cajetan and St. Theodora. The altars are decorated with tassels - dyed leather intensely decorated with patterns, embossing, gilding and paintings.
- Cemetery - founded in the first half of Nineteenth century, it is connected with the church by a magnificent chestnut alley. In the cemetery next to the church there is a wooden, four-sided belfry modern to the church and many exceptionally impressive tombstones, among others. tombstone of Felicjana née Fredrów Grodzicka from 1892. Also a tombstone from the 16th century of Stanisław Spinka, Prus coat of arms. The tomb of the Świeżawski family, the tomb of Felicjan Grodzicki and the tomb of the Dąbrowski family deserve attention.
- Arian Tower - built in the first half of Sixteenth century, the only building in the Lublin defensive and residential type, Gothic-Renaissance. In 1910, it was transferred to the Society for the Protection of Monuments of the Past (operating until 1939, reactivated in 1974 as the Society for the Protection of Monuments, and still operating today). The reconstruction, initially led by Jan Koszyc-Witkiewicz, was interrupted by wars. The architect's notes with the description of the Arian Tower were used by Stefan Żeromski in his novel Converting Judas and the architect himself became the prototype of the main character of the novel. Finally, a thorough renovation of the Arian Tower was completed in the 1970s according to the design of Tadeusz Augustynek. Currently, the tower houses the Municipal Cultural Center, the Wojciechowski Regional Museum, the Municipal Public Library, the Blacksmithing Museum and the Association of Polish Blacksmiths.
- Blacksmithing Museum - located on the top floor of the Arian Tower, it was established in 1993 and is so far the only museum of this type in Poland. There is a collection of over 1000 exhibits of blacksmith art from Poland and abroad. Unusual exhibits attract attention: an iron chastity belt, replicas of medieval weapons, a fruit plate made by a woman or a forged aquarium. Guests can play a blacksmith's march on the anvil, sharpen an ax on a manual grinder, listen to stories about the work of a blacksmith and find out why the horseshoe brings happiness. The museum is open from Monday to Friday from 9.00-17.00, Saturday and Sunday 10.00-17.00. Closed on Sundays from October to May. Contact: [email protected], www.kowale.com.pl
- Wojciechów Regional Museum - located on the third floor of the Arian Tower. Its interiors, stylized as a Wojciechów cottage from the years 1920-1930, contain items that served former residents in their everyday life and work, as well as exhibits documenting the history of Wojciechów.
The museum also exhibits the history of the folklore of Wojciechów. The Folk Art Gallery operates at the Museum, where you can buy products of local artists and mint a commemorative coin. Tickets also entitle you to visit the Arian Tower and the Blacksmithing Museum.
- Wojciechosko Zagroda - mini open-air museum. You can see a peasant farm (a cottage, a barn, a carpenter's workshop, a barn with animals), a blacksmith's farm (an old forge from 1918, a blacksmith's hut, an exhibition of old agricultural machines, and a blacksmith's field) and a potter's chamber, where you can organize pottery workshops (12 wheels available). In addition, "Wojciechosko Zagroda" invites you to a new form of visiting the so-called Ouesting as well as nature lessons. In the area of "Wojciechoski Zagrody" there is a playground, a place for a bonfire, and a shop of local products. Opening hours: 10.00-17.00. (April to November). Contact: [email protected], www.wojciechoskozagroda.pl
For those interested in modern curiosities:
Roman Czerniec's Forge - it has been operating since 1920, also today artistic products, repaired agricultural tools and shoed horses are made here. In the side wing of the workshop there is an impressive gallery of blacksmith products. The host tells the guests the history of the forge and, in front of them, changes the shape of metal bars in the fire, giving them a unique shape and raw beauty. Since 1984, the Polish Blacksmith's Meetings have been held in Wojciechów every two years, and since 1995, the annual Polish Blacksmith Workshops, during which unusual works of iron are created. Opening hours: 8.00-9.00 (except Sundays and public holidays). Contact: [email protected], www.czerniec.pl
Worth seeing in the area:
- Museum of Minerals in Nowy Gaj - was built on the Bystra River in the "Młyn Hipolit" dating from 1937. A private collection of 2,000 unusual exhibits is open to the public. The museum conducts lessons for school groups, adapted to the core curriculum, combined with a volcanic eruption and gold rinsing - PLN 7 / person, treasure hunt - PLN 5 / person, self-pouring coins - PLN 3 / person. Participants receive a certificate and rinsed material, treasure, mineral, and a coin. A novelty is the demonstrations in the mobile planetarium "Gemini". The portable dome holds up to 30 children or 20 adults. Opening hours: 9-17 (by prior telephone arrangement) except Sundays and holidays. Contact: Nowy Gaj 18a, 24-204 Wojciechów, tel. 81 723 75 72.505 288 292, [email protected], www.mlynhipolit.pl
- Manor and park complex in Palikije - brick, surrounded by greenery (including red maple, centuries-old linden, oaks and spruces) and ponds, the manor was erected in 1906 on the foundations of a palace from the 17th century. Currently, it is private property and is not open to the public.
- 19th century manor and park complex in Łubki - a classicist, wooden mansion from the mid-19th century located on the Czerka River. It belonged to the Dąbrowski family, now it houses a primary school. After the once impressive park, there are remaining natural monuments - English oaks and black pine. On the property there is a stone plaque with the heart of the owner, Mieczysław Dąbrowski, who died on August 4, 1908.
- A chapel in honor of those murdered in Szczuczki - a house chapel built in 1940 on the site of the tragedy that took place on October 1, 1939 - the Germans murdered and burned about 100 men in the local school. The chapel was built on a grave made of bones and ashes. Currently, marble plaques bear the names of the victims of the Nazi crime.
It is worth paying attention to the tourist routes functioning here:
- The Taste Trail of the Land of Loess Ravines,
- The trail of sacred culture of the Nałęczów Land,
- The trail of water mills of the Bystra River,
- The trail of iron and blacksmith traditions.
 |