The Land of Open Shutters. Unique Podlasie: Trześcianka, Soce and Puchły

The Land of Open Shutters is a cultural trail and the essence of Podlasie. The idyllic climate is created by unique, beautiful villages: Trześcianka, Soce and Puchły. They are distinguished by incredibly beautiful and atmospheric buildings. Old wooden houses decorated with characteristic shutters and intricate ornaments. It is a kind of living open-air museum, and you will not find such architecture anywhere else in Poland!

I invite you to this magical place in Podlasie, located in its heart. The towns of the Trail are located in the Narew valley. They are only a few kilometers apart and form a triangle . The Land of Open Shutters arouses admiration in sensitive souls. If you like traditional construction and ethnic elements, you will certainly be satisfied with this region.

Shutters and ornaments - a symbol of the Land

As the name of the land suggests, on this route you can find charming houses with shutters. But it's not just about the shutters. The houses here are very richly decorated. Shutters and wooden cutouts are usually white, but there are also colorful ones. It looks amazing against the background of colorful facades! The colourful houses attract the attention of tourists.

Walking through the streets, you will see unusual carving decorations. On the corners, under the windows and in other elements of the facade. You can also find unusual elements around the houses, such as cranes by the wells, old barns, sometimes wobbling or old agricultural tools. It is a beautiful corner of Poland, with ornaments typical of this region, which refers to the old Russian folk architecture. The beginnings of this tradition are associated with World War I and running. German troops were approaching these towns. The population living in these areas for hundreds of years hurriedly left their homelands to flee to the east. Only some of them returned to Podlasie, already to the Second Polish Republic, fleeing again from the devastation of the civil war in Russia. Decorative patterns were just taken during this wander.

You will not meet similar ones in other regions of Poland! I strongly encourage you to visit this amazing place. Especially since there are only elderly people living here. Young people are fleeing to the city and it is not known how much longer they will be able to admire these wonders.

Colorful Orthodox churches in the Land of Open Shutters

The population in this area is of Belarusian origin and thus of Orthodox faith. He still cultivates his folklore, visible not only in the buildings, rituals, but also in the dialect. That is why you will find historic churches in the Land of Open Shutters. These temples are painted in beautiful, vibrant colors. They come from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The most wonderful is the Orthodox Church in Puchły. This is not only one of the most beautiful religious buildings in the Narew valley, but in all of Poland. The church in Trześcianka is also impressive and well cared for. Nowhere else have I met such beautiful and at the same time very well-groomed churches. They also stand in large numbers in the Podkarpacie region and some are beautiful, but a lot is neglected and many are Catholic churches today, although maintaining the old style and decor. Those in Podlasie, on the other hand, live and you can see how much they are cared for.

Experiences in the Land of Open Shutters

There is no shortage of attractions, they form a harmonious whole and perfectly fit into the idyllic landscape and climate of the region. Discover the best attractions of the Land of Open Shutters, which are worth seeing on the Trail.

Homes in Trześcianka

The largest of the trio is Trześcianka. The architecture and historic urban layout of Trościanica, as the town was historically called until 1967, dates back to the 16th century. Then Queen Bona carried out the reform and since then the plots along the road have been narrow, but long even for a kilometer. That's why standing houses face a narrower wall to the road. Many of them are delightful, so I highly recommend a walk!

Orthodox Church in Trześcianka

The Church of St. Michael the Archangel is avery charming wooden church from 1867. It stands in the middle of the main road. It is painted in a strong green color, which is quite impressive. The interiors of this parish temple with a three-row iconostasis are impressive. We managed to get inside, you can do it in the vicinity of the services, but also for tourists it is often open. Worth a look!

Planks and mural in Trześcianka

You must be familiar with Arkadiusz Andrejkow, who has recently become a famous artist. His works have already spilled over the whole of Poland. Although he grew up in the Podkarpacie region, now we can find his works even in Podlasie. Pretty fresh from 2023. "Silent memorial", because that is the name of the project. These are the desks on the old barns. Such memories to save old engravings and photos from oblivion. At the beginning of the village, on the old barn, you will see such a planchette, and on it, the parents of a certain housewife from Trześcianka. Andreikov created one more work in the village. This time it is a classic mural, on the wall of a volunteer fire brigade.

Orthodox Church in Puchły

The Church of the Protection of the Mother of God is a wooden church from 1913-18. Beautifully and colorfully painted in pomegranate with other additives. Its unique beauty is also determined by a very interesting shape, which is why it captivated me so much. She became famous in the area for numerous healings, thanks to the miraculous icon of Our Lady of Protection, which is associated with the legend.

Namely, the name of the village came from the fact that an old man once lived here, who had a severely swollen leg. As he prayed earnestly for recovery, he found an icon on an old linden tree. As a result of the prayers, the swelling of the legs subsided and recovered quickly. This is how the cult of Mary began here, which continues to this day. The original ikna burned down in 1771. The present image of Our Lady was created shortly after the fire, in 1781, and is also famous for miracles. 

The interiors and the wonderful painting can be visited by phone (85/ 681-55-27). Unfortunately, we did not manage to get inside, although we had already stood at her door twice.

In addition to the temple in the village, you will find several houses with shutters and ornaments, typical of the Trail. However, there are much fewer of them here than in other towns on the Trail. It is only 5 km from Trześcianka.

Puchły - footbridge over the Narew River

Podlasie is not the monuments themselves, after all. The landscape is extremely picturesque here, and Narew flows 500 meters from the church. A charming wooden footbridge leads to it. I recommend a walk to this place!

Chapel in Socach

The Orthodox chapel of the Prophet Elijah in Soce is actually a small chapel from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. It is a branch of the parish in Puchły

Homes in Socach

Soce is the most open-air museum of all the towns that make up the Trail. It was divided into two parallel parts, intersected by the river Radunia. "Wet" is the wetter part, while "Suchlany" is the one further north. It is worth taking a leisurely walk along its cobbled streets and admire this rare atmosphere of a peaceful village.

Deskal w Socach

In the middle of one of the houses, in the middle of the village, you can see the third work of Andreykov. Unfortunately, we only saw them from a distance. As a rule, you can come closer to the barn. Apparently, the hosts weren't home at the time, because the gate was closed.

Legendary Crosses in Socs

On the roads leading to the village of Soce, there are old, stone votive crosses. They bear the date 1895. They are bound by a legend. It proclaims that the inhabitants of the village of Soce set up votive crucifixes around their village to protect themselves from the epidemic that was decimating the surrounding population.

So many died then that they began to be buried in the forest. Help came in the dream of one resident. Our Lady ordered him to place crucifixes in the corners of the village, and the women connected them with one thread. They were supposed to do it within one day. Very quickly, the men set them at each end of the village, and even the women did not remain helpless. With a thread spun with their own hands, they connected crucifixes and thus made a fence that well protected the entire village from the plague. The epidemic quickly ceased in this place, and these peculiar monuments stand to this day as a souvenir of these events.

Where to eat ?

On the Trail, it is quite difficult to find restaurants. We only found one. This is the Swojskie Klimaty Habitat in Trześcianka. Unfortunately, we were not looking for a restaurant, but a cafe, and they ran out of cake, so we did not use it. If you know other interesting restaurants in the area, write in the comments.

The Land of Open Shutters preserves the cultural landscape

The Land of Open Shutters as a marked route was created to preserve the cultural landscape of this area. It is good that this initiative came to the fore, because it echoed more widely and popularized the place here. No one had heard of this nook before and it would probably be completely forgotten. And this is really a wonderful thing and it is worth saving such gems from oblivion! I highly recommend crossing this trail while being in Podlasie. I believe that it can become a destination in itself. It is a real live open-air museum. Still alive!

What's great, the tradition  is budding in the surrounding towns. We also found beautiful houses in other nearby villages.

Neighborhood experiences

Wojszki and carving cut-outs

This is no longer the village of the Land of Open Shutters, but it definitely refers to this development. I encourage you to visit the village of Wojszki. For several decades, Mr. Aleksy Ryżyński has been making wooden ornaments on houses here. In this way, since the war, Wojszki has become the prettiest village in the area, with beautifully decorated facades. The ornaments are made of wood, and later usually painted white. They have different shapes, so each house is slightly different. You must see it with your own eyes!

Skit in Odrynek

Skit in Odrynki is a completely unique thing. It is an Orthodox hermitage, located away from civilization. In the quiet and picturesque scenery of Podlasie nature. It can be visited.

Church in Narew

The village of Narew also boasts a beautiful house of prayer. In a beautiful turquoise colour. The shape is very interesting, unfortunately we did not manage to look inside. There is also a quite large, though wooden, Catholic church nearby.

Narew National Park

The Narew National Park is one of the natural gems of Podlasie. Small but magical, here the charm and beauty of nature appear in their full grandeur. Away from cities and everyday problems, you become a guest in an ever-changing natural spectacle. Along the meandering river, immense swamps, mysterious forests and picturesque meadows open up, all wrapped in the sounds of bird song and crossed by footbridges that will allow you to delve into this magical world for a moment and appreciate the extraordinary treasure of the biodiversity of our planet.

Our video about the Land of Open Shutters

We invite you to our film about this wonderful corner of Poland!

Accommodation

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Practical information

All year round 24/7
Car parks: free at churches, at village streets

The Land of Open Shutters
Puchły, Soce, Trześcianka, Podlasie

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What's worth seeing in the area?

You don't have to travel far to find more interesting places. Within a radius of 100 kilometers, there are many attractions waiting for you that will certainly enrich your stay Your trip with additional memories.

• Narew National Park, distance: 43  km
• Tycocin, distance: 53.2  km
• Tykocin Castle, distance: 53.7  km
• Podlasie, distance: 78.8  km
• Biebrza National Park, distance: 79.7  km
• National parks in Poland, distance: 81.9  km