Podlasie. Attractions worth visiting
Podlasie - a wonderful family holiday lasting about a week allowed us to get to know this place very well, so we will be happy to share with you our impressions and experiences from this region. I will do it all the more willingly because Podlasie charmed me! And not only me, my daughters have a similar sensitivity, because this secluded, natural paradise in north-eastern Poland has become the favorite region of our whole family. I am sure that we will come back here again, although we managed to see a lot of attractions in Podlasie!
It is a wonderful historical land, but above all a wonderful asylum of primordial nature, soothing the soul. Podlasie lying in the Podlaskie Voivodeship and partly in the Lublin and Mazowieckie Voivodeships. The capital of the region is Białystok - the only large resort in the entire Podlasie region. Other significant cities here areTykocin, a pearl of the Baroque,Supraśl with a beautiful monasteryor Orthodox monastery, thefamousBiałowieża with a bison orSiemiatycze lying in the southern part.
Why the name Podlasie?
There are two general theories about the origin of the name Podlasie. One of them refers to forests that have never been lacking here and at the threshold of which this wonderful area was created, hence the sub-lasie. The second one mentions Lachy, i.e. a tribe of Poles. Podlasie was created near their borders, hence the sub-lasie.
Nature of Podlasie
What characterizes Podlasie is peace, quiet, beautiful green landscapes, full of virgin forests, rivers and backwaters, and all this is rich in valuable and characteristic for Poland representatives of flora and fauna! It is here that the primeval forests are dominated by moose, beaver, ermine, and above all the bison - the king of the Białowieża Forest. It was in these areas that he was saved from total extinction and began his new life in the wild.
There are several unique national parks in Podlasie - the largest Biebrza National Park in Poland with the magnificent Biebrza River, the Narew National Park with the backwaters of the Narew River and the oldest Białowieża National Park in Poland. All of them are equipped with good tourist infrastructure, from which well organized footbridges as well as observation towers deserve special attention. Biebrza and Narew National Park are bird paradises, where they organize beautiful mating performances on the backwaters after thawing. It's worth being here then! It is also necessary to mention the only European stork village in Poland. It is Pentowo near Tykocin, you will meet here, actually in one farm several dozen storks, in many nests, you can admire and watch whole bird families.
Architecture in Podlasie
No less interesting is the architecture of Podlasie, in which you can fall in love. Podlasie is a lively open-air museum, where time has stopped in place, and the buildings remind us of past centuries. The most beautiful in this regard is the area or trail called the Land of Open Shutters. It includes the villages located in the heart of Podlasie - Soce, Trześcianka and the village of Puchły. Here you will find wooden cottages, painted in colour, with decorative shutters, usually painted white. Also, wooden decorative elements often appear in the corners of houses, giving an amazing effect. In this respect, the village of Wojszki reigns supreme.
The local wooden churches are even more delightful, very colorful, well-groomed and decorated. All of them are still alive and used, because Orthodoxy is flourishing in Podlasie. It is difficult to take your eyes off them, unfortunately usually inaccessible to tourists when it comes to interiors, anyway, photos should not be taken in Orthodox churches. The most beautiful ones are listed below, among the attractions of Podlasie. Beautiful architecture is also available in other cities, both in the form of wooden houses and churches, as well as other facilities. In Supraśl, you can admire the magnificent monastery with a powerful defensive church, in Tykocin the basilica on the Market Square, the Great Synagogue and, of course, the royal castle, and in Białystok the wonderful Branicki palace.
Podlasie - attractions
It is difficult to list all the attractions of Podlasie, because there are a lot of them. If someone likes secluded, magical and natural corners, they will be delighted with this region, as will we. I will help you choose from a lot of interesting places and tell you what to visit and see in this region. Discover the best attractions of Podlasie!
1. Biebrza National Park
The Biebrza National Park is the largest national park in Poland, recently it has gained quite a lot of popularity, most attracting here in the spring of the Biebrza backwaters, where birds give shows, and even moose like to walk. It is worth walking the TOE nature trails and footbridges in Goniądz, which give you the opportunity to get in close contact with beautiful and valuable nature. The Red Swamp is also a valuable natural area, in the summer insects can be bothered here🙂 A convenient place to get to know the Biebrza National Park is precisely Goniądz and Osowiec Fortress
Biebrza National Park, Osowiec-Twierdza 8, Goniądz
2. Narew National Park
The Narew National Park is also a unique and extremely atmospheric place where nature will delight you, I recommend you especially the Waniewo-Śliwno Footbridge, it is a very nice attraction for the whole family, the footbridge leads among the Narew floodplains, in a very picturesque and secluded area, with observation towers, e.g. in Waniewo and a barge crossing the river, which moves with the strength of its muscles, a great fun for children. The Broken Bridge in Kruszewo and the observation tower in Kurów are also interesting.
Narew National Park,Kurowo 10, Kobylin Borzymy
3. Białowieża National Park
Białowieża National Park is one of the most famous national parks in Poland.It is also the oldest and is famous, of course, for its bison. Be sure to visit the Bison Show Reserve in Białowieża, especially if you are traveling with children. Our girls love animals and from experience I know that a lot of children have a lot of sympathy and sensitivity for animals, so it is worth stimulating it. In addition to bison, you will also see other animals living in the area, including wolves, roe deer and horses. In the Białowieża National Park, we were delighted by the Royal Oak Trail, which you enter away from buildings. In fact, you can walk along the footbridge in the forest among old trees that have received the names of crowned heads, there are information boards next to them, old oaks make a great impression, there is the climatic Sioło Budy Open-Air Museum nearby - a very nice place, small, with unique, historic rural, wooden and colorful buildings, among the flowers of tiny gardens. In the heart of the Park, however, there is a nice Palace Park in Białowieża - a pleasant walking place from the Museum of the Białowieża National Park - a modern facility
Białowieża National Park, Palace Park 11, Białowieża
4. The Land of Open Shuttersand Orthodox Churches in Podlasie
The Land of Open Shutters is a wonderful cultural trail in Podlasie. It was created in the heart of this region and leads through three architecturally unique villages: Soce, Trześcianka and Puchły, located in the Narew valley. The Land of Open Shutters is a dream destination for people sensitive to beauty and who like wooden buildings and ethnic accents. The houses here are decorated with shutters, usually painted white, as are other wooden ornaments that appear in the corners of the houses and more. The idea of these decorations was born inthe village of Wojszki and spread to a wide area. However, we were most impressed by the churches here, also mostly wooden, beautifully painted in strong colors, very well-groomed and living the Orthodox faith. The Orthodox Church in Puchły is captivating, the most colorful, but the Orthodox Church in Trześcianka and the Orthodox Church in Narew are also beautiful. There are also other Orthodox churches, the captivating Orthodox Church in Bielsk Podlaski or the brick, impressive Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Białystok
The Land of Open Shutters, Soce, Trześcianka and Puchły
5. Orthodox Grabarka and Catholic Holy Water - mountains of crosses in Podlasie
Święta Góra Grabarka is an Orthodox Mountain of Crosses - a historical place with many historic and contemporary crosses of various sizes and in varying degrees of preservation, the place is quite impressive, it is very authentic and in the central part it invites you to the church. The answer of Catholics is the Holy Water Shrine near Białystok. Here, the crosses are much younger, but also those violated by the tooth of time can already be found. If I evaluate only the tourist dimension, Grabarka made a much greater impression on me
Orthodox Monastery of St. Martha and Mary, St. Grabarka Mountain, Nurzec Station
Sanctuary of Holy Water, ul. Ks. Rabczyńskiego 2, Wasilków - Święta Woda
6. European Stork Village in Podlasie
Not far from Tykocin there is Pentowo - the only stork village in Poland, where you can find several dozen stork nests, which in spring and summer are inhabited by these wonderful birds. It is an interesting family attraction, located in a charming place of Podlasie. In addition to storks, you will see the old 100-year-old manor house, horses and you will find interesting walking areas. There are also guest rooms. Pentowo received the title of the European Village of Storks in 2001 from the German Euronatur foundation. This title always has only one place in the country. And it all started with a hurricane in 1991 that broke many trees. On these protruding stumps, storks began to build their nests, and when they occupied the surrounding trees, more nests were created on the roofs of buildings and poles. This is how more than 30 nests appeared here, inhabited by about 100 storks each year. They arrive around April/May and stay until August.
European Stork Village- Pentowo Manor House, Kolonia Kaczorowo 39, Tykocin
7. Kiermusy - a unique attraction of Podlasie
Kiermusy is a kind of living open-air museum created in the colony of the village of Nieciece, 3 km from the royal Tykocin. It is a great place for a family holiday, very unique and rarely visited, because few have heard about it. A historical and recreational complex was created here, which consists of: Manor House on the Meadows, Amber Castle from the Jerzy Hoffman Museum of Polish Arms, Inn called Rome, and even the Manor Four. These buildings were made of wood and stone, according to the legacies of the ancestors. An interesting fact is that in the museum you will see exhibits related to the filming of the Sienkiewicz trilogy. In Kiermusy, a private bison farm was also established, and next to the king of the forest, goats, sheep or donkeys live in the farm
Kiermusy Dworek nad Łąkami, Kiermusy 12, Tykocin
8. Tatar Kruszyniany with a mosque, mizar and yurt in Podlasie
On the very edge of Poland, it is worth visiting Kruszyniany, where unique attractions await, related to the Tatars who lived in these areas until the time of King Jan III Sobieski, who gave this village to Tatar Samuel Mirza Krzeczowski. The fact that the mosque is a Muslim temple, you probably know. There is such a modest mosque in Kruszyniany, one of the two historic mosques in Poland. It comes from the second half of the 18th century. But did you know that mizar is a Muslim cemetery? And you will see it in Kruszyniany, behind the mosque, and near them you can visit the Tatar Yurt - an unusual agritourism farm, where there is a restaurant, a colorful Tatar tent and guest rooms. It is run by a Tatar family andservesdelicious delicacies of Tatar cuisine. You have to try it here!
Tatarska Yurt - Dżenneta Bogdanowicz, Kruszyniany 58, Krynki
9. Mosque and mizar in Bohonice
The second historic mosque in Poland is the mosque in Bohonice - younger and smaller than the one in Kruszyniany and unfortunately fenced, but we managed to enter at least the area around the mosque. Not far from it, on a hill, there was the oldest surviving mizar in Poland - a Muslim cemetery
Mosque, Tatar Route Large, Bohoniki
10. Branicki Palace in Białystok
The Branicki Palace is a magnificent baroque palace of a noble family, dating from the 18th century. Surrounded by a magnificent garden, the interior houses the Medical University of Bialystok. The interiors are available to tourists, as well as a wonderful garden with a fountain and a flower. The palace is called the Versailles of the North or the Versailles of Podlasie. The palace gardens are available to tourists free of charge. The interiors of the palace can also be partially visited free of charge, until 5 p.m., but there are also paid routes.
Branicki Palace, ul. J. Kilińskiego 1, Białystok
11. Monastery in Supraśl
Do you know what a monastery is? Podlasie is a religious and cultural melting pot, you will find names that no longer function in other parts of the country. The monastery is simply an Orthodox monastery, and the monastery in Supraśl is a Basilian monastery complex - a men's monastery from the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries, with a magnificent, defensive church in the middle. It is worth seeing this beautiful building
Monastery of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ul. Klasztorna 1, Supraśl
12. Museum of Icons in Supraśl
The Ikon Museum is an interesting museum where you will not only see beautiful icons, but also the process of creating them, i.e. writing icons, because that's what they say. Not everyone knows that icons are not painted but written. In fact, they are painted with paints, but the problem is quite complex, because it came from both the translation of this activity from Greek and Russian, but it is also about the role of the icons themselves
Museum of Icons, Branch of the Podlaskie Museum in Białystok, ul. Klasztorna 1, Supraśl
13. Tykocin Castle, Basilica and Synagogue
Tykocin is a very interesting place, so it is worth visiting Podlasie. The castle in Tykocin is a brick castle built here by King Sigismund Augustus in the 16th century, on the ruins of a wooden building. Today, the restored castle is open to tourists. At the Market Square there is a magnificent basilica in Tykocin - a beautiful Baroque temple with an adjacent monastery, built in the 18th century thanks to Hetman Jan Klemens Branicki, and a bit further you must visit the Great Synagogue in Tykocin. It is one of the oldest synagogues in Poland and the second largest. It was built in 1642, in the place of a wooden synagogue, in the 18th century it was slightly enlarged. It is currently under renovation.
Tykocin Castle, ul. Puchalskiego 3, Tykocin
Great Synagogue - Branch of the Podlaskie Museum in Białystok, ul. Kozia 2, Tykocin
Basilica, Market Square, Tykocin
14. Castle Mountain in Drohiczyn
The Castle Mountain in Drohiczyn is a picturesque part of Podlasie and a scenic area above the meandering Bug River. A nicely landscaped path has been created here, from which you can admire the surrounding area. The view from Drohiczyn Castle Mountain is magnificent, but the hill itself is a castle in name only. And there used to be a significant castle from the 14th century, and even before that there was a wooden castle here. The castle housed the town court and the seat of the royal town governor. The stronghold was destroyed during the Swedish Deluge and was not rebuilt, the rest was kidnapped by Bug, washing the mountain.
Góra Zamkowa, ul. Zamkowa, Drohiczyn
15. Roundabout in Krynka
The roundabout in Krynki is a big curiosity, because it is one of the largest roundabouts in Poland, although it is located in a small town in Podlasie. It has as many as 12 outgoing streets, several of which lead to interesting monuments, although preserved in not the best condition. The roundabout in Krynka is a kind of city market
Roundabout, Jagiellonian Square, Krynki
16. Sanctuary and Orthodox Church in Sokółka
The Church of St. Anthony of Padua standing at ul. Grodzieńska 47 is famous in recent years in Podlasie and not only for the Eucharistic Miracle that took place here in 2008. When the consecrated messenger fell to the ground, it was placed in a vessel with water in the safe for dissolution, but it did not dissolve, but a blood clot appeared on it, which after examination was determined to be very similar to myocardial tissue. The miracle has not yet been recognized by the Vatican. Near the market square, near the Museum of the Sokol Land, there is a beautiful Baroque Orthodox Church of St. Alexander Nevsky, dating from 1850-53. Today it bears the title of the council, and an interesting bell tower in the form of a gate leads to it.
Church of St. Anthony of Padua, ul. Grodzieńska 47, Sokółka
Orthodox Church of St. Alexander Nevsky, Kościuszko Square, Sokółka
17. Lagoon and monastery in Siemiatycze
Siemiatycze is a charming town in the south of Podlasie, where you can relax over an artificial water reservoir that offers a sandy beach, a swimming pool and a pier. Nearby there is the Baroque Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a missionary monastery, but interestingly, there is also a synagogue with a Talmudic house and two Orthodox churches in Siemiatycze
Lagoon, Spacerowa Street, Sportowa Street, Plażowa Street, Siemiatycze
Church and monastery, ul. 3 Maja 1, Siemiatycze
18. Skit in Odrynka
You've probably never heard that word before? Skit is simply an Orthodox hermitage, and skit in Odrynka is the only Orthodox hermitage in Poland. It was created as a sketch of St. Anthony and Theodosius Pieczerski in 2009, and is subject to the monastery in Supraśl. It is located on the outskirts of the village, in the village of Kudak. Life here is harsh, based mainly on prayer and fasting food. The comforts of life from the 21st century have not come here. Since 2013, there has been a wooden Church of the Protection of the Mother of God in the area of the men's skit. The skit in Odrynka refers to the historical monastery of the Ascension of the Lord, which existed in these areas, in the Błudów Forest in the 16th century.
19. Liw Castle
In the south of Podlasie, already in the Masovian Voivodeship, be sure to visit the castle in Livia. It has been standing by the Liwiec River for centuries, in an incredibly picturesque place, creating a wonderful picture. The Gothic castle in Livia dates back to the 15th century, when it was built as a border guard. Today, this old stronghold is available to tourists in the form of a museum, the castle tower and the rebuilt manor house are visited. You will rest here by the river, among grasses and trees, a real land of happiness, like the whole of Podlasie 🙂
Castle, ul. Batorego 2, Liw
20. St. Mary's Market in Węgrów
Węgrów is a historical town dating back to the 14th century, it also settled on the Liwiec River, just like Liw Castle. The most impressive in Węgrów is the Market Square, called St. Mary's Square, because there is a beautiful Baroque basilica of the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She looks beautiful with a fountain beating in front of her. An interesting fact is that in the sacristy of the basilica there is the so-called Twardowski Mirror helping him with magic. In the corner of the market square, the Gdansk House - a baroque building from the 18th century, associated with Gdansk merchants, hence its name. At that time, goods were shipped from Węgrów by Liwiec to the Bug River and further to Gdańsk. Therefore, the merchants of Gdańsk built their trade tractor here to do business with local merchants. Today, it houses the Municipal Public Library and the Museum, but the name remains. In 2011, traces of the former Town Hall, known only from the old portrait, were also discovered on the Market Square in Węgrów. Information boards talk about it.
Rynek, Węgrów
What impresses Podlasie?
Podlasie is such a completely unique region in Poland. You won't find big cities here, even small and medium-sized ones don't have much. The gastronomic or accommodation offer may not be overwhelming, but nature and wooden buildings delight. If you dream of a holiday in the style of slow travel, where communing with nature and hiking are at the heart, then Podlasie will be great for you. Wherever you do not go in this region, you will find green sanctuaries, with ribbons of water and storks above your head. Nowhere else in Poland have we met as many storks as in Podlasie. While in Podlasie, we slept in a comfortable and tasty Hotel Kresowiak in Siemiatycze.
See also our article Where to go on holiday? The best tourist regions in Poland
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What's worth seeing in the area?
If you have already visited this attraction, it is also worth visiting several other interesting ones places nearby. Within a radius of 100 kilometers you will find many interesting places places that can diversify your stay in this part of Poland.
- Biebrza National Park, distance: 4.6 km
- Tykocin Castle, distance: 31.3 km
- Tycocin, distance: 31.9 km
- Narew National Park, distance: 46.7 km
- Wigry National Park, distance: 68.6 km
- Suwałki, distance: 69.1 km
- Masuria, distance: 78.8 km
- Land of Open Shutters, distance: 78.8 km
- Mikołajki, distance: 82.9 km
- Gołdap, distance: 96.2 km
