Przemyśl and its hills

Today we will visit three different places in Przemyśl. They are not too close but they are all located on some hills.

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One of the most prominent historical monuments in Przemyśl is the Casimir Castle, that I have shown you already from the Cathedral Tower. You can go there with a car but you can also take a nice pedestrian path.

Here comes the main entrance.

The castle is located on a hill called (what a surprise) the Castle Hill. It rises 270 metres above the city so we can admire here a nice panorama of Przemyśl.

The castle itself is quite modest. But you need to remember that it was originally built in 1340.

In the courtyard you will surely notice some bricks.

When you take a step back you will notice that bricks form a round shape. These are the remainings of a rotunda that is dated to the first half of the eleventh century. Pretty old, isn't it?

This is probably the reason why there are some ghosts running here and then from time to time.

So mind your step and let's drive to our second hill.

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Kopiec Tatarski is believed to be originally a place where Slavic gods (in particular Swarożyc, the god of fire) were worshipped. It is around 10 meters high so it will not take us long to climb it up.

From the top, on one side we can see again the city.

 And on the other some fields surrounding Przemyśl.

The hill itself does not offer that much. I am sure that you have guessed that there are no remainings of the temple devoted to the Salvic gods. It was replaced over time with a Christian church that did not survive the second world war. So today it is just a peaceful hill, fit perfectly for nice walks.

We need to take one of these paths to make a little detour in order to see the cross by which the city of Przemyśl has devoted itself to the Divine Mercy during the millennium events in 2000. The cross is 22 meters high and the Christ is over 4 meters tall.

Let's get down and head towards our third hill.

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Zniesienie is part of the old fortress of Przemyśl, like Fort Bema is part of the fortress of Warsaw. It was built in late nineteenth century. Not that much remained of its defence role.

You may be surprised to find on the top of the hill some stairs.

No, this is not the Stairway to Heaven. This is an amphitheater where numerous concerts are held in the summertime.

Let's take a last look at Przemyśl from the top of the hill and let's move on to new adventures.

Once again thank you Edyta and Weronika for being my guides on this fantastic visit!

Przemyśl and its religions

One of the things that amazed me the most in Przemyśl is the fact that you can see there churches of so many confessions and religious orders, existing one next to the other. Today I will show you the most important and the most beautiful of them.

We will start with the main church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Przemyśl - the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist, known simply as the Cathedral of Przemyśl.

The tall tower next to it is called of course "cathedral tower". On top there is an observation deck. Do you fancy a little climb?

This old fashioned mechanism is used to move the bells.

And here they come.

I have of course visited many towers and many observation decks. But it is the first time that I can watch the city through a watch. Alright, not a watch but a clock but I still find it amusing.

Here you can see river San ...

... and here some more churches - the red one is Roman Catholic and is the house of the Salesians while the white one is taken care by the Order of Saint Basil the Great and belongs to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The white building is the Castle of Przemyśl. I will take you there next time.

Obviously, Przemyśl is also the seat of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archeparchy, with its most important church being the Cathedral of St John the Baptist (yes, you noticed right, both cathedrals in Przemyśl are devoted to St. John).

The interior is very rich.

I liked in particular the paintings.

Before we even leave the cathedral we will see yet another church, this time Roman Catholic. This one is taken care by the Franciscans.

And pretty close to it the Carmelite Church of St. Theresa, Roman Catholic again.

But if you feel that Przemyśl only includes catholic churches (Roman and Ukrainian Greek) you are obviously wrong. There are also Orthodox churches here. The one that I liked best is the one in Wilcze district.

I like a lot its bell tower.

Finally, Przemyśl has also a synagogue that is located in the Zasanie district. Like most synagogues that I have shown you in the region it is no longer used and as such in a pretty bad shape.

I really enjoyed this lesson on religions and confessions. I hope that so did you.

Przemyśl and its tobacco pipes

Many of you have told me that they wait impatiently to see pictures from Joe's wedding. Apologies my friends - Joe has sold them to "Hello" magazine for some zillions so I cannot spoil them the deal. Instead, I will take you on a trip around Przemyśl. More than trip one actually. To make it more interesting, I decided that each of the posts will have a main topic that will guide us through the city.

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Let's start with the Market Square.

In the middle you will notice a fountain in the form of a bear. The bear is the main element of the coat of arms of Przemyśl.

Przemyśl has been for almost two centuries famous for its tobacco pipes workshops. To celebrate this fact, there is a very special monument on the market square.

Obviously, Przemyśl commemorates also one of the most famous users of tobacco pipes - the Good Soldier Švejk himself. Accompanied by a friend.

Let's now take the Franciszkanska Street.

Somewhere in the middle I have a date with my two dear friends - Edyta and her sister Weronika who have accepted to be my guides. (Apologies Ladies, but all that comes to my mind now is the line from "Chicago" musical when Catherine Zeta-Jones says "My sister Veronica and I ...").

We are heading towards this tower in the back of the street. It is located on the Independence Square.

It is the Clock Tower. It was built as the bell tower for a Greek-catholic cathedral that was never completed. So today it is a standalone building.

Inside you will find the Museum of Bells and Tobacco Pipes. A pretty unusual combination in my view.

In the middle of the square we find yet another nice fountain ...

... and yet another tobacco pipe.

On the side of the square stands the monument of the Polish Pope John Paul II. I start to wonder if I should not add a separate tag here, he is very popular amoung Poles, both in the home country and abroad.

Our last stop for today will be the postbox. I know well that all the friends are waiting impatiently to hear from me.

Joe is getting married!

I never thougth this day will come. My friend Joe the Ram is getting married! Who would have thought ... Together with other friends we decided to organise for him a little stag-party. Feel invited!



Joe lives in Przemyśl, a nice city in the South-East of Poland. Actually we've been there for a moment when we were taking a ride on the path of Good Soldier Švejk. But today no bikes. We will start in a nice pub called "the bumper".

The tables and the stools are organised in a very cool way - inside old cars. This little beauty is a Fiat 126P, in the old days the dream of any young couple.

The great thing about this pub is that they are also ready for those guests who are less tall.

Let's start with a little bit of billiards. First we need to put the bills right - a little inspection is always worth consideration.

But be sure to run away quick enough!

I found a cue and we can play.

Then some table hockey with the groom.

Joe is getting ready to hit.

He must have forgotten that I am the Horse Champion in table hockey.

What I like here is also that they have really good music!

The guys wanted to move to another place. Bowling seemed a natural choice then.

Unfortunately it is hard to catch a bowling ball without fingers. So this time I will only watch.

Or maybe I will have a try with this punching machine? After all they say "strong as a horse", don't they?

 

After all those sports it is time to eat something. Let's look into the menu.

Yes, a good pizza will be the best choice.

And some refreshements. After all, we are celebrating the last night of Joe's freedom.

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Here I actually lost track of my memories. I rememeber we were visiting some waterfalls. Though I never thought there is a waterfall in Przemyśl.

  

Finally, I landed somehow in our base. Don't ask me how. All I can tell you is - don't overdo with these refreshments. They never served me good.