Krasnystaw

Krasnystaw is a nice town in the East of Poland. It has received its town privileges in the fourteenth century but remains a calm place with less than twenty thousand inhabitants.

This part of Poland has witnessed (and suffered) many wars and conflicts. As a result, most of the buildings are relatively new. I propose that we start our trip on the market square, known as the square of 3rd May (on the 3rd of May, in 1791, the first Polish constitution was signed so you can find squares and streets commemorating this event in most Polish cities and towns).

In the very center of the square you will see a fountain with two carps - they are in the coat of arms of Krasnystaw.

Actually these carps can be found in many places, even on the litter bins.

Next to the fountain we will find the reconstruction of the walls of the old Town Hall. It has burnt down in 1811 and was not reconstructed afterwards.

The new Town Hall undergoes some refurbishment currently. But does not really look impressive to be honest. Even in tourist guides they describe it as "typical Polish town hall from early XX century".

The market square is framed by nice residential buildings. I liked in particular this one, the seat of the regional council (sejmik).

Look! My cousins Jake and Jill! Sorry but they are on duty so no time for chatting. They have to hurry up to bring this harvest wreath on time to some local celebrations.

Now I will take you to the most important church in town, belonging to the jesuit order. It is dedicated to Francis Xavier. One amasing thing is that for around 200 years it was the cathedral of the diocese of Chełm.

I was truely impressed by the organ.

Actually I was always curious of what is behind this majestic instrument. Let's try to climb up and check. Well, it looks a bit like an old-fashioned piano.

But the view from the top is really amazing.

Today Krasnystaw is populated almost only by Roman catholics. But before World War II, like in many towns that I have shown you already, it also had a Jewish minority. The synagogue was largely destroyed during the war and later on it was used by a sewing cooperative. Now it undergoes some reconstruction. I was not able to find out what it will be used for afterwards.

I propose that we end our walk trough Krasnystaw on the banks of the river Wieprz. It is really a nice and optimistic place. In smaller towns even the rivers move on slowly.