Wooden Churches of Southern Malopolska
Some of these churches are several hundred years old and six were entered on UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage List. Famous architects designed none of them. Simple carpenters constructed them all. The oldest one is the 15th-century church in Haczów, made of fir-wood and covered with shingles. Fragments of wall paintings were uncovered in the church interiors. Of great value is the shingle-roofed church in Blizne. Erected at the turn of the 15th century, it also contains fragments of Gothic and Renaissance wall paintings. The harmonious silhouette of the church at has an original, spiry roof. The church at Binarowa boasts a very precious wall painting depicting scenes from the New Testament and a carved in wood figure of Madonna from the 14th century. Many unique paintings, sculptures and artistic handiworks can be admired in the 15thcentury church at Dębno. The interior decorations of the church at Lipnica Murowana include precious wall paintings as well as baroque paintings and sculptures.
The six trails on the Route of Timber Architecture in the Małopolska region are over 1500 kilometers long. They feature 232 timber constructions of great value, including 123 Roman-Catholic churches, 39 Orthodox churches, 25 rural and small town complexes, and 27 rural architecture museums that comprise 9 skansens and 14 country manors.
The Route of Timber Architecture in the Małopolska region is a new tourist offer that presents the most beautiful examples of timber architecture in Poland.
