St. Leonard Church and the wooden storey houses.
Lipnica Murowana is a calm, little town, located far off of the main roads. It is about 48 km (30 miles) southeast of Kraków. The town is mostly noted for Saint Leonard’s Church, built in the end of the 15th century. This is one of the six Wooden Churches of Southern Lesser Poland, on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites . The church is hidden in the trees, a few steps from the village center, close to the Uszwica river.
In 1997, this inconspicuous river caused serious trouble, when during a great flood, it almost swept away the church. St. Leonards church only survived by the grace of the local people, who tied the church to the surrounding trees. Because of this miracle, we can still admire this beautiful wooden masterpiece. In the interior of the church there are a few copies of the gothic triptychs, the sculptures at the rainbow wall and the polychromes.
Apart from the church, it is worthwhile to take a short walk through the town of Lipnica. On the main market square there are some old, wooden, or partially bricked storey arcade houses with their gables towards the market, built in the eighteenth century.
Every year, on the Palm Sunday, a famous palm competition and procession are held in Lipnica. See pictures of Palms from Lipnica Murowana in one of our ?Polish Traditions? article series, the one about ?Lent? : https://polishorigins.com/document/lent
Click here to see the details of our ready-made tour ‘Wooden treasures of southern Poland’: https://polishorigins.com/document/wooden_treasures
The website about Lipnica Murowana in English: http://www.drewniana.malopolska.pl/?page=obiekty&id=102
See also the map of ?Wooden treasures of southern Poland?: http://blog.polishorigins.com/2013/07/01/wooden-treasures-of-southern-poland-introduction/
Aga Pawlus
PolishOrigins Team
Hello, my grandparents were born in Lipnica on a farm. My grandmother was Rose Zagata and grandfather was Anthony Puchala. Is there a brochure or book about the town that I can obtain?
Thank you.
Hello Dorothy,
The most valuable collection is on Polona.pl (Digital Library of the National Library of Poland). A search for “Lipnica Murowana” provides access to historical photographs of the market square, the wooden Church of St. Leonard, and various regional publications. One notable title available there is:
– Lipnica Murowana – gród Łokietka by Paweł F. Nowakowski:
https://polona.pl/preview/9e50add3-74a1-4434-aa0d-9591cfa4219c
Another useful source is the Małopolska Digital Library, which includes publications on Lipnica Murowana as a UNESCO World Heritage Site:
– Lipnica Murowana: monument sur la liste de l’UNESCO (multilingual leaflet):
http://old.mbc.malopolska.pl/publication/1918
For a comprehensive historical monograph, consider Lipnica Murowana: Gród króla Władysława Łokietka. Older articles on the preservation of wooden churches in Małopolska can also be found in digitized journals such as Ochrona Zabytków.
Best regards,
Zenon