A bit of the town history first: The Odrowąż family were the first owners of Końskie. From that time (12th c.) come the first records mentioning its existence. A town developed around the church founded by the Odrowąż family. Końskie was granted its city rights at the turn of the 13th century to lose them in the 15th century.

Rafał of Małachowice, castellan of Sieradz, bought the village of Końskie in the mid-17th century. Końskie rapidly developed under the rule of that powerful magnate family, especially when it was managed by the Great Chancellor of the Crown Jan Małachowski. Końskie regained its municipal rights granted by king August III (1748). At that time the name of the place was Końskie Wielkie and its crest featured the JKM letters on red background meaning „Jan Małachowski the Chancellor”. A construction of a sumptuous residence was planned but it was never built. Only a large park was arranged and a number of outbuildings were raised.

In the 18th century Końskie economy was based on agriculture, trade and crafts (stage-coaches, britzkas) as well as on metal industry. Many forging shops and foundries were located near Końskie. The period of the town’s decline came with the final partition of Poland in 1795.

Count Jan Tarnowski bought Końskie at the end of the 19th century. A new railway line joining Końskie via Koluszki with Bodzentyn was opened in 1885, and gave the town a chance of further development. Economic stagnation marked the time of World War I and the inter-war period. World War II, especially the period of the Nazi occupation, evokes tragic memories. Arriving in Końskie, the Germans started immediately the extermination of its population. All Jews were enclosed in the ghetto, the synagogue was burnt and a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp was set up. Nearly 14.5 thousand people of the Końskie county were murdered.

Many partisan units operated in the region of Końskie. The Germans were often confronted by the units of the Home Army (AK) commanded by Waldemar Szwiec (“Robot”) and Antoni Heda (“Szary”) and the famous grouping of major Henryk Dobrzański (“Hubal”). Due to the effectiveness of their operations, the Germans called Końskie the Banditenstadt.

Końskie was liberated on 16 January 1945. In 1985 it was decorated with the Order of the Grunwald Cross 2nd Class.

The main monuments in the Konskie Region:

Palace and Park Complex in Końskie

It was raised in the 1740s for Jan Małachowski, who planned to erect a huge residence with two adjacent wings. The wings were built , but the main building was never started. The wings were reshaped in the 19th century. Today the main attraction of the complex is its park with a neoclassical glorietta, Greek temple, Egyptian orangery, and a garden arbor. In its southern part there is a neo-Gothic „Domek Wnuczętów” (Grandkids’ House), two round towers and a little chapel.

The construction of the Park and Palace Complex in Końskie was initiated by by the Great Chancellor of the Crown Jan Małachowski -  the former owner of the premises called „Końskie Wielkie”. Końskie and its inhabitants owe to Jan Małachowski the obtention, from king August the 3rd, of the municipal charter in 1748. At this time, the Chancellor started to build his residence. On the terrain, located east of the St. Nicolaus Church, he planned to erect a grand palace, whose main part was to connect two side wings, finished with pavilions. From the main building there were two long open galleries with terraces in an upper tier supposed to be fanning out. However, the Chancellors’ big scale plans  didn’t succeed in all of its parts. There were only the palace wings and pavilions built. The main building never came to existence.

The construction of the residence was supervised by Jan Małachowski. His wife – Izabela nee Humiecka – took care of the park and garden. The latter, at first not very large, was designed in a French style along the main axis of the premises and with park lanes crossing at right angles. On 16 – 18 June 1787 the palace was visited by king Stanisłąw August Poniatowski on his way back from Ukraine. The description of the visit and festivities that accompanied his stay can be found in a journal written by Adam Naruszewicz.

The subsequent stages of the complex development took place in the 1st half of XIX c. The property owner at that time was Stanisłąw Małachowski who built a few utalitarian, decorative and religious facilities. He also brought to Końskie an architect, who designed the Egyptian Orangery, neo-gothic chapel and the park fence with fortified towers. The architect’s name was Franciszek Maria Lanci. He transformed the park into a more English-style one – it became more romantic, with more loosely growing groups of trees. As written by Andrzej Fajkosz „sucha an opinion stood in the then „Tygodnik Ilustrowany” (in English: the Illustrated Weekly), where one could read the following: The sea of bottomless sand was covered by a carpet of greenery and adorable trees, turning a former desert into the most splendid part of the garden”. In 1870 the compex went into the hands of the Tarnowski family, which lived there. During the WWII the palace was taken over by the Germans. After the war, the then authorities decided to build on the premises some facilities of the public utility: a school, kindergarten, the part of the park located in the north was allocated to a housing estate and a street. Despite many changes the park still amazes tourists with its beauty and constitutes a place of relaxation and recreation for the very town residents.

The historic facilities in the park currently house some institutions of the public utility: The Town and Commune Office, Culture Centre, Public Library and a restaurant.

Church of St. Nicolas & St. Adalbert in Końskie

The collegiate church in Końskie was erected in the years 1492-1520. It was remodelled in the early 20th century, when a new tower was built and the western part of the nave as well as the roof-top were added. The late-Renaissance tombstone of Hieronim Koniecki from 1564 was placed on the church wall. Its bas-relief features a resting knight. There is a sundial (early 17th c.) in the chancel and a late-Romanesque tympanum decorates its southern entrance.

The collegiate church is situated in the town centre, commonly called by the Konskie residents as „the little square”. The 1st church in this place was founded by Iwo Odrowąż. The next subsequent reconstructions in the years 1492 – 1520 and 1902 – 1903 gave the present shape to the church.

The oldest part of the church comes from the turn of XV/XVI c. and encompasses the eastern part of the nave togehter with a chancel. The later part, added in 1902 – 1903 according to the plans of Wacław Popławski is a new bell tower with a clock, the western part of the nave and teeth-like gable roof tops.

The church is neo-gothic, with neo-gothic alterations. Built of dimension stones and orientated. The shape of the church is one-nave with a narrower rectangular chancel, by which there is a sacristy from the nothern side. In the chancel there is two-severy lierne vault, in the sacristy barrel vault. In the nave there is a ceiling from 1903. In the northern wall of the chancel there is also a precious late-gothic sacramentary dating from the turn of XV/XVI c. placed in a stone, donkey-back shaped frame crested with a cross and lily flowers. The church is buttressed and has tall narrow windows with pointed arches.

The entrance to the church is embellished with interesting portals. In the eastern wall to the sacristy leads a pointed arch portal, above which there is a little square window with old grilles. In the southern wall of the nave, above the entrance with a rectangular frame there is a semicircular, relief, late-romanesque tympanum from the 1st half of XIII c. depicting: a cross, two rose windows with a symbolic meaning and two pradise trees against the background of a palmette twig. The tympanum is covered by a stone canopy supported by the 16th-century looking corbels. The western entrance is decorated with a splendid neo-gothic portal with a pointed arch.

In the wall of the bell tower there are old stone blocks built in, which probably come from the building of the old church that was erected before the redevelopment. Besides the maluscule inscriptions from XV c. there are also the Rawicz and Odroważ coats of arms. On the southern buttress of the chancel there is a sundial dating back to 1621.

The church interior, renovated and changed a few times, is full of relics from the past.  The main altar, made of stone and late-baroque from 1749, depicts a crucifix placed dunder the canopy supported by the columns. In the side altars there is a painting with the Holy Mother with the Child in silver dresses from XVIII and a painting of St. Nicolaus, repainted and augmented by Wincenty Łukaszewicz (XIX / XX c.). In the chancel there are also: a gravestone of Hieronim Konecki (deceased in 1564) – sandstone, late-renaissance, erected by his son Jan, a king courtier and an epitaph of Jan Małachowski, the Great Chancellor, made in 1762, brick-built and rococo in style with two allegoric sculpted figures on the sides of the inscription plate, crested with a sculpted bust of the deceased, in a richly ornamented frame with puttis.

The church porch, pulpit, choir, organs, as well as benches, confessionals, stations of the Cross come from the last remodelling phase of the church. In the church porch there are the memorial plaques: of the soldiers of the Polish Army, of 2Lt Waldemar Szwiec aka „Robot” with his soldiers and a memorial plaque commemorating the partisans from the Antoni Heda’s (aka „Szary”) troop fallen in the operation of breaking into the Konskie prison.

Church of St. Anne &  St. John the Baptist in Końskie

The private chapel of the Małachowski family. Later of the Tranowski one. The witness of the town history. The church was erected in 1770 by Jan Faygel (the Kraków burgrabe)  p.p. the Małachowski family. It was consecrated 8 years later. Originally it seved as a chapel for private needs of the Małachowski family and later of the Tranowskis, next owners of the Końskie premises. During the period of partitions, taken over by tsarist authorities, it got deteriorated gradually.In 1917 the count Juliusz Tarnowski paased away. His wish was to be laid in the church underground. In order to make his wish fulfilled, the countess Anna Tarnowska, count Tarnowski’s widow, brought to Końskie Wacław Krzyżanowski – a builder from Kraków, who restored the church altar. In the main altar there was the painting by Tadeusz Korpal placed, which  was a copy of the Idzikowska Mother of God, granted by the count Zdzisław Tarnowski. A year later the count Tranowksi’s ashes were laid down in the church underground.

During the WWII, after the German accession of Końskie, the Tranowskis were removed from the town. The care of the church was taken by the parish of St. Nicolaus Church. In 1964 the church was consecrated and all the funeral services were moved there, and on 5 November 1986 the Church of St. Anne and St. John the Baptist was established, based on the decision of the bishop E. Materski, as an independent institution.

In 2010 there were restoration works carried out, thanks to which the antique frescos were revealed and renovated. By the church there is also a parochial cemetery.

Church of St. Lawrence & St. Katherine in Lipa

The parochial church of St. Lawrence and St. Katherine dates from XVIII c. The first sanctuary was built here already in 1129. In XVII c. there was a chapel of Or Lady of the Rosary added.

The church is a real jewel of the wooden architecture in the Konskie region which was included in the trail of the motor wooden architecture. One can get to Lipa going along the country road no. 42 just as the brown road signs positioned there show.

The present shape of the church consists of the wooden part from XVIII c. and the brick-built chapel of St. Rosalie (formerly of Our Lady of the Rosemary) built in XVII c. However, the 1st sanctuary was put up here already in 1129.

In 1763, as agreed by the primate Władysław Łubieński, in place of a former larch church, there was a new one built, which after being completely restored in 1875, survived in an unchanged form till the present time. It is a wooden one-nave building, of a log structure.

By the chancel from the northern side there is a sacristy, whereas on the southern side the brick-built chapel of St. Rosalie with a brick-built sacristy, added on the eastern side. From the northern and southern sides there are the church porches. By the main altar from XVIII c. there is a 17th-century painting of the Holy Mary with the Child. By the side altars there are holy paintings of St. John of Nepomuk and St. Valentine from XVIII c. In the St. Rosalie’s Chapel there are two baroque altars from the end-XVII c. and classicistic organs from 1801. Next to them there is a bell tower where three bells toll - Marie, Katherine and Lawrence – brought here in 1948.

The building is situated on the Świętokrzyskie trail of the Wooden Architecture going from Kakonin, through Bodzentyn, Tarczek, Radkowice, Krynki, Parszó1), Skarżysko-Bzin, Bliżyn, Mroczków and Odrowąż, to Lipa.

Memorials of Tadeusz Kościuszko and Major Henryk Dobrzański (“Hubal”)

There are two memorials of Tadeusz Kościuszko in Końskie. The one in the City Park was unveiled in 1917 to commemorate 100th anniversary of his death. The second one was placed in the city center in 1946.

The memorial of legendary major Henryk Dobrzański was erected in 2004 in order to commemorate the 65th anniversary of World War II outbreak and the famous defender of Poland’s independence.

Hell Rocks by Niekłań

The inanimate nature reserve is another example proving that the region abounds in names containing such word as hell or devil. Located in the Stąporków commune, the reserve was established in 1959 to protect interesting sandstone formations caused by wind erosion.

Scattered over a line, one-kilometer-long, they resemble  mushrooms, ledges, chimneys, pulpits, and the like. Their height reaches 8 meters in some places. The rock formations are found close to the blue hiking tourist trail (Kuźniaki – Sielpia – Końskie – Pogorzałe) or to the black one  leading from Wólka Plebańska (7 km).

A long tome ago the devils of the Świętokrzyskie Region were punished by the Lucifer himself: they were ordered to stay for some time in the grim rocky environment. As the penalty was not really very severe, the devils started their devilish games climbing rocks and toppling them down. Eventually the rocks started to emit hellish light and hence their present name.

Sołtyków Jets

The nature reseve is located in the eastern part of the Stąporków commune, between Odrowąż and Sołtyków. It was created in 1997 and cover the area of 13,3 ha, including the goaf left after the former mine where iron ores and ceramic clay were extracted. The subject of reserve protection is jurassic outcrops of silt and sullage as wel as interesting mineralogical and paleontological specimens. The feature of the nature reserve is the mineral of jet i.e. a variant of soft coal in black, used in jewellery. Currently, it is very difficult to come across the stone on the surface. The peleontological sensation was the discovery of the dinosaurs tracks well preserved on the surface of sandstone. There were the traces of the existence of theropods discovered – two-legged predatory dinosaurs and of a plant-eating sauropod which are the oldest record of the herd life of this species. It is undoubtedly a curiosity on a global scale. How to get there: from Końskie in the direction of Skarżysko-Kamienna, past Odrowąż one needs to turn left into a fire lane no. 6, next from the car park on foot as the road signs show.

the Krasna valley

The Górna Krasna nature reserve encompasses the area of meadows, forests, swamps and waters amounting to 413, 02 ha. It was created in 2004 and is sitruated in the following communes: Stąporków, Zagnańsk and Mniów. The objective of area protection is preserving the natural part of the Krasna river and a section of its valley. The objective of area protection is preserving the natural part of the Krasna river and a section of its valley. The reserve territory is very diverse, both in terms of geomorphological conditions and landuse.

The river can be divided into two sections. In the southern and eastern part the river overflows the area and meanders. The river valley is very wide and the river gradient – slight. In this part mid-forest ecosystems dominate: meadows, pastureland and swamps. The backwater of the very river best presents itself in the neighbourhodd of the place called Luta.

In the northern part of the valley the area is rather covered by forest ecosystems, from which the pine forest is the most popular. In this partthe Krasna river flows in deep river bed and has the shape of an upland river.

„Górna Krasna” is a floral-ornithological nature reserve, with huge areas of precious vegetative congeries of: waters, reedbeds, pleat, meadows and forests and protected rare species of animals, primarily birds. In terms of its surface area, it is one of the biggest reserves in the Świętokrzyskie province and due to the presence of the rare, valuable and exctinction-endangered species of flora and fauna it has been included in the European ecological network called „Nature 2000”.

On the terrain of the reserve one can see, primarily, animals such as moose, beaver, otter, many species of dragonflies, of butterflies ( from the lycaenidae family), beetles (Carabus coriaceus), amphibia, reptiles or birds (including corncrake, lesser spotted eagle, crane), numerous species of freshwater fish. In the river there is salso the habitat of the cyclostomi representative – Ukrainian brook lamprey. Amidst the plants one can find, from among others, drosera, marsh helleborine (a species of orchid), globeflower, Davall’s sedge and many more other species of plants typical of pleat bogs, meadows, pasturelands and isolated still water bodies.

How to get there: from Kielce by the country road 74 in the direction of Łódź, in Mniów heading to Stąporków. Tourist trails that lead to the nature reserve: yellow walking trail Końskie – Serbinów, green bicycle trail Sielpia – Czarniecka Góra.

Historical Metallurgical Plant in Maleniec

Twenty-four kilometres west of Końskie, in Maleniec, on the Czarna River, there is an over two hundred year-old complex of rolling mills and nail plants. This historical stock of machinery, set in the natural countryside landscape, dates back to 1836.

At that time it included some rolling mills and 11 small and 4 big nailing machines for the production of nails cut from steel sheets. Due to the modernisation which took place at the end of the 19th century, the plant was equipped with other machines for procuction of spades and shovels. The most interesting items, perfectly preserved up to the present, are: the production cycle of rolling steel sheets and manufacturing household tools, the houses of the rolling mill, the nail plant and the spade manufacture plant dating from 1839 as well as some unique machines. A special technological and tourist festival – Kuźnice Koneckie, where one can see all the historical machines and equipment running, is held there every July.

Sielpia

Amidst beautiful pine forests, by the picteresquely situated reservoir there is Sielpia  - one of the holiday resort localities most frequently and most willingly visited by tourits in the Świętokrzyskie region. This tourist jewel of the Konskie region can boast a perfect micro climate and sightseeing sites. The reservoir and its surroundings create desirable conditions for fans of angling, bathing and water sports. The woods are liked by mushroom pickers, cyclists and horse-riding amateurs. Nature lovers can encounter here rare species of flora and fauna (the Nature 2000 area by the Czarna river).

Sielpia offers a well developed tourist, gatronomy and sports base, ensuring good conditions to have  a good rest, not only in summer. Besides resort centres and training and recreation facilities there is  also a complex of caravan parks, campsites, a well developed commerce network and rental shops with water, tourist and sports equipment. Holiday-makers have got at their disposal a beach volleyball court and rental stores with bicycles. Fans of water sports have the best conditions for practising them within guarded swimming areas where, besides bathing, one can go canoeing, ride a water bike, boat, sail or go surfing.

The tourist offer ensures perfect service during holidays, winter camps, conferences, training sessions, symposiums, reunions, social get-togethers and sports events. An additional attraction is interesting cultural, sports, tourist and recreation occasions which allow people to spend their time in a fun way.

For active tourists Sielpia is a great place for organising hiking, bicycle or bus trips. It’s very close from Sielpia to attractive tourist facilities of the Świętokrzyskie region, such as: Bartek Oak, Paradise Cave, Henryk Sienkiewicz Museum in Oblęgorek, Castle in Chęciny, Jura Park in Bałtów or Archeological Museum and Krzemionki Reserve.

To get to know better the neighbourhood one has a good network of walking and bicycle trails at their service, leading to the prettiest and not so easily accessible nooks.

In the proximity of Sielpia there is a nature monument called „Hell – Gatniki” where one can admire fantastic forms of huge sandstone jurassic rocks and beautiful forest paths.

Sielpia is a great tourist attraction also because of the Museum of the Old Polish Industrial Region. It is one of the most valuable, in historical terms, industrial monuments in the country and Europe. It houses metalurgical exibits, mainly machines and tools, which had their glory days in XIX century. To one of its best items belongs a large iron water wheel with a diameter of 8,5 m designed by Philip de Girard, a steam engine from 1858 (the oldest one preserved in Poland) and a lathe from XIX century. Currently, the museum is closed for tourists due to its bad technical state and will be revitalised in the near future.

Chamber of Tradition by Katarzyna and Euzebiusz Barański

In Fałków, just behind the fence of the parochial church, there is an extraordinary ethnographic and historical exhibition room, whose founders were Katarzyna and Euzebiusz Barański.

In the wooden building of the former organist’s house where organists and parish clerks used to live, the Barański couple collected an impressive number of artefacts which will surely interest not only experts but also those who would like to know what life looked like in the past.

By the entrance welcomes us a 2-metre figurine of Our Lady of the Rosary, the piece of art by a local artist Józef Zaganiacz. On either side of the porch, on the wall hang information boards from various institutions, usually from the time of Polish People’s Republic (in Polish abbreviated as „PRL”).

In the first room there is a small local art gallery where we can familiarise ourselves with the works of local artists. Our attention can be drawn by a unique Nativity set, in which next to the biblical characters we can also find scythe-bearers and soldiers from the WWII.

In the second room, dedicated to the Fałków history, there arle also objects which were used back in the day. We can find here, for example, a collection of sewing machines, ironing boxes, oil lamps, carbide lamps, photo cameras and radio receivers. The older generation may look with fondness at a school bench with a filled ink bottle, wooden pencil case, the first alphabet book and abacuses.

The next room is the kingdom of linen. One can see here peasnats’ outfits, a lacy baby sleeping bag from white linen, beautifully embroidered pieces of tray cloth, colourful rugs. In the kitchen one will find out everything about bread – starting from planting seeds, over grinding in quern-stones and baking in an oven. There’s also a rich colection of dishes which were used by every housekeeper in the past. There are plenty of pots of various sizes, jugs, bottles, plus butter and milk churns. A long was used as a workshop for a Carpenter, woodworker and shoemaker. Here one can see on one’s own that making a shoe wasn’t so easy after all.

There is also a room devoted to liberating battles which took place in Fałków and its surroundings. We can learn about a very touching story of a young boy, Walerian Wróbel, who was taken by force to work abroad in Germany and sentenced to death for his wish to come back home… After many years, a German lawyer reseraching German crimes, got to the information about the boy. Moved by his story he contributed to the revocation of the sentence and one of the streets in Bremmen, where the boy died, was named after Walerian. This is how a boy from Fałków, unknown to anyone before,  became a hero.

After leaving the museum, one should also visit the farming outbuildings situated in the backyard. In the barn there are agricultural machines collected, including a horse-pulled reaping machine from 1956, chaff-cutters and machines driven by treadmill. In front of the barn there are bee hives. From the nearby Motkowice, there wes the entire smithy transposed, which belonged to an 80-year old blacksmith called Jan Fatalski.

Practical information: opening hours of the facility: on working days by prior phone agreement; on Sundays at 10-12 and 15-18 . Admission is free of charge. All the relevant infromation can be obtained on +48 600 877 274.

Świętokrzyskie Rehabilitation Centre

A locality with ideal climatic conditions for medical treatment and rest, Czarniecka Góra upon River Czarna is located amidst forests, 12 km from Końskie and 2 km from Stąporków. The first sanatorium that offered natural medical procedures was founded here in 1891. “Turn impossible into possible” is the current mission of the Świętokrzyskie Rehabilitation Center in Czarniecka Góra. The center ensures day-to-day care and rehabilitation with use of the most modern facilities. The following procedures are available: electro-, magneto- and laser therapies, cryotherapy, hydrotherapy, hypnotherapy, and occupational therapy. Comprehensive rehabilitation of patients (mainly children) includes locomotor disorders resulting from earlier neurological, orthopedic, traumatic and rheumatic conditions. At the disposal of patients are put such facilities as an indoor swimming pool with ozone-treated water, Finnish sauna (hot dry air and steam), and jacuzzi. The Rehabilitation Center belongs to the group of “Butterfly Hospitals” and was granted the “Child-Friendly Outlet” title.

In 2023 The Stąporków Commune has received the decision of the Ministry of Health that confirms that Czarniecka Góra is an area of health resort / spa protection.The decision enables spa treatment in the area. The only thing left now is the legislative process which will complete the issue of the Ministry regulation in this case.

The area of spa protection of Czarniecka Góra is situated in the western part of the commune and includes 4 administrative units of: Czarna, Czarniecka Góra, Janów and Błotnica. Based on the Ministry decision the were the following treatment scopes designated: orthopaedic and traumatic, neurological, rheumatic, cardiological conditions, hypertension as well as (upper and lower) respiratory tract infections.

The Commune authorities have started their attempts aimed at reinstating the area of spa protection of Czarniecka Góra with the research that demonstrated the presence of peat deposits in the region of Czarniecka Góra in 2017.

Fortified mansion in Modliszewice

A mansion, picteresquely situated on a small island surrounded by a pond from the southern side, from the northern side separated from land by a moat. It exemplifies a typical residence of a wealthy nobleman and with its architecture refers to the tradition of fortified buildings of the Middle Ages.

The construction, built on the basis of a rectangle measuring 10,8 x 27m of stone and brick has two storeys and two roofed cylidrical roundels located in the opposite corners. From the northern side there is a bridge and a gatehouse with an adjacent outbuilding added later.

Most sources claim that the mansion in Modliszewice was erected by the Primate Jan Lipski around 1630, probably on the remaining parts of some older building. Other authors believe that the mansion was built by Andrzej Dunin Modliszewski at the end of XVI c.  The architect of the mansion in a reneissance style, was probably a renowned Italian - Santui Gucci. At the end of XVII c. the mansion in Modliszewice was taken over by the Humiecki family and through the marriage of Izabela Humiecka with Jan Małachowski the property wento to the Małachowski family, Nałęcz Coat of Arms.

At that time there was an adjacent building added, called „a forge”, in the wall of which there was some stonework discovered that was a sign of the building already in ruin then. At the end of XIX c. the site was sold to the Tarnowski family who didn’t do any repair works in it. The building abandoned in the halt of XIX c. started to perish.

During the WWII in Modliszewice a German administrator (Kreislandswirt) Fitting resided on the premises. He was liquadated on 29 May 1944 as a result of his cruelty towards the local community.

In the 80s of the XX c. the mansion was partially restored and secured from further deterioration. Currently it is the property of Świętokrzyskie Centre of Agricultural Counselling and is one of the attractions of a bicycle trail of fortified architecture across the Świętokrzyskie Province.

Open-air vehicle exbition "Polish Roads" in Modliszewice

Around 300 exibits of cars, motorbikes, bikes and all made in Poland. They wait for fans of motorisation in Modliszewice, 3 km from Końskie. The Museum „Polish Roads” is a private collection of the vehicles of Polish motorization. On a large exibition one will see vehicles from the times of the Polish People’s Republic (in Polish abbreviated as „PRL”) and older ones from the interwar period. Besides popular „Fiats 125” and famous „Fiats 126p”, there are also lorries, buses and fire engines. The owners did their best to show unique vehicles on their exibition. The display can be seen Friday – Sunday at 9:00 – 17:00./ Group visits, outside opening hours, possible by prior arrangement / Admission fees: 25 PLN and 20 PLn. Children under 8 – free of charge./ Discounts for organised groupd (over 8 prs). / Phone: +48 604 256 303, e-mail: polskiedrogi@protonmail.com

Monastery Complex in Kazanów

The monastery complex dates back to the latter half of XVII c. The church built of stone was erected in place of the originally wooden one in 1694 on the initiative  of Izabela Lanckorońska Lipska, the Castellan of Radom.

In the beginning it had only one nave. Two more of the same kind were added, whereas square-shaped chapels gave it a shape of the Latin cross. In the upper part the church has two towers on the sides and one in the middle of the nave. Halfway through the chancel there is the main altar –wooden, rococo-style from 1773. It is low, decorative, stand-alone, separating with partition-like side walls the monastic choir.  The rococo-style pulpit, wooden musical choir.

The construction of the former multistoried three-wing monastery was completed in 1781. Inside it on both storeys there was a cloister garth. In the monastery there were four large chambers, twelve cells and a sacristy. In the church we can see barrel and cross vaults. The building is covered with a gable roof which is at present made of sheet metal.

The monastery was abolished in 1864 after the failure of the January Uprising, by virtue of the Russian authorities. In the years 1929 – 1930 there was a new clergy house built of wood. It consisted of 5 rooms, a church office with a porch and a kitchen. The roof covered by sheet metal. In 1935 by the church there was a bell tower built where there were two bells mounted.

Nearby there is a statue commemorating a bloody battle fought by the Polish soldiers against the German ones on 7 September 1939.

Regional Souvenirs in Końskie, Art & Folk Workshop, Coffes & Teas of the World

In the cosily designed interior one can find, primarily, many kinds and flavours  of tea & coffee, sold by weight and beautifully packed. On offer there are also cups, mugs and of corse souvenirs. One can buy magnets, postcards and amazing handicraft with folk decorations. Those interested can also participate in workshops or order a small reception to be organised. The shop is located at ul. Pocztowa 2 in Końskie. Opening hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 – 17:00; Saturday 9:00 – 14:00.

In the region of Konskie there are many walking (the hyphenated lines) and bicycle trails (the dotted lines) which are all presented on the image below. You can download the map HERE.

In the very town of Końskie one can also follow a route along which there are architectural monuments and national remembrance sites, as seen underneath. The ones marked by yellow circles denote buildings relevant in terms of architecture, whereas the ones marked by orange cirlces - national memorials. You can download the map HERE.

The KEY to the marked places:

[you can download the key HERE]

1. Pavilion and the north-western wing in the Palace Complex in Końskie, around the mid of  XVIII c.
2. Statue of the scouts fallen in the years of occupation of 1939 – 1945
3. Greek Temple, the beginning of XIX c.
4. Egyptian Orangery, 1825, designed by F.M. Lanci
5. Collegiate church of St. Nicolaus and Adalbert, 1492 – 1520, extended in 1902 - 1903
6. Tenement house built in 1798 (currently „PSS SPOŁEM”)
7. House with a through built-in gate and a cartouche from 1750, remodelled in the latter half of XIX c.
8. Statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko, 1946, by Wojciech Durek
9. Memorial plaque commemorating 22 Jews murdered by the Germans on 12.09.1939.
10. Memorial plaque commemorating 9000 Jews of the Konskie Ghetto
11. Statue commemorating the execution victims of 1943, designed by Wojciech Durek 1946, in place of the former Orthodox Church
12. Memorial plaque of the terror victims of 1939 – 1945, former seatr of the German Gerndarmerie
13. Neo-gothic shrine from 1867, remodelled in 1917.
14. Place of Kirkut and execution of the town residents
15. Statue of the blessed priest Kazimierz Sykulski murdered in Auschwitz, designed by Karol Badyna
16. Obelisk in place of the death of captain Jan Stoiński, 1st commander of a circuit of the Union of Armed Struggle of the Home Army (in Polish: ZWZ – AK)
17. Memorial plaque commemorating 23 Soviet captives and Norwegians in place of the former stalag (POW camp)
18. Place of cemetary from XI c. discovered in 1925 and a  camp of Polish captives from 1939
19. Complex of tsarist barracks from the years 1901 – 1903
20. Memorial plaque commemorating Polish Military Organisation (in Polish abbreviated as „POW”)
21. Place of torturę and execution in former barracks of the German police
22. Stone with a memorial plaque in place of a  former prison and partisan operations of the Hoime Army (in Polish abbreviated as „AK”)
23. Railway with a bridge built in 1885
24. Memorial boulder in place of the death of the Konskie foundry workers shot by the Hitlerites in 1942
25. Memorial plaque in place of torturę and murders committed by Gestapo in the years 1939 – 1945
26. Memorial plaque of the victims of the murder by District Department of Public Security
27. Of Tadeusz Kościuszko from 1917
28. Town Park of Małachowski, coat of arms Nałęcz, established in the 1st half of XVIII c.
29. Garden arbour built in the latter half of XVIII, designed by F.M. Lanci
30. Park hill – the former pantry and frezer
31. Neo-gothic shrine of the Mother of God, from 1840.
32. Complex of the railway station with a water tower
33. House of the factory owner Szaja Kronenblum from the beginning of XX c.
34. Cross in place of the execution of the January Uprising 1863
35. Buildings of the former grange of the Tarnowski Family from the 20s of XX c.
36. Church of St. Anne from around 1770 with an adjacent cemetary, a 1914 - 1915 martial cemetary and a pariochal cemetary.
37. Katyń Alley with memorial oaks commemorating the ones murdered in 1940 in Katyń, Ostaszków, Miednoje and Charków.
38. Seat of a no longer existing Gymnastic Society „Sokół”.
39. Statue of Jesus Christ’s Heart rebuilt in 1946 as designed by Wojciech Durek
40. Tenement house from around  mid-XIX c. with a memorial plaque of the former seat of a circuit of the Union of Armed Struggle in the period 1939 – 1942
41. Fortified towers, Grandkids’ House and a shrine in the fence of the Palace Complex
42. Glorietta from the turn of XVIII and XIX c., place of patriotic celebrations during the interwar period.