Five things which you must see in the Low Beskids

And this was the beginning of the cinematic career of Jaśliska, a small village which today may be better known than the famous Dukla with its castle and Great Mountain, or Iwonicz-Zdrój and its iodine healing water. Anyway, the point is to set off for a trip to experience a wild forest, come across relics of old tserkvas, and then marvel at the beauty of the Lemko-style church in Świątkowa Wielka. You can then reach the gorge of the Wisłok river, and lift up your head to look at the Wall of Olzy. ‘What are you saying to me, mountain stream? Where, in which place, do we meet?’, Karol Wojtyła asked. When he was writing the ‘Roman Triptych’, he also thought about the Beskids.

 You can fall in love with the place even before you get there. On the way from Rymanów, at the Szklarska Pass, the panorama of Jaśliska opens up to reveal the sloping roofs of the houses and the church tower lost amidst the green hills of the Low Beskids. Over the village, you can see the gentle ridges of Mounts Kamień and Kanasiówka, and perhaps you can guess the location of the springs of the Wisłoka and Jasiołka rivers. The landscape looks peaceful and this impression does not disappear when you turn off the main road towards the centre of the village. For half a millennium Jaśliska was a town along the Hungarian route so there are surprises such as the town square and the medieval wine cellars. Those who have quit large cities and decided to stay in Jaśliska forever say they feel a sense of freedom here. The magic of the place has been recognised by filmmakers. Dariusz Jabłoński made Wino truskawkowe (Strawberry wine) and Małgorzata Szumowska shot the film Twarz (Mug) here. And when Jan Komasa's Corpus Christi was nominated for an Oscar, the Jaśliska scenery became known to the whole world. That is why this quaint little village these days is visited by more and more tourists. They can invariably visit the Czeremcha Bar, historic cottages with arcades in the central square, or the newly opened Regional Museum and they can meet… the movie characters. Many of the locals worked as background actors, so when the Podkarpackie Film Trail opened in Jaśliska in 2020, the news spread that this village in the Beskids had the highest density of filmmakers per square metre in Poland.

Following the old Hungarian route to Dukla, it is hard not to gaze up at the mountain that watches over this old medieval town. Mount Cergowa seems to be at arm’s reach and invites you on the trail. There are lots of narrow and inaccessible caves which according to legends were used by robbers raiding caravans of merchants. The mountain was home to the hermit John of Dukla, a saint whose sanctuary attracts many pilgrims. There are more places in this area which are associated with him, most notably the Golden Well hermitage and the chapel on the northern slope of Mount Cergowa, as well as the Forest hermitage on the Zaśpit hill in nearby Trzciana. In Dukla, you can visit the palace of the  Mniszech family which holds an interesting Historical Museum. The expositions tell more fascinating stories: about the visit of King John Casimir, about the bloody battle of the Dukla Pass, and about Maria Amalia, whose marble sculpture graces St. Mary Magdalene’s Church. One of the most popular trails to Cergowa also starts in the centre of Dukla. Some time ago, the Great Mountain grew by 22 metres - this is the height of the scenic tower erected there. Even the Tatras can be seen from it. 

Cough, rheumatism, and gout start the list of health problems that may be cured with natural methods in Iwonicz. Beneficial effects of the local mineral water were already known to King Sigismund the Old, and in 1578 Wojciech Oczko, court physician to King Stephen Báthory, described them in his book Cieplice (Hot springs). Iwonicz-Zdrój became a fashionable place in the times of Count and Countess Załuski who invited Józef Dietl, a physician and rector of the Jagiellonian University. In 1858 he published a scientific treatise in which he called the town the Prince of Iodine Waters. Today, the central town square is named after the scholar. In the vicinity you can see the Old Baths spa house and the Pump Room, both with impressive architecture. These and other landmarks show that Count Załuski wanted to create here a spa resort reminiscent of a Swiss town, and in fact he was very successful in his endeavour. The lovely historic spa houses are very close to the forest and it only takes a few steps away from the sunbathed Dietl Square to take refuge in the shade of the trees. This spa town, one of the oldest in Poland and the oldest in the Podkarpackie region, was a favourite destination for artists. The renowned singer Jan Kiepura used to come and perform here, Wincenty Pol wrote many poems while sitting at the Bełkotka spring, and Władysław Bełza created here the “Catechism of a Polish child”.

4. Greek Catholic church in Świątkowa Wielka

One of the most unique places in the Low Beskids is the ravine of Wisłok in Rudawka Rymanowska not far from Besko. It contains an impressive natural feature. The river flows along its narrow bed, with steep walls and a forest looming above. This is where you can see the monumental Wall of Olzy - the largest outcrop of menilite shale in the Polish Carpathians. It is beautiful here at any time of the year. In winter, icefalls form on the rocky slopes - so spectacular that the place is sometimes called the ‘ice cathedral’. Years ago, Karol Wojtyła also hiked along the Wisłok Ravine. Together with his friends, Wanda and Andrzej Półtawski, he camped in the forest and listened to the sounds of nature. Years later, Pope John Paul II wrote in a letter that these places had stayed with him and were the heritage of his soul. A memorial chamber associated with the figure of the saint was established in the nearby Pastwiska. The mystical power of this place was also discovered by the film director Jerzy Skolimowski. He chose this location for one of the scenes in his film ‘Io’ - a work that received an Oscar nomination.