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PINCZÓW |
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Southeast of Jedrzejów, 28km along the quiet backroads of Malopolska,
the contemporary rural anonymity of PINCZÓW belies the town's notable
historical role. The old limestone quarries in evidence around the town
were long an important source of stone for church building throughout
the country. Along with nearby Raków, Pinczów rose to prominence during
the latter half of the sixteenth century as one of the chief centres of
Protestant agitation in Reformation-era Poland, a group of Calvinist
divines establishing an academy and a printing press responsible, among
other things, for publication of the first Polish grammar in 1568. The
town and surrounding region's resistance-minded streak surfaced again
during the latter stages of World War II, when local partisan units were
so successful at clearing Nazi troops out of the area that the town
gained the nickname "The Republic of Pinczów", though not surprisingly
they were unable to prevent the wholesale removal of the substantial
Jewish population that had lived here for centuries.
Most of the town's collection of historic monuments are ranged on or
around the Rynek, the usual small town square with all main roads
leading onto it. On the west side of the Rynek stands the parish church
, started in the 1430s but only completed two centuries later. While
elements of the original Gothic design survive in the exterior of the
church, the interior is the standard ornate Baroque including an array
of sumptuous side altars, carved choir stalls and an overpowering high
altar. The adjoining building, the former Pauline monastery, houses the
local museum (Tues 8am-3pm, Wed & Thurs 8am-4pm, Fri-Sun 10am-3pm; 2zl),
a ramshackle collection of historical exhibits and local archeological
finds enlivened by a small but interesting set of exhibits relating to
the history of the town's Jewish population.
A few minutes' walk from the square down ul. Klasztorna is the former
synagogue , a large cube-shaped brick structure built in the late 1600s
and set back from the street. Despite being looted and damaged by the
Nazis during World War II, the empty remaining shell of the building is
nevertheless in better condition than many others, mainly thanks to the
restoration work that seems to have been carried out intermittently. If
the funds ever materialize, there are plans to turn the place into a
museum. A plaque on one of the outside walls commemorates the town's
Jewish community - still a rarer occurrence than it ought to be in
Poland. The wall separating the synagogue from the street contains
pieced-together fragments of tombstones from the local Jewish cemetery.
If you don't mind an uphill scramble, the Kaplica sw. Anny (Chapel of St
Anne), clearly visible on a hillside overlooking the Rynek, is a fine
Renaissance structure, probably designed by Santa Gucci - one of several
period Italian architects drawn to Pinczów by the town's ample supply of
raw building materials - and one of the few examples of a freestanding
chapel in the country. The chapel isn't often open, however, which means
you may have to content yourself with admiring the twin-domed structure
from the outside, along with the views over the surrounding countryside.
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