a melting pot Podlaskie – a melting pot of cultures Family-friendly Podlaskie of cultures Active leisure in Podlaskie Slow leisure in Podlaskie Podlaskie – European bisons, elks, birds and insects Water leisure in Podlaskie Marshal’s Office of the Podlaskie Region ul. Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego 1, 15-888 Białystok phone +48 85 6654171 www.wrotapodlasia.pl [email protected] PODLASKIE BOLCIE SUWAŁKI 164KM Burbiszki Saskrydis Lithuanian Art Ensembles Festival Puńsk 130KM Wodziłki Barn Theatres Festival Molenna -- Old Believers’ church Józef Vaina Ethnographic Museum AUGUSTÓW 2:00 Brad, Milk and Honey Festival 6:30 6:30 Traditional Lithuanian farmstead KM Sejny 90 H H 8:30 SUWAŁKI Borderland of Arts, Cultures 2:30 1:30 4:40 Modern Art. Centre – Andrzej Strumiłło’s gallery Wigry and Nations Centre (old synagogue) Molenna – Old Believers church Camaldolese monastery complex The Maria Konopnicka Museum The District Museum H H H H Płaska Śluza Przewięź Mikaszówka OSOWIEC Studzieniczna Śluza Swoboda TWIERDZA Sanctuary of Our Lady of Studzieniczna Augustów KM Różanystok 58 Basilica of the Offering of the Holy Virgin Mary – St Mary’s Sanctuary 3:00 0:50 SUPRAŚL H H KM NOWOGRÓD 16 H 5:15 H 4:30 H KM 94 1:20 H 1:40 KRUSZYNIANY 4:30 H Collegiate Church of St Anthony – Sanctuary of Eucharistic Miracle Szyszki H Sokółka BIAŁYSTOK 1:40 KM Bohoniki 50 Stara Kamionka Mosque and mizar World Championship in Baking Potato Cake and Potato Sausage Wierzchlesie Monastery of the Annunciation of the Holy Mother of God Synagogue and 4 Museum of Icons Talkowszczyzna Jewish cemetery 1:30 H Wierszalin Theatre Krynki Jewish cemetery Forest Liquor Tournament Nowa Świdziałówka Museum (old synagogue) Szaciły H Jurowce Supraśl Górany Tykocin Tatar Culture Festival H Nowogród Wasilków Nietupa H Sanctuary of Our Lady National Days of Kurpie Culture Podlaskie Museum of Folk Culture Kruszyniany 4:00 Choroszcz of Sorrow in Święta Woda Mosque and mizar 1:40 1:40 Adam Chętnik Open-air Museum of Kurpie 4:30 4:30 Museum of Palace Interiors Sabantuy Tatar Festival 1:20 Dramatyczny Theatre The Białystok Puppet Theatre BIAŁYSTOK Gródek BIAŁOWIEŻA Podlaskie Autumn Ukrainian Culture Festival Historical Museum Basovishcha Young Zachor – Colour and Sound Jewish Culture Festival Podlaskie Museum in the Town Hall Belarusian Music Festival CIECHANOWIEC H H Podlaskie Octave of Cultures Alfons Karny Sculpture Museum Michałowo Belarusian Culture Festival Podlaskie Opera and Philharmonic – Niezabudka Film, Sound and Photography Studio 83KM Jewish Heritage Trail European Centre for Art The Land of Open Shutters KM The Trail of Esperanto and Many Cultures Sobor of St Nicholas the Miracle-worker 92 Ryboły Soce Trześcianka Odrynki Wojszki Narew Skit – an Orthodox hermitage Orthodox Church of the Birth of the Holy Virgin Mary Puchły ŚW. GÓRA Orthodox Church of the Protection of the Mother of God Plutycze Kaniuki Orthodox Church of the Protection of the Orthodox Church of St Michael the Archangel Mother of God Łosinka GRABARKA Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin Mary Rajsk Haćki Kuraszewo Orthodox Church of Lord’s Resurrection Czyże Leniewo Museum at the Town Hall Bielsk Podlaski Rakowicze Nowoberezowo KM 100 Kraina Jahusztowo Zbucz Hajnówka Texts: Emilia Zajczyk, Anna Androsiuk Parcewo Morze Stary Park of Miniatures of Podlaskie Project Coordinator: Teresa Karkowska (Amistad Sp. z o.o.), Orla Kornin Historic Monuments Spiczki Koryciski Monika Laskowska (UMWP) Koszele Translation: Małgorzata Walczak, Gerard Nawrocki Dubicze Cerkiewne (Letterman Sp. z o.o.) Redakcja: Barbara Gąsiorowska Korekta: Paulina Foszczyńska Cover photo: Orthodox church w Puchły, photo E. Zajczyk Mapy: Dawid Kwoka Milejczyce Czeremcha Synagogue and Jewish cemetery At the Country Yard Festival Cover design, graphic concept: Michał Tincel Podlaskie of Many Cultures and Nations Typesetting: Dawid Kwoka Voivodship Grabarka Prepared for publication by: Sanctuary on the Holy Hill of Grabarka Marshal’s Office of the Podlaskie Region Drohiczyn Franciscan and Jesuit ul. Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego 1, 15-888 Białystok Prepared for publication by: monastery complexes Phone +48 85 6654171 Amistad Sp. z o.o. – Program PolskaTurystyczna.pl www.wrotapodlasia.pl pl. Na Groblach 8/2, 31-101 Kraków [email protected] Phone: +48 12 4229922 ISBN 978-83-949524-7-1 E-mail: [email protected], www.polskaturystyczna.pl Introduction Following the trails of various cultures and religions, meetings with interesting people, listening to their stories and their spe‑ cific dialect, familiarising yourself with local folklore and tasting savoury regional dishes – this is how your leisure activities in the Podlaskie cultural melting pot may look like. The region’s tourist maps show thematic trails which offer op‑ portunities to get in touch with cultures and religions that have been present here for centuries. They include the Tatar Trail, presenting architecture, customs and culinary traditions of the local Tatar community. The Ecumenical Trail and the Trail of Religions of the Podlaskie Region lead next to the neighbouring Catholic and Orthodox churches, synagogues and other sacred buildings. Centuries ‑long influences of various religions have also left their marks on regional cuisine. Lithuanian kartacze and blini rule in the northern part of the region, Belarusian potato cake and po‑ tato sausage are popular in the environs of Białystok, whilst the south is known for its zaguby – local dumplings. Other regional delicacies include Balkan buza, and białys, a bread roll of the type of the Jewish bagel. Numerous indoor and open ‑air museums spare no effort to present and promote the region’s cultural diversity. The the‑ atres and the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic – the European Centre for Culture and Art in Białystok significantly contribute to the region’s cultural life. You can also experience Podlaskie Re‑ gion’s multiculturalism at numerous festivals and concerts, in particular in the summer season. Such events as the Podlaskie Octave of Cultures and Basovishcha have become widely popu‑ lar and attract many spectators, not only from Poland. Various kinds of fairs offer the opportunities for buying local craft prod‑ ucts, traditional cheese, cured meat and bread. The events are accompanied by folk music and dance. The Tatar community has lived in the Podlaskie can be found in Puńsk and Sejny. Local residents On the multicultural trail Region for centuries. The population concen‑ have a good command of Lithuanian. In view of trates around two main centres: Kruszyniany and a high percentage of the Lithuanian minority, the Bohoniki, which attract tourists by the charms of region is often called ”Little Lithuania”. Looking at the Podlaskie Region, you can easily see the traces of simple, wooden mosques and the taste of local The Tree and the Sacred Podlaskie many cultures visible in its architecture, dialect and even local Tatar cuisine. It is worth taking the Tatar Trail Cultural Trail (Podlaski Szlak Kulturowy cuisine. The region is often called a multicultural melting pot to discover this specific part of the region. On the ”Drzewo i Sakrum”) is a journey among way there are not only mosques but also Muslim sacred and secular wooden architecture, offer‑ owing to the influences of various nationalities. cemeteries (mizars) and other sites connected ing the opportunity to become acquainted with with the history and culture of Polish Tatars. The the dialect of local residents characterized by trail also leads through small towns where the a lot of borrowings from Belarusian. The trail traces of the once multicultural community have leads through villages of the Hajnówski, Biel‑ survived, e.g. Supraśl, Sokółka and Krynki. ski and Białostocki poviats, with their wooden The Jewish community has greatly contrib‑ architecture of local cottages, farm buildings, uted to the region’s development. Shortly be‑ churches, windmills and crosses. Wooden fore the Second World War Jews accounted for buildings dating to the end of the 16th century, a half of the local population in many larger and wooden cottages lavishly adorned with carved smaller towns. Industry and commerce boomed ornaments and the koźlak ‑type windmills have in Białystok, Tykocin and Krynki owing to the survived on The Tree and the Sacred Trail. One Jewish community. Tragically, the war brought of the best preserved windmills may be seen in On the multicultural trail the community in Podlaskie to an end. Today the village of Dubicze Cerkiewne; finely adorned the Trail of Jewish Heritage leads along the wooden houses add variety to the landscape of traces of Białystok Jews. There are 36 sites on Puchły and Trześcianka villages. Colourful wood‑ the way, including three former prayer houses: en shatters, ornamented corners and gables, as the Sand Synagogue at 3 Piękna Street, the well as benches in front of the houses, attract Cytron family prayer house at 24 Waryńskiego the visitor’s attention. Characteristic house dec‑ Street and Samuel Mohilewer’s Synagogue at orations which can be admired in the Podlaskie 3 Branickiego Street. Besides Białystok, other countryside are due to the merging of many relics of the former Jewish community may be cultural influences, in particular Russian. When found in Tykocin, Krynki, Milejczyce and other following The Tree and the Sacred Trail you can localities, where synagogues and kirkuts (Jewish meet folk craftsmen, sculptors and other artists cemeteries) are still in existence. Sejny was also who contribute to a unique atmosphere and cul‑ a major centre of the pre ‑war Jewish minority. tural space of this part of the region. The White Synagogue and the Talmudic house Białystok ‑ the capital of the Podlaskie Re‑ have survived in the town, the latter now hous‑ gion ‑ ‑ reflects its multiculturalism. The Trail of ing the Borderland of Arts, Cultures and Esperanto and Many Cultures crosses the Nations Centre. city. It leads to the sites connected with Lud‑ The Sejny Region has been for centuries un‑ wik Zamenhof, the Białystok ‑born inventor of der diverse cultural influences.