WOW... IT’S RZESZÓW!

MUSEUM OF BEDTIME CARTOONS

ul. Mickiewicza 13, Rzeszów
tel. 17 748 36 51, 17 748 36 52
e-mail: poczta@muzeumdobranocek.com.pl

Ticket prices: 8 zł – normalny/4 zł – ulgowy

Duration of tour: 30 min. – 1,5 h

Opening times:*
Tuesday – Friday: 9.00 – 17.00
Saturday – Sunday: 10.00 – 18.00
Monday – closed

summer and winter holidays: 
Monday – Friday: 9.00 – 17.00
Saturday – Sunday: 10.00 – 18.00

During your visit to Rzeszów you can also admire impressive heritage sites representing various periods in the town’s history. While walking along 3 Maja Street (also known as Paniaga), which is one of the oldest areas and today a popular pedestrian zone, you can see the FORMER PIARIST CONVENT, one of the most valuable landmarks of Rzeszów. This is an architectural complex representing Classicist-style Baroque, which is a rarity in Poland. At present this tourist attraction comprises the Holy Cross Church, Secondary School No. 1 and the Regional Museum located in the former monastery. The building once holding Collegium Ressoviense, is home to one of Poland’s oldest secondary schools, whose alumni include a number of distinguished Poles, for instance Ignacy Łukasiewicz, a pioneer of oil industry and an inventor, as well as Władysław Sikorski, a Prime Minister. The Regional Museum is also worth visiting, particularly for enthusiasts of Polish art. In the Museum gallery we can admire works by such remarkable painters as Gierymski, Mehoffer, Boznańska, and Grottger.a

 

REGIONAL MUSEUM

ul. 3 Maja 19, Rzeszów

tel: 17 853 52 78

e-mail: tkusior@muzeum.rzeszow.pl

 

 

Opening times:*

Monday – closed

Tuesday – Friday: 10:00-17:00

Saturday, Sunday: 10:00-16:00

Ticket prices:

10,00 zł – regular/ 8,00 zł – discount

Where else should you go in Rzeszów to see interesting heritage sites? After a visit to the Piarist Convent, take a walk to the end of 3 Maja Street, then follow Lubomirski Street to reach the Lubomirski Family Castle and Palace.

 

Centuries ago the stronghold was meant to provide protection against Tatar invasions. Even today LUBOMIRSKI CASTLE retains its fortified structures and a wide moat. The castle is surrounded with stone walls featuring imposing bastions in the corners, reaching a height of 5 metres. A little known fact is that a monastery in Rozwadów (suburb of Stalowa Wola, a city in the north of the region) was built as a result of an incident which took place in the Castle. A local legend has it that its owner, Jerzy Ignacy Lubomirski, made a bet that he would shoot a rooster from a castle window, yet he missed and killed a man instead. To atone for the sin he founded the monastery. Centuries later, during the Nazi occupation and in the times of the communist regime, the castle was used as a prison and witnessed numerous executions. Memorial Room honouring victims of these times was arranged here by the Institute of National Remembrance. Today home to a court of justice, the Castle can be visited inside during business hours.

LUBOMIRSKI FAMILY CASTLE

Plac Śreniawitów 3, Rzeszów

tel. 17 87 56 200

MEMORIAL ROOM IN THE CASTLE

Closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

 

In close proximity to the Castle there is another, more elegant residence connected with the Lubomirski family. The refined character of the building formerly known as the Garden Palace is for instance reflected by its H-shaped floor plan making reference to the name of Hieronim Lubomirski, its first owner. SUMMER PALACE OF THE LUBOMIRSKI FAMILY was designed as a maison de plaisance – pleasure place, and was used for entertainment and leisure. Inside there used to be a theatre room, and outside the charming little palace was surrounded with an impressive French Baroque garden featuring an orangery, menagerie and a Chinese style gazebo. It was for his young wife that Jerzy Ignacy Lubomirski had the garden redesigned into such a grand establishment. Later it was swallowed by the expanding city, and its only relics include the small garden surrounding the building and a linden avenue once leading to the palace.

 

SUMMER PALACE OF THE LUBOMIRSKI FAMILY

Jana Dekerta 2, Rzeszów

During a sightseeing tour of the landmarks associated with former owners of Rzeszów you should definitely take a walk along Chestnut Avenue (Aleja Pod Kasztanami) located nearby. This is a perfect place for a romantic stroll. The delightful narrow avenue opposite the Castle features a few enchanting ART NOUVEAU VILLAS. Amply decorated, they look like tiny castles or mansions. Two villas represent a Swiss style. One of these (no. 10), the Owl Villa features a unique sgraffito sundial. In the garden we can see a charming little fountain with tiny figures of children playing in a pool. All the quaint little “castles” with their lovely ornamentation look captivating, especially at night in the light of streetlamps. 

 

ART NOUVEAU VILLAS

Aleja Pod Kasztanami 6, 8, 10, Rzeszów

 

RZESZÓW TOWN HALL represents a wealth of history going back to the 15th century. Over the ages the building was home to the city council; there were craftsmen’s stalls and even a jail. Interestingly, in the 1600s there was a bell in the tower of the town hall; in the morning it called for opening and in the afternoon for closing of trade in the nearby market square. In the late 1800s the edifice was reconstructed, receiving neo-Gothic features; the building was also expanded, and an additional floor was added. Today, every three hours the city’s trumpet call is played from the tower; it was composed by Tomasz Stańko, an outstanding jazz trumpeter who was born in Rzeszów. In the summer you can meet a militia officer from the times of Jerzy Ignacy Lubomirski, walking in the vicinity of the Town Hall; you can talk to him and get a picture. To visit the Town Hall you must arrange a tour by phone.

 

 

RZESZÓW TOWAN HALL

Rynek 1, Rzeszów

tel. 17 788 99 00

Opening times:

Monday – Friday: 7:30- 15:30

If you want to see architectural structures representing various periods, including the most ancient times in the town’s history, you must come to Plac Farny. Located there THE TOWN PARISH CHURCH in its essential part is the oldest building in Rzeszów. What is interesting, in its original form it was built at a location of a burnt-down church which had been erected before 1363. In the tumultuous history of the town the church was later destroyed by fire many times, for instance by Tatars, Turks and Vlachs invading the area. The graveyard existing near the church until the 18th century, was used as a burial place for members of distinguished families living in Rzeszów. 

 

TOWN PARISH CHURCH

Plac Farny 5, Rzeszów,

tel. 17 853 30 16

 e-mail: fararzeszow@gmail.com

Standing in the heart of the city, Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, part of the Bernardine Monastery, is a particularly valuable landmark of Rzeszów. It also holds the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Rzeszów, attracting those devoted to the Virgin Mary. In 1513, at the location today occupied by the basilica, the Mother of God appeared to Jakub Ado who was working in his orchard. A legend has it that from that moment, those praying before Mary’s figure were healed or converted. The miracle-working figure of Mother Mary with Baby Jesus by some is dated to the 14th century. BERNARDINE MONASTERY COMPLEX was built in the early 1600s, to replace an older wooden church. Interestingly, the monastery was originally designed and built as a defensive structure. Surrounded with ponds and walls, the complex was part of north-western structures built in rear of the existing Rzeszów fortifications. The landmark is recognised as one of the most remarkable examples of Polish late-Renaissance architecture! It also contains holy relics of St. John Paul II. After a visit to this amazing church, you can relax in the Bernardine Gardens nearby.ne relikwie Św. Jana Pawła II. Po zwiedzaniu tej wyjątkowej świątyni odetchnąć możecie w przyklasztornych Ogrodach Bernardyńskich.

 

BASILICA MINOR – BERNARDINE MONASTERY COMPLEX

ul. Sokoła 8, Rzeszów,

tel: 17 853 34 95

e-mail: sanktuarium1513@gmail.com

BERNARDINE GARDENS

Opening times:

daily from 8.00-21.00

Visitors to Rzeszów can also see here landmarks connected with cultural heritage of communities living in the town before WWII. At that time Jews accounted for 41% of the entire population of Rzeszów, which was even referred to as Mojżeszow. The valuable landmarks of the city include two synagogues. The older one, referred to as OLD TOWN SYNAGOGUE is dated to the late 16th/early 17th century, and is the oldest building in Poland related to the history of Polish Jews. Although the building is not open to public, you must go to Bożnicza street to see the landmark with its characteristic original turret. Located nearby, the NEW TOWN SYNAGOGUE dating from the late 17th century today is home to BWA art gallery.

 

NEW TOWN SYNAGOGUE

ul. Sobieskiego 17, Rzeszów

OLD TOWN SYNAGOGUE

ul. Bożnicza 4, Rzeszów

Tourist attractions in Rzeszów also include unique military heritage sites. At Królowej Marysieńki Street, hidden underneath a modest detached house, there is a fallout shelter from the times of the Cold War. “MARYSIEŃKA” SHELTER in Rzeszów is one of the four unique facilities of this type in Poland. Designed for conditions existing during nuclear warfare, it contains sanitary facilities, boiler room, electric switchboard, kitchen, doctor’s office, and hydrophore station with the facility’s own deep water well. On display you will also find telephone switchboard, command station, teleprinters which were used in the past to send messages, as well as fully operational OK receiver, used for radio monitoring.   

 

“MARYSIEŃKA” FALLOUT SHELTER

ul. Królowej Marysieńki 3, Rzeszów

Tel. +48 601 885 820

Opening times:

please check at the website of the Museum of Technical and Military Heritage  or Facebook @MTiMRzeszow.

During a visit to Rzeszów you should also visit SZAJNA GALLERY, located at Sokoła Street in the attic of the theatre, where you can see works by Józef Szajna, one of the most remarkable Polish contemporary artists. This world-famous theatre director, author of experimental performances, stage designer and painter, was born in Rzeszów. This is a unique place, as it holds the artist’s only permanent exposition in Poland or in the world. The Gallery shows works created by this outstanding artist throughout his creative career. During your visit to the Gallery you will experience the artistic world created by Józef Szajna and admire his monumental paintings, drawings, spatial compositions and elements of stage scenery. It should be emphasised that his art was greatly affected by the fact that during WWII he spent time in a concentration camp where he was kept in a death cell.

SZAJNA GALLERY

ul. Sokoła 7/9, Rzeszów

tel. 17 853 22 52

Opening times:

Closed

In Rzeszów you do not need any tickets to admire contemporary art. If “traditional” tour of the Old Town is not your cup of tea, you can have a good time looking for works of street art. More and more MURALS are created each year, or in fact each month. By following “the route” of mural paintings you can see nearly the entire city from the old town as far as Lisia Góra Nature Reserve. In Rzeszów you can see wall paintings depicting for example a girl with headphones sitting at a desk, or distinguished people connected with the city. Portraits of Tomasz Stańko, Jerzy Grotowski, Wanda Siemaszkowa, and many more can be admired in an unusual place – they cover concrete meter wells in the Bulwary Park along the Wisłok river. The latest additions to this outdoor gallery in Rzeszów include a portrait of Irena Sendler, a mural depicting Gary Cooper as the lonesome marshal from “High Noon” movie, directed by Fred Zinnemann who was born in Rzeszów, and a picture of a girl drawing water from a well, painted by Arkadiusz Andriejkow, an artist from Sanok.

ŻWIROWNIA BATHING LAKE is a popular recreational area with a beach and a small playground, attracting local residents and tourists in the summer. This is a perfect option of a hot sunny day, and a great attraction for children. The beach gently descends towards the lake, and there is a specially delineated shallow area for small children. Adults can also go swimming here, the delineated part of the lake in some places is two metres deep. Those into swimming and sunbathing are not the only ones to enjoy this place. The beach and the lake also offer attractions for enthusiasts of active leisure.

 

The bathing area is located within the old river bed of the Wisłok, and in the ecological zone of the river valley. The surface of the lake occupies an area of 3.5 hectares, and the beach spreads in an area of 20 ares. Whether you like to play volleyball, go kayaking or paddle boating, or prefer to just lie down under a palm tree and watch the ducks, or perhaps have a barbecue, the bathing area makes all these options possible.