MAGICAL LAND OF THE LEMKOS - ŁEMKOWYNA

You should start your search in Zyndranowa, where, as if using a time machine, you will be transported to another - cultural, religious and linguistic - dimension. There is a Museum of Lemko Culture that collects objects characteristic of the Lemko region, such as an old Lemko hut - chyża, a former stable - koniusznia, smithy, windmill, pigsty, inn or chapel. While you're there, pay attention to the appearance of the cottages and the colorful sculptures, distinctive costumes, original old furniture, everyday objects, farm tools or utensils commonly used by the Lemkos displayed in the open-air museum. The special atmosphere of Lemkowyna can be experienced during outdoor painting workshops and events such as: "From Rusal to John".

From Zyndranowa - through Daliowa - it's worth heading to the non-existing Lemko village of Królik Wołoski to visit the restored Greek Catholic Church of the Transmission of the Relics of St. Nicholas the Baptist . This temple, hidden among the trees, was built of river stone in 1843. Next to the temple you can find a cemetery with 35 preserved tombstones made of sandstone in the shape of a cross. In turn, 200 meters south of the Orthodox church, on the left side of the main stream, stands among the bushes, by a small road, a chapel from 1794 - one of the oldest in the region.

The temples are most prominent manifestation of Lemko culture. Although some of them remain only mysterious-looking Orthodox churches, the landscape of the Low Beskids is still marked by churches topped with onion-shaped helmets, such as those under the sign of wooden architecture: in Krempna, Olchowiec, or colorful Orthodox churches-churches in Świątkowa Wielka and Świątkowa Mała. In Bałucianka, in turn, rises the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God Church, built around 1750, one of the oldest and best preserved in 
Lemko Region. Inside, the iconostasis is surprisingly decorated with floral motifs characteristic of local Lemko woodcarving.

An important point on the trail of Lemko culture is the now defunct village of Wołtuszowa, located near Rymanów-Zdrój. In the midst of the forest, on a low hill, hidden in the shade of aged lindens and oaks, are the remains of the village, which before the war was inhabited by 149 residents. It's the perfect place for relaxing in nature and contemplation.

These are by no means the only places with the spirit of Lemkovyna. Also worth visiting:

- Wróblik Szlachecki and the former Dormition of the Mother of God church and Greek Catholic cemetery;

- Besko and the Orthodox church on a not-so-high hill overlooking the Wislok River winding below, and further on the Bukowica and Dział ranges in the Low Beskid;

- Odrzechowa - a cemetery with historic Lemko tombstones;

- Płonne - a village with the ruins of a brick Orthodox church, where an imitation of an iconostasis was created on one of the walls, and on the desks resembling an Orthodox tetrapod were placed pre-war photos of the villagers.

Worth knowing:

Nowadays, Lemko identity is being revived in various regions of Poland. This is manifested, among other things, in the social and cultural activities of people of Lemko origin. The number of people declaring Lemko nationality is also growing (approximately 6,000 thousand in 2005 and nearly 10,000 in 2011)