Sękowa: UNESCO Wooden Church, Mausoleum and Culture
Accommodation in Sękowa
Sękowa offers a distinctive mix of architectural history, culture and hiking. Its Gothic wooden church belongs to the serial UNESCO World Heritage Site “Wooden Churches of Southern Małopolska”; the Długosz family mausoleum, designed in the style of an ancient Greek temple, provides a different note. At one edition of the “Muzyka Zaklęta w Drewnie” festival, the event showcased not only music but also the culture and traditions of the Beskid Niski. Workshops and demonstrations of traditional crafts were held at one festival edition. A blue hiking trail from Gorlice to the mountain hut on Magura Małastowska also passes through the village. This gives you concrete interests to weigh up for your trip to Poland: Gothic wooden architecture, a different historical building style or a named hiking destination.
File:Sękowa, Kościół św. Filipa i św. Jakuba w Sękowej 11.jpg
Photo: Jacek Daczyński via Source, CC BY-SA 4.0
The wooden church in the UNESCO listing
At a serial World Heritage Site, several churches are included in a single listing. In Sękowa, the wooden church is part of the UNESCO site “Wooden Churches of Southern Małopolska”; the site comprises six of the region’s best-preserved and oldest Gothic wooden churches. This makes the village recognisable both as the location of an individual church and as part of a regional architectural context. If you choose Gothic wooden architecture as a theme for your trip to Poland, this affiliation offers a concrete point of reference for planning your trip.
A different architectural style: the Długosz Mausoleum
A distinctive architectural feature is the Długosz family mausoleum in the parish cemetery in Sękowa. It was completed in 1928 and is an elegant, imposing building in the style of an ancient Greek temple. This style contrasts sharply with the Gothic wooden architecture of the UNESCO-listed church. Together, the two buildings represent different architectural idioms: Gothic wooden architecture and a mausoleum inspired by antiquity. The year dates the building, while its design points to a much older architectural tradition. When deciding whether Sękowa is a good fit for a culture-focused trip to Poland, you can take this contrast into account as a concrete criterion.
A festival spanning music and crafts
The “Muzyka Zaklęta w Drewnie” festival offers another way to experience the culture of the area. At one edition, local foods and regional touches were part of the offering; the event showcased not only music but also the culture and traditions of the Beskid Niski. The ensemble Tulia performed at one edition in the historic Church of St Philip and St James in Sękowa. Workshops, demonstrations and meetings about traditional crafts were held near the church at one edition. Topics included ceramics, weaving, herbalism and historical uses of natural resources. The festival’s content therefore ranges from music and food to craft techniques and knowledge of materials. If you would like to include an event in your trip plans, check the dates and programme for the relevant edition.
A hiking trail through Sękowa
The blue hiking trail from Gorlice to the mountain hut on Magura Małastowska passes through Sękowa; the hut is located at 813 m above sea level. This makes the village part of a route with a specifically named start and destination. Alongside its cultural attractions, this can be a distinct hiking draw when choosing your destination: you can consider whether to include the trail through Sękowa and the destination on Magura in your hiking plans. Before setting out, it is advisable to check the current condition of the trail.
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