Grybow: Churches, History and Culture

Grybow (Grybów) lies in the Biała River valley, on the edge of the Low Beskids. At the same time, the town’s most important historic monuments are concentrated around the market square. This makes it possible to discover the town from two specific perspectives: as a place in a clearly defined landscape and as an urban space with buildings and places of remembrance from different periods. During your stay, you can focus on architecture, Christian art, Jewish history or rail connections.

Architecture around the market square

The town hall stands on the north side of the market square. It is a Neo-Gothic brick building dating from 1902. Southeast of the square is the manor house of the Hoschów family, a Classical building that has been preserved to this day. The two buildings differ clearly in style and period: the town hall is defined by Neo-Gothic brickwork, while the manor house features a Classical form.

Another historic building is the “Sokół” Society House at 7 Kościuszki Street. It was built between 1906 and 1910 and retains a clearly recognizable historic form and architectural details. The information about its construction date and design gives you a concrete sense of the variety of Grybow’s historic buildings, without reducing them to a single period.

Basilica and religious art

The Basilica of Saint Catherine of Alexandria is a Neo-Gothic parish church, built from 1909 to 1914. Its tower is 77 meters high. The basilica also houses two works of religious art: the venerated image of Our Lady Przedziwna, dating from 1700, and a wooden Madonna and Child known as the Madonna of Grybów. The church’s history and its named artworks are thus distinct aspects of the same place of worship.

The synagogue on Kilińskiego Street is another tangible historic structure in the town. It was built in 1909; a niche for the Aron ha-Kodesh, the Torah ark in a synagogue, has been preserved. This surviving architectural detail gives the building a clearly identifiable connection to Jewish tradition.

Jewish history and places of remembrance

Jewish Cemetery No. 130 preserves around 50 stone gravestones from the 19th and 20th centuries. The cemetery also has a separate military section. Jewish soldiers who fell in the First World War are buried there. The approximate number of gravestones and the separate military section offer two different perspectives on the site: gravestones preserved from several decades and a memorial to soldiers who fell in the war.

Another place of remembrance is War Cemetery No. 129 from the First World War, on the southeastern edge of Grybow. It was designed by Hans Mayr. The cemetery numbers help distinguish this site from Jewish Cemetery No. 130.

The parish museum

The historic Grybow rectory was probably built in 1699 and now houses the parish museum. Its permanent exhibition is divided into a section on Western and one on Eastern Christian civilization, with an additional section devoted to Jewish tradition. The exhibition thus covers several religious traditions rather than focusing on just one subject area.

Specific exhibits include the painting “Saint Zofia with Her Daughters,” dating from 1440. The Eastern exhibition section contains icons, some of which date back to the 17th century. The dates provide different points of reference: the painting is dated to 1440, while some of the icons are from the 17th century.

Getting there by train

Grybow railway station is on the Tarnów–Leluchów railway line, route 96. It is served by lines K7/K71 on the Kraków/Tarnów – Nowy Sącz – Krynica-Zdrój route. If you plan to travel by train, check the timetable before setting out: train connections and journey times may change.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Rożnów, Uhryń, Krynica-Zdrój, Białawoda, Stary Sącz, Rąbkowa, Cieniawa, Łącko.

For the broader travel overview: Nowy Sącz.