Kęty

City History and Everyday Culture

The Aleksander Kłosiński Museum is located in a historic townhouse at Rynek 16. Its collection offers an insight into everyday history: exhibits include household items and objects related to food preparation. Clay vessels from local pottery centers complement this focus, along with handmade historical toys by local artisans. If you are interested in past ways of life and local crafts, the museum offers a different way to experience the city than visiting its churches.

A tourist information office is located in the Miejsce Aktywności Mieszkańców at Rynek 13. The Aleksander Kłosiński Museum and the information office are therefore both on the Rynek, though at different street numbers. These are two named points of contact with different purposes to help you find your way around.

Churches and Sacred Art

The parish church of Saints Margaret and Catherine in Kęty was built as the first shrine to Saint John Cantius in Poland and worldwide. It attracts pilgrims to the Kęty devotional image of the Virgin Mary, which dates to the first quarter of the 15th century. The image follows the Byzantine Hodegetria type and comes from the so-called Kraków school. Growing devotion to the devotional image of Our Lady of Consolation led to the church in Kęty being granted the status of a Marian shrine.

The Church of Saint John Cantius also tells the story of the city's religious history. As devotion and pilgrimages grew, it was expanded into its present-day Baroque form in 1715. Its furnishings are late Baroque; the main altar, with the painting “Vision of Saint John of Kęty,” dates from 1722. A wax sculpture of Saint John Cantius was donated in 1767 by professors of the Kraków Academy to commemorate his canonization.

The Reformed Franciscan monastery complex is a monument to 18th-century sacred architecture. The monastery houses the Monastery Museum. Visits are scheduled on selected Sundays after the 10:00 and 12:00 Masses. The monastery complex also hosts annual celebrations of the Franciscan Portiuncula Indulgence, attended by thousands of worshippers. A museum of Blessed Mother Celina is located next to the friary.

Cycling and Following in Cantius’s Footsteps

For active exploration, Kęty has long cycling routes that are part of the Ziemia Oświęcimska cycling network. They often follow secluded paths through forests and fields, alongside rivers and between ponds. These landscapes give cycling in Kęty a different character from exploring the medieval street layout and church collections. You can plan your stay around whether you would prefer to focus on culture or spend time on the cycling routes.

Another way to get to know Kęty is the historical quest walk With Cantius through Kęty. Cantius, the city's patron saint who was born in Kęty, accompanies participants through the streets adjoining the market square. The quest is designed as an outdoor activity that is available at any time. Its starting point is about 0.6 km on foot from Kęty railway station. If you arrive by train, you can use this approximate distance to find your way to the starting point. The route In the Footsteps of Kęty’s Saints, Blessed and Venerated Figures has also been created in Kęty.

Kęty is particularly well suited to finding accommodation if you want to focus your trip on the city's history, sacred art or cycling routes. The sights and activities mentioned offer different ways to plan your visit, without requiring you to focus on just one theme each day.

Discover More Places

Grojec, Zator, Łęki, Skidzin, Nowa Wieś, Brzeszcze, Bielany and Jawiszowice.

For the broader travel overview: Auschwitz.