Chustki: a sandstone Madonna and a tour with an optional stop
Accommodation in Chustki
Chustki combines a Madonna carved from local sandstone with a cycling or skiing tour that can include the village as an optional stop. The figure is connected with a history of religious devotion and unusual accounts; the tour places Chustki within a longer route through several villages and two river valleys.
The Madonna of Chustki: the figure and its story
The Madonna figure dates from 1898 and is carved from local sandstone. During the interwar period, it was a place of devotion and a destination for pilgrimages. A 2011 municipal travel guide recounts that the Madonna of Chustki stopped weeping when the Second World War broke out. According to eyewitness accounts, her tears were bloody. The Church did not recognize the reported phenomenon as a miracle, and scientific investigations could not determine its cause. At the same time, the interpretation that the Madonna had wanted to warn people of an imminent danger was passed down; however, her signs were not understood correctly. For context, it is helpful to distinguish between the two: the date and sandstone describe the figure, while the weeping and warning belong to the story passed down.
For orientation, the 2011 municipal travel guide locates the figure on the right in the direction of travel from Radom to Szydłowiec, just beyond the junction with the local road to Zdziechów. Check these directions before your visit, as they date from 2011.
Cycling or skiing tour with Chustki as an optional stop
The approximately 30-kilometre tour is described as a cycling or skiing tour. It starts and ends in Szydłowiec, runs through the valleys of the Korzeniówka and Szabasówka, and passes through Krzcięcin, Korzyce, Omięcin, Wysoka, the Marianka Chapel and Zdziechów on the way back. Chustki can optionally be included after Zdziechów. The description comes from a 2011 municipal travel guide. Check whether the route marking is current before setting off.
Another route to compare in the wider Szydłowiecki destination area is cycle route No. 1: it is 23 kilometres long, with a 33-kilometre variant. The route runs from Szydłowiec via Szydłowiec PKP, Sadek and Barak, and back to Szydłowiec. This gives you a choice between a roughly 30-kilometre tour with a possible stop in Chustki, a shorter route and its longer variant. The description of cycle route No. 1 dates from 2016; check the condition of the route before setting off.
Culture in the wider Szydłowiecki destination area
Szydłowiec is home to a brick castle built by Stanisław Szydłowiecki between 1470 and 1480. It stands on an artificially raised island in the Korzeniówka floodplain. The Muzeum Ludowych Instrumentów Muzycznych has its exhibitions in the castle chambers, including three permanent exhibitions. Founded in 1968, the museum is considered the world’s first independent museum dedicated to folk musical instruments. The Eksperymentarium Dźwięku is also located in one of the castle’s oldest chambers. There, visitors can play rare musical instruments and create digital compositions. Szydłowiec thus offers a different cultural experience from the religious story associated with the Madonna in Chustki: at the Eksperymentarium, trying things out for yourself is part of the experience described.
Discover more destinations: Szydłowiec, Chlewiska, Ostałówek, Jastrząb, Sulistrowice.
Go to the broader travel overview: Szydłowiecki.
