Gilowice

Gilowice can be explored through several specific themes: the history of the wooden Church of St. Andrew the Apostle, the Łękawka Valley, and routes into the Little Beskids (Beskid Mały). This combination is appealing if you want to consider cultural stops as well as scenery when choosing a place in Poland. The themes also have different emphases: the church tells a story of construction and relocation, while the routes lead into the mountains. Gilowice, together with the hamlet of Gilowice–Rozcięta, extends through the Łękawka Valley.

The Wooden Church and Its History

The Church of St. Andrew the Apostle was completed in 1545. In 1756, the wooden church was moved from Rychwałd to Gilowice. Its completion and relocation mark two distinct stages in its history. It is also part of the Silesian Wooden Architecture Trail. The relocation makes one part of the building’s history visible, while the themed trail places the church in a regional architectural context. If you consider historic architecture when choosing a destination, this building gives you a specific point of interest in Gilowice.

The Łękawka and Routes into the Little Beskids

Gilowice and the hamlet of Gilowice–Rozcięta extend through the Łękawka Valley. In the center, a rest and educational site for tourists and residents of the Polish-Slovak border region was established on the river in December 2022. Part of the territory of the Gilowice municipality lies within Beskid Mały Landscape Park; Gilowice is also a starting point for unmarked routes into the Little Beskids. These details have different geographic scopes: the landscape park covers part of the municipality, while the routes begin in Gilowice. If you make the mountains your main focus, the routes’ unmarked status is a specific point to consider in your planning. The riverside rest and educational site and the mountain routes serve different purposes: one is a place to spend time and learn, the other a starting point for trails.

Culture and Traditions

Local culture also includes the regional ensemble “Dolanie,” founded in March 1997 at the Municipal Cultural Center in Gilowice. Its founding adds a more recent time period alongside the older church and locates part of the area’s cultural history at the local cultural center. Another example is the Gilowice cycling tour on May 1, 2023. It began at the Chapel of St. Joseph in the parish garden and followed the Chapel Trail, passing chapels and roadside figures commemorating St. John Paul II, as far as the border with Ślemień. At the Chapel of Kuźnik, participants learned about the history of the chapel’s construction and the earlier tradition of singing at the chapels on May evenings. The cycling tour thus linked specific stops with stories about religious sites and earlier customs.

Many locals and visitors from elsewhere gathered at the Second Christmas Market in Gilowice in 2025. Alongside the architectural and cultural history, this example shows another aspect of local events.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Bystra, Kocierz Moszczanicki, Cisiec, Pietrzykowice, Sopotnia Wielka, Kamesznica, Wieprz, Glinka.

For the overview of the wider area: Żywiec.