Janowiec

Introducing Janowiec

The village of Janowiec (yah-no-vyets), 2km upstream on the other side of the Vistula from Kazimierz Dolny, is best known for its castle, which is now part of the Janowiec Museum (081 881 5228; www.muzeumnadwislanskie.pl in Polish; ul Lubelska 20; adult/concession 8/6zł; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat & Sun May-Oct, 10am-2pm Mon, 10am-5pm Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun Nov-Apr). Inside the grounds of the castle, visitors can climb a few levels to viewing platforms offering a wide perspective of the castle and the surrounding countryside. Various rooms show exhibitions and contemporary ‘art’.

The castle was built in the first half of the 16th century by Italian architect Santi Gucci Fiorentino, at the request of Mikołaj Firlej. It was furnished in 1537 and in the second half of the century Andrej Firlej converted the castle into a Renaissance residence. Through many years and owners (including the Tarło, Lubomirski and Osławski families), the castle grew to more than 100 rooms and became one of the most splendid in Poland. The Swedes began the process of ruination and two world wars completed the castle’s demise. Under communism, it was the only private castle in Poland; it was finally handed over to the state in 1975 by its last owner, Leon Kozłowski.

The castle is still in ruins, but intense renovations have restored some rooms and revived external painted decorations. Upon entering the castle, note the red-and-white striped walls. This is not the work of a prankster graffiti artist; it is, apparently, how the castle was originally dressed.

In the park beside the castle is a manor house from the 1760s (another part of the museum), which offers insights into how Polish nobility lived. Among the outbuildings surrounding the manor is an old two-storey granary with an interesting ethnographic exhibition featuring old fishing boats, ceramics, tools and household implements.

It’s also worth going down to the to Janowiec village at the foot of the castle to see its mid-14th-century Gothic parish church, extensively rebuilt in Renaissance style in the 1530s. Inside is the tomb of the Firlej family, carved in the workshop of Santi Gucci from 1586 to 1587.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009