Sights in Tykocin
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Pentowo
Storks are a common sight in towns and villages across Podlasie, where artificial platforms are carefully constructed for the lanky white birds to build their nests upon. But Pentowo, a collection of farm buildings 2km northwest of Tykocin on the road to Kiermusy, holds the title of Poland's Stork Village. In 1991 a hurricane ripped through the village, snapping many of the trees like twigs, and over the ensuing years storks began to nest in the broken treetops.
Storks are notoriously inept at building their homes, so the locals decided to give these bringers of happiness and babies a lending hand, and eight platforms were built. Today Pentowo can boast 23 nests and at t…
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Tykocin Museum
Renovated after the war, the synagogue is now the Tykocin Museum. The interior, with a massive almemar (raised platform on which the reading desk stands) in the centre and an elaborate Aron Kodesh (the Holy Ark where the Torah scrolls are kept) in the eastern wall, has preserved many of the original wall paintings, including Hebraic inscriptions. Adjacent to the former prayer room is a small exhibition containing photos and documents of Tykocin’s Jewish community and objects related to religious ritual, such as elaborate brass and silver hanukiahs (candelabras), Talmudic books and liturgical equipment.
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Monument to Stefan Czarniecki
In the middle of the spacious Rynek (called Plac Czanieckiego) stands the Monument to Stefan Czarniecki, a national hero who distinguished himself in battles against the Swedes. The statue, from the 1760s, is one of the oldest secular monuments in Poland.
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Holy Trinity Church
On the eastern side of town stands the 18th-century Baroque Holy Trinity Church. Two symmetrical towers linked to the main building by arcaded galleries overlook the spacious Rynek (called Plac Czanieckiego).
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Alumnat
Next to the Holy Trinity Church is the squat Alumnat, the world's first hospice for war veterans, dating from 1633. It still provides food and lodging, but nowadays for tourists.
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