I am working to create some interesting pictures of my town. This is Skoczów located in southern Poland. Small but nice city.
With this shot I would like to say goodbye to you all for one month, I am going to a photo trip to Middle East.
CU.
More photos on www.wandzelphoto.com
About the City
The Skoczów Commune is the picturesque place located in the neighbourhood of Beskidy Mountains in the Cieszyński District. The commune is situated in the valley between Kaplic?wka Hill and G?rka Wi?licka , on the height of 260 – 389 above the sea level. It is 63 square kilometres in area. The Skocz?w Commune has 26000 habitants. It consists of a town and ten villages: Bładnice, Harbutowice, Kiczyce, Kowale, Międzyświeć, Ochaby, Pierściec, Pogórze, Wilamowice and Wiślica.
Some history…
According to the historical statements, the place which is now known as “Piekiełko” was settled in 7th – 9th century by the Goł?szycowie Tribe. In the 10th century Golęszycowie moved to the area near the Wisła River and founded the village-Skoczów. The legendary date of the establishment of Skocz?w is the year 917 and the oldest written statement about it dates back to 1232. Skoczów was founded at the salt track from Crocow to Moravia. Jan Długosz described Skocz?w in his chronicle “Dzieje Polski” as the first town upon the Wisła River from the its source. Skocz?w was also mentioned in the manorial document of the Duke of Cieszyn in 1327. In its beginnings, Skoczów had an agro, craft and trade character. The wave of people from Moravia and Hungary caused the town’s specialisation in craft. Despite the fact that Skoczów was invaded by some enemies, destroyed by fire and epidemic, people can still admire the Market Square with its buildings and Market Hall from 1797. In the central point of the Market Square there is a late baroque sculpture presenting Jonasz (also called Triton) from 1775 made by the Skocz?w’s burgher from Moravia – Wacław Donay. This sculpture was a decoration of the old urban well to which water was funnelled from Kaplic?wka Hill. The St. Jan Sarkander Museum is situated next to the Market Hall. Jan Sarkander was canonized by the Pope John Paul II on the 22nd May 1995. St. Jan Sarkander was born in Skoczów in 1576. Now he is the patron of Czech Republic and Moravia.
Tourism, sport, culture…
Skocz?w can be easily accessed thanks to its favourable location. It is located 12 kilometres away from Polish-Czech border in Cieszyn; 68 kilometres away from Katowice and 110 kilometres away from Cracow. The neighbourhood of such holiday resorts as Brenna, Ustroń or Wisła makes Skocz?w more attractive for visitors. The mountainous surrounding the city encourages people to spend their free time in an active way. Skocz?w is an ideal place for trek trips as well as for bicycle ones. In the immediate vicinity of Skoczów there are woods which are full of walking paths which are connected with the bicycle routes on the banks of Vistula River with Ustroń, Wisła and, in the north direction, with Strumień. Some tourist tracks, bicycle routes and the natural and cultural heritage Greenway trail Kraków-Morawy-Wiedeń goes through Skocz?w. In the summer the amateurs of fishing can find ideal conditions for their favourite sport. Carps and trouts are bred in the ponds in Pog?rze. In the winter, the ski lift “Pod D?bem”, which is located on the Kaplic?wka slope, is an ideal place for all fans of skiing and snowboarding. The stud farm is located in the nearby village, Ochaby. Ludowy Klub Jeździecki organises some trainings for people who want to learn how to ride a horse. It also organises some national competitions and riding shows. It is worth mentioning, that the stud from Ochaby is the only one in Poland which breeds Anglo-Arabians of the French origin. The restaurants and some accommodation facilities make this place appealing to visitors. Built in June 2001 the indoor swimming pool “Delfin” offers a wide range of attractions. It has two swimming pools, a sport and a leisure one, the 93-meter long slide, the Finnish sauna, whirlpools, the sport club and the two-track bowling club. Visitors can have a massage here and can also play tennis on one of three grass courts. The oldest Circle of PTTK in Poland has its headquarters in Skocz?w. It organises various tourist events, for example Traditional Roasting of Mutton. The Sport Club “Beskid” exists in Skocz?w and worth mentioning are the successes of its skibobbers. In Skoczów there is a seat of Polish Association of Skibobers. For many years the competitors have won first places during competitions organized in Poland and abroad. A variety of yearly cultural and sports events is a real encouragement to visit Skocz?w. Among the events first of all we should mention the Days of Skocz?w in June. Also in June there is Jan Marek Midsummer Eve Cross-Country Race in Pog?rze, whose main attraction is 12,5-km-run for adults and 3,5-km-run for children. In the May afternoons Festival of Christian Art „Musica Sacra” takes place and then in September - Street Band Festival, which is a great opportunity to sing funny and witty songs in a “courtyard” slang. At Easter there is “The Procession with Judas (Judosz)” - the only such a parade in Poland, with a straw dummy of Judas whose burning symbolizes clearing the town of any evil. Some historic monuments deserves tourists’ attention. A late Baroque Town Hall from the 18th century decorates the market square. On its front wall you can see arms of the town, a portrait St. Jan Sarkander and arms of Polish Crown of Albrecht Kazimierz - Sasko-Cieszyński Archduke. In the middle of the market square there is a late Baroque fountain with a figure of Jonas called “Triton” sculpted by an upper-class man from Skocz?w - Wacław Donay. There are also charming tenement houses, built after a fire of the town in 1910. You can go along St. Jan Sarkander route that connects places related to the life and cult of the martyr. The first place of the route is a house next to the Town Hall where the saint was born, it currently houses The Parish Museum of St. Jan Sarkander. In the town you can also visit the Gustaw Morcinek museum, where you can acquaint with the history of Cieszyn Silesia, the history of the town, and the work of a writer Gustaw Morcinek, who worked and lived in Skoczów and described the beauty of the Beskidy mountains and honoured the work of coalminers. The churches are also worth seeing: a Neo-gothic Evangelical-Augsburg church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, from the 18th century; a Roman-Catholic one under the invocation of Apostles Peter and Paul and 16th-century hospital church dedicated to the Finding of the Cross. On Kaplicówka hill (389 m above the sea level), which overtops the town, you can visit a monumental chapel which has been dedicated to St. Jan Sarkander since the 19th century. In 1985 a cross ( made on the occasion of the Pope’s visit to Poland and brought from an airport of Katowice Muchowiec) was erected in front of the chapel. This is the place where the Pope said a holy mass after the canonization of Jan Sarkander on 22nd of May 1995. Kaplic?wka Hill is a popular walking place for the inhabitants of Skocz?w and tourists. From there you can admire a beautiful panoramic view of the town and the Beskidy mountains.
INDUSTRY
Skoczów is a town abounding with craft traditions. The industry began to develop in the 19th century, when the first tannery was established and initiated the present tanning factory - Zakłady Garbarskie „Skotan” S.A. In 1860 a wooden goods factory was opened which later was called „Pierwsza Ślaska Fabryka Koców Derek i Guń w Skoczowie”- present „Pledan”. In the commune there exist also many service and trade workshops. During the economic transformation a private sector’s activities were brought into prominence. Examples of new enterprises are: a cast iron foundry (Odlewnia Żeliwa „Teksid Iron Poland”), a chocolate manufacturing plant (Fabryka Czekolady „Inda”), a furniture factory (Zakłady Stolarskie „Swedwood Poland” S.A.) and a transport company (Przedsi?biorstwo Spedycyjno-Transportowe „Unitrans”). A meaningful factory is a forging plant called Zakłady Kuźnicze Sp. z o.o., located on the area of two towns: Ustroń and Skocz?w, where the seat of the management is. The factory continuous the traditions of a forging plant in Ustroń (Kuźnia Ustroń) which has been working since 1772. The main activity of the factory is a production of matrix forged objects of a high quality used mainly in motorisation and also in coalmining, railway systems and machine industry. The cast iron foundry (Odlewnia Żeliwa „Teksid Iron Poland”) deserves attention, because it produces casts of grey and steroid iron, steel elements of suspension, brake devises, driving units and elements to be used in coalmining and railway system. The factory takes advantages of Italian experiences within the domain of servicing specialized car factories. The tanning factory - Zakłady Garbarskie „Skotan” S.A. - is one of the oldest Polish tanneries of 140-year traditions. At present it specializes in production of leather for luxurious shoes, furniture, clothes and haberdashery. We cannot omit a hat manufacturing plant (Fabryki Kapeluszy „Polkap”).The plant offers hats of the best quality and semi-finished articles of different colours, follicle or woolen. The goods of „Polkap” are popular both in our country and abroad, and are exported all over the world.
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The commune of Skoczów takes advantage of its comfortable location. The main transport routes are crossing here:: Katowice-Wisła and Cieszyn-Bielsko. The town is an economic centre as well as a tourist-recreation centre, having great natural, tourist and cultural conditions. Silesian Foothills, the nearness of Beskidy, the valley of the Wisła river, groups of ponds, meadows, green areas and numerous monuments make undoubtedly the commune of Skocz?w be a tourist attraction. You are invited to Skoczów!
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{K:173998} 10/16/2007
