Szczebrzeszyn

Every Pole knows the famous tongue twister made by poet Jan Brzechwa  „W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie i Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie” [“Beetles buzz in reed in Szczebrzeszyn and this is what Szczebrzeszyn is famous for”]. Reeds grew in the neighbouring valley of the Wieprz River less than a hundred years ago, when the tongue-twister was made; they still grow there, being a treat for people’s eyes and ears  (in summertime the whole area resounds with sounds made by beetles). However, the tongue twister is not the only thing the town is famous for; it also has interesting history, which goes back to at least 13th century. At that time there was a castle here situated on a trade route leading from Kraków to Kiev. Monarchs, including Kazimierz Wielki, Bolesław Chrobry, Queen Jadwiga, Władysław Jagiełło, Stefan Batory and Jan Sobieski, visited the place. Szczebrzeszyn used to have a large Jewish community, which suffered a terrible fate during the Second World War. Now only a synagogue, a Jewish cemetery (kirkut) and a few tenement houses remind visitors about the community which had vanished. Szczebrzeszyn market is surrounded with historical buildings: a church of St. Nicholas the Bishop from the beginning of the 17th century, Franciscan monks’ convent with a church of St. Catherine (also from the 17th century), the town hall built in 1830 and an Orthodox church of Dormition, which has recently been renovated. Just around the corner there are picturesque ravines, which are part of the Szczebrzeszyński Landscape Park.