Polish Spisz for everyone [#07] - Kacwin

Kacwin – the cat village with granaries

It is unknown how many cats currently reside in Kacwin, but there must have been quite a few once, as they gave the place its name. Kacwin is a Polish version of the German "Katz Winkel," meaning the alley of cats. Assuming there are still many meowing felines, they are not as interesting as the other attractions that Kacwin has to offer.

Among those attractions are certainly the famous granaries, which were warehouses for grain and other agricultural products. They used to be a permanent feature of farm buildings, usually located at the end of the property; they were built from wooden logs, with a barrel vault and a roof that barely touched the walls. This type of construction was not a result of negligence – it was important that in the event of a fire, the roof could be quickly removed to protect the rest of the building and its contents from burning. This "misalignment" was also a form of ventilation, which, along with the clay used to cover the walls (hence the name "granary"), ensured ideal conditions for storing grain. Over the years, as agriculture developed, granaries lost their significance and began to fall into ruin. Just before their complete decline, they were saved by the efforts of the Heritage Conservation Office staff. Thanks to their efforts, one of the old warehouses was restored and opened to visitors.

Also available to tourists is the 15th-century church dedicated to All Saints, located in the central part of the village. Theoretically, it is a Gothic structure, but its most characteristic element, the tower with its spire and lantern, comes from later years. A stone plaque on the church wall dedicated to the fallen soldiers under the command of Jan III Sobieski, who returned through Kacwin from Vienna, also catches the eye. Not all of his knights survived the journey. Four of them died and were buried right here in Kacwin. These are very distant times, and, of course, there are no eyewitnesses left to these events. Well, maybe apart from the waterfall on the Kacwinianka stream or Krzyżowa and Majowa Mountains, but they remain silent.

Text author - Bogusława Bandyk

Photo author - Krzysztof Bandyk