Polish Spisz for Everyone [#06] - Jurgów

Spiski climates under the Tatra Mountains

Legend has it that the first mayor of the village was the bandit Jurko, after whom the village is named. Historians do not mention this picturesque figure but note that the beginnings of the settlement are connected with Vlach settlers. As if that weren't enough, today’s Jurgów can be described as bilingual – Slovak is heard here as often as Polish, for example, in the church. So what else, besides linguistic attractions, awaits tourists in Jurgów?

One definitely cannot miss the wooden church dedicated to St. Sebastian, originally built from fir wood and later rebuilt. With its characteristic polychromy and numerous mirrors as interior finishing elements, it is considered an example of “Spiš rococo”. To visit it, one simply needs to approach the parish office.

An example of wooden architecture can also be found in the famous Jurgów huts located in the clearing “Podkólne”. Years ago, when the inhabitants of Jurgów mainly engaged in shepherding, the huts scattered across the Tatra clearings served as summer dwellings for shepherds, who spent nearly half the year in them. Over the years, the pastoral tradition faded, and the huts were moved closer to the village, where they still serve some farmers for storing hay.

There were also many wooden mills and a sawmill powered by a water wheel that operated until recently.

And if that wasn’t enough, the village overlooks a fabulous panorama of the Belianske and Vysoké Tatras. It is quite possible that it was these mountains that prompted Commissioner Halski to land on the road to Jurgów, rather than some bomb on board the plane, as fans of “Ekstradycja” will surely remember.

Author of the text - Bogusława Bandyk

Author of the photos - Krzysztof Bandyk