History - Łęczyca

Łęczyca
Poland
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An invitation to Łęczyca
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is our pleasure to invite you to the royal city of Łęczyca. It is a city
the history of which dates back to the VI century and which has written
itself into the history pages of Poland. As the inhabitants of Łęczyca, we
are proud of our city’s history as well as attached to the old part of town,
the castle, the Tumska church and other historical relics of which we
can talk for hours at a time.
We invite you to take a walk through the streets of not only the old
Łęczyca, but also the city’s modern side – the city which changes quickly,
is modern and possesses the appropriate industrial infrastructure, the
heart of which are the people who are loyal to their home town and who
look clearly into the future while creating a city worthy of the XXI
century.
Come and discover what life in Łęczyca is like – a town on one hand
medieval, full of mystery and a magic, while on the other, a city full
of vigour and pulsating with life within the very centre of Poland.
Mayor of Łęczyca Krzysztof Lipiński
and the Council of the City of Łęczyca
Panoramic view of the town,
phot. by A. Bugajski
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General Information
Children’s Day, phot. by J. Wojtera
Łęczyca is a part of the Łódź voivodeship and is the seat of regional authorities. Located on the left bank of the Bzury river, in the Warsaw-Berlin
pre-valley, it is located in the geometrical centre of Poland. The city with
an area of 8,9 km2 is inhabited by a population of approximately 15,5 thousand.
A great aspect of Łęczyca is its attractive location in terms of communication being only 35 km north of Łódź, 130 km from Warsaw, 22km from
the intersection of the main routes connecting the east and west parts of the
country (route no. 2) and north and south (national route no. 1). There are
currently two motorways (A1 and A2) being constructed a little more than
ten kilometres from the city. The city currently possesses very good railroad
and bus connections with other parts of the country. A railroad cargo reloading station is also located here. An additional benefit is the presence
of the nearby railroad junctions in Lodz and Kutno.
History
Łęczyca is a city located in the very centre of Poland. In its rich and many
centuries long history, it has performed administrative, defence, commercial as well as cultural roles. These functions resulted not only from the decisions of the people but were above all dictated by the geological structure,
the terrain, its soils, the system of surface and ground waters along with the
flora of the region. Without these natural foundations, Łęczyca in this place
and bearing its name, would most likely never have come to exist.
The beginnings of the of city’s forming were decided by the river crossings
on two important communication routes. One of them (from north to the
Panoramic view of the town,
phot. by A. Kaźmierczak
Medieval feast, phot. by J. Wojtera
History
south) cut across a swampy Warsaw-Berlin pre-valley while the second
(from the west to the east) – an equally wet valley of the Bzury river. The
dwellings located on the small hills gave a feeling of safety, the possibility
of controlling the roads and the rendering of services to the travellers. It is
for these reasons that a defensive settlement was first constructed and later
religious area in the village Tum as well as a trade settlement including an
inn, a mill and a church under the invocation of the St. Cross in the area
of the present-day neighbourhood of Walliszew. The foundation of Łęczyca
took place before the year 1267. In the 70’s of thee XIII century, a Dominican monastery was founded here. A documented fact is the burning down
of Łęczyca by the Teutonic Knights in 1331 including housing buildings
and two churches: the parish and the Dominican one. During the middle
of the XIV century, from the initiative of the Kazimierz the Great, a castle
and the city’s defensive walls were constructed. The central location of the
market, the two entry gates on the southern axis as well as the regular quarters formed a typical layout of a medieval town. The dominating element
of the north-eastern part of the city was the church and the Dominican
monastery while the opposite south-western region belonged to the parish
church under the invocation of St. Andrew. In the south-eastern corner was
the royal palace with a steep tower while the north-western quarter has been
in the XV century handed over to the Jews. The synagogue constructed
in this area in accordance with the law of the day, could not surpass in
height the Christian churches. The monotony of the city walls was periodically interrupted by guard towers while the travellers nearing to Łęczyca saw
a view certainly impressive in those days, none of which escaped the chronicler of the times, Jan Długosz.
Panoramic view of the old town,
phot. by G. Niewiadomski
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History
Collegiate church in Tum,
phot. by A. Adamczewski
During the period between the X and the XVI century, Łęczyca played
a significant role in Poland’s political life. Within the pages of the “Chronicle” of Gal Anonim, Łęczyca is mentioned as one of the capitals of the
Kingdom of Poland. In the XI and the XII centuries, it was here that some
of the first brick churches in Poland were constructed. The Romanesque
church remaining from those times is one of the finest, still present Romanesque structures in our country. Łęczyca was also a place of many gatherings
of royalty, church dignitaries as well as a regular visiting place of princes and
kings of Poland. The gathering which took place here in 1180 is viewed as
a precursor of parliamentarism. In the following year-hundreds, the castle
of Łęczyca was the place of the establishment of laws, hosting of foreign
envoys, declarations of war and place of imprisonment of representatives
of the Teutonic Knight’s order.
The decadence of the magnificence of Łęczyca came with the Swedish
invasion during which most of the city and castle were devastated. Łęczyca,
consumed by fires, wars and economic crisis lasted in a state of stagnation,
typical for the municipal centres of the times in Poland, up till the period
of the country’s division. The period begun along with the entry of the Prussian armies in 1793, which introduced significant changes to the appearance of the city, transformed by the occupying forces into a well-fortified
fortress basing on the bastion system. In the XIX century, the chaotic layout
of buildings along former streets was reorganized and new communication
tracts were designated which were formed around the “Kazimierz” city.
The threshold of the XIX and XX century left a manifestation of tall city
architecture within Łęczyca’s image. The increase in the population numbers and the improving economic conditions resulted in the construction
of apartment houses for rent which significantly surpassed the size of the
buildings constructed up until that time. The buildings began too compete
with some of the medieval architectural dominants while the several stories
high steam mill near thee Kaliska street along with its monumental chimCollegiate church and the site
of a medieval settlement in
Tum, phot. by P. Marynowski
History
ney, symbolically indicated the progressing development of Łęczyca. The
chimney being at the same time the highest point within the city’s panorama until the moment of the reconstruction of the upper storeys of the
castle tower in the 60’s of the XX century.
The defensive settlement in Tum
The mediaeval ring structure defensive settlement located on the eastern
outskirts of the Bzury valley, earlier defended the river crossing of the trail
from the south Wielkopolska to the southern Mazowsze. Aside from the
military functions, it most likely also served a role of an administrative centre
especially important during the period of regional divisions. In accordance
to some scholars, the beginnings of some of the fortifications date back to the
VI century A.D. while the forming of the final structure of the castle falls
upon the XII century where, after its restoration by Bolesław Krzywousty
(1106-1107), as mentioned in the chronicles of Gall Anonim. In the XIII
century, the castle of Łęczyca belonged too such famous rulers as Konrad
Mazowiecki, Leszek Czarny or Władysław Łokietek. After the construction
of another, new castle on the opposite shore of the Bzury valley in the second
half of the XIV century, it lost all of its previous significance. During the 40’s
and 50’s of the XX century, many archaeological studies were performed
which allowed to establish the dating of the individual construction phases
of the castle. Even today, there are well-preserved remainders of the ground
fortifications with the dimensions of 140 x 80 m in the form of a high earthwall surrounded by smaller circle of walls with three moats.
Among some of the interesting historical remainders constituting the essence of the research being performed on the castle, special attention should
be brought to two wooden phallus which were found in one of the water
wells. The phallus were certainly connected with the cult of fertility. They
served in the medieval times for the decoration of among other things; eggs
during Easter celebrations. In Łęczyca, they could have been connected
with the magic of fertility and therefore their place of resting were the wells,
thanks to which they were able to survive until modern times.
The castle was referred to by the local population as the “szwedzka góra”
(Swedish Mountain).
Church of the Holly Mary and St. Alex
in Tum
The church consecrated in 1161 is build in the place of the earlier structure, the foundations of which were found under the nave of the currently
existing church. These foundations were associated by their discoverers to
the Benedictine abbey of the Holly Mary “at the Łęczyca castle” mentioned
in the great book of Gniezno in 1136. Up until the middle of the XVI century, the church was witness to many gatherings of princes and church dignitaries. The church chapter included the grouping of the religious elite
of the time and belonged to the most significant of the Gniezno arch-diocese. At the beginning of the XIX century, the status assigned to the church
was lowered to the rank of a parish church. The temple regained this title
only in 1993. In 2000, the relics of St. Wojciech were brought to Tum as
a representation of his person and the association to the millennium-long
tradition of Christianity in Łęczyca.
Collegiate church in Tum,
phot. by P. Marynowski
Collegiate church in Tum,
phot. by W. Górski
Romanesque portal,
phot. by P. Marynowski
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History
The church of the Tum in Łęczyca was in the past destroyed several times
and again reconstructed. The changes in the Romanesque appearance took
place after the gothic reconstruction of the interior forced by the fires
in 1294 and 1473 as well as after the late baroque reconstruction in the
second half of the XVIII century performed by the architect Efraim Szreger.
The church was destroyed during military operations in September of 1939,
while its current appearance bears thanks to the conservation and reconstruction performed during the middle of the XX century under the directive of architect Jan Koszczyc-Witkiewicz. The temple was at the time given
an exterior Romanesque appearance leaving its interior with dominating
gothic features. The entrance to the north leads to a richly sculpted twelfth
century portal. To the same period also dates the sculpture of the Christ
embedded in the wall of the presbytery as well as the tombstone in the form
of a knight which is located in the south nave along with the figural painting in the western apse. The plan of the tri-nave basilica with a western part
bearing dual towers relates to the nonexistent Wawel cathedral from the
period of the Władysław Herman and is the greatest remaining example
of sacral construction of the Romanesque times in Poland.
Visiting by appointment only, please contact: Phone 0 24 722 05 34.
The Castle
Royal castle, phot. by A. Adamczewski
Panoramic view of the town,
phot. by P. Marynowski
The royal castle in Łęczyca was constructed in the middle of the XIV
century during the times of the reign of Kazimierz Wielki as one of the elements of the defence of the nation. Its surrounding walls were connected
in the south-eastern corner of the city’s fortifications. The castle surrounded
podpis zdjęcia
History
by a moat was constructed on a plan similar to a rectangle with the dimensions of 61 x 46 m. The eastern wall neighboured a multi-storey gothic
house called “the old house” with a great hall – the place of royal audiences.
The western wall included a structure of the gate with a pass-through vestibule to which in the middle of the XVI century, a multi-storey Renaissance
edifice was added adapting the castle during the period of 1563-65 to be the
seat of royal starosts.
At the same time, the shape of the tower’s blanks were changed, giving it
the characteristic semicircular capping. During the times of its splendour,
the castle welcomed kings, religious and government dignitaries. It was a
place of great events and festivities of a high political rank. The rulers who
have most often visited the castle in Łęczyca were Władysław Jagiełło and
Kazimierz Jagiellończyk.
At the times of their rule, a series of important political decisions were
undertaken in Łęczyca, such as the Polish-Teutonic Knights order relations
(among others, in 1409 the nobility of Wielkopolska declared a new war
on the order). In 1448, Kazimierz Jagiellończyk approved here the so called
“statute of Łęczyca”. The castle was during the middle of the XVI century
the seat of Jan Lutomierski, the starost of Łęczyca, an outstanding character
of the Renaissance period in Poland who kept close contact with the humanists in Poland and in Europe. In the following year-hundred, the castle
of Łęczyca became a scene of wartime activities being during the time
of “the Swedish Flood” (1655-1656), being a defensive point of first the
Polish and further the Swedish armies. It was finally recaptured after fierce
battles by the Polish army under the command of Stefan Czarnecki. During
the years of 1793-1795, after the fall of the Republic of Poland, the Prussian
authorities begun the modernization of the fortifications of Łęczyca including them in the bastion system. The walls of the former “old home” were
disassembled, adapting a part of the gothic walls to an arsenal (the current
powder storage) and by punching in the southern wall a route leading onto
the bastion called “the castle”. In the second half of the XIX century,
the castle served for of housing (“new house”), economic (storage) and administrative (arrest in the powder storage and the fire-fighting guard on the
courtyard) purposes. In the period between the wars from the initiative
of the Elder’s Council and the Polish National Historical Association, the
castle was subjected to conservation and clearing works. The works were
also aided by the boy scout organizations. In 1949, a permanent museum
exposition was opened while during the years of 1964 – 1975, a fundamental reconstruction of the castle took place in accordance with the project
of architect Henryk Jaworowski. The reconstructed elements at the time
included the tower called “noble”, the gatehouse, part of the surrounding
walls and the upper story of the “new house” as well as the adaptation of the
castle interiors for museum purposes.
Open daily except Mondays.
Tu 1000-1700, We - Fr 1000-1600, Sa - Su 1000-1500.
1st of May until the 30th of September. Tu - Fr 1000-1700, Sa - Su 1100-1700.
Tel. 024 721 24 49
Royal castle, phot. by A. Bugajski
www. zamek.leczyca.pl
Royal castle, phot. from the collection
of the Museum of Łęczyca
Royal castle, phot. by G. Niewiadomski
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History
Church of St. Andrew the Apostle
at Kościelna street
St Andrew’s church, phot. by A. Borucki
During the XV and the XVI century, the presbytery of Łęczyca belong the
richest in the country while the authority over it was being granted by the
Polish kings until 1563. Among the deans of Łęczyca, one named Andrzej
Krzycki distinguished himself especially also by later becoming the primate
of Poland, as well as for being a remarkable poet of the Renaissance period
and a diplomat of Zygmunt Stary. In XVII, Łęczyca was a place of meeting
of the seyms of the nobility moved in the following century to the Bernardine
church. In the XVIII century, the church was used by one of the orders of the
Jesuits, building next too it a monastery housing. During the period of the
country’s division, the parish priests of St. Andrew’s were engaged in the national independence activities despite being subjected to many repressions.
The older remaining mentions of the church under this invocation date back
to the first half of the XIV and speak of its burning by the Teutonic Knights
in 1331). The current tri-nave church, constructed in a gothic style was consecrated in 1425 and was later subjected too multiple reconstructions in the
XVII, XVIII and XIX centuries. The Gothic style features have remained
on the exterior walls of the presbytery, the counterforts of the west facade and
the rainbow arch inside the church. The altars, the polychromy of the walls
and the organ prospect were made in the eclectic style between the XIX and
the XX century. A significant example of Polish Baroque are is the dome roof
chapel of the Szczawiński family and the large brick epitaph with a life-size
portrait commemorating the deceased in 1637 Jakub Szczawiński, the starost
of Łęczyca and the marshal of the royal seyms during the Reign of Zygmunt
III. The altars and the walls of the side naves bear the paintings of famous
nineteenth century Warsaw painters, including: Rafał Hadziewicz, Tytus
Maleszewski (Łęczyca museum storage), Wojciech Gerson, Józef Buchbinder
and Jan Antoni Strzełecki.
Visiting by appointment only, please contact: Phone 0 24 721 28 83.
The former monetary of Dominicans
at Pocztowa street (currently a prison)
The first mentions concerning the presence of the Dominicans in Łęczyca
date back to the 70’s of the XIII century and occurred several more times by
the end of the century. The period of the reconstruction of the monastery and
the church is still not perfectly determined but some researchers of architecture place the church among the oldest thirteenth century brick structures
of the mid-Poland regions. The single nave church with a narrower, presbytery
closed from many sides neighboured from the east with the defensive walls
of the city. The monastery building burned down in 1616 while the new one
constructed from the northern side, use the city fortification as its eastern
wall. Towards the end of the XVIII century, the Prussian authorities took over
the Dominican structure and transformed them into a prison. At the beginning of the XIX century reconstruction was performed of the edifices under
the supervision of the architect Hilary Szpilowski, constructing a floor
and disassembling the frame of the church nave. Further construction activities were performed during the XIX and XX centuries which intended on the
adaptation of the building and its environment strictly to penitentiary ends
History
which this structure still fulfils to the present day. A relic of the former sacral
function is a fragment of the presbytery visible from the side of H. Sienkiewicza street.
Connected with the Dominican convent are also the persons remembered
in history of the Polish church such as: Mikołaj from Łęczyca, an inquisitor
battling husytyzm in the XV century Jakub Woroniecki, a chaplain of king
Stefan Batory and Jan Adam Bardziński, author of the theological treaties and
a translator of classical literature. The history of the Łęczyca prison is connected in turn with such characters from the workers movement such as:
Władysław Gomółka, a pre-war communist activist, the first secretary of the
PZPR during the years of 1956-1970 or Władysław Frasyniuk, the head leader of “Solidarity” movement and the chairman of the “Union of Freedom”.
Church and Monastery of Bernardine
Monks at Poznańska street
The construction of the church and Bernardine monastery was initiated
in 1631 by the widow after a cześnik from Płock named Dorota Piwo and was
realized during the period of 1636-1643 outside the city walls, not far from
the Poznań gate. The facade of the single nave church possessed a top typical
for early baroque, decorated with a complex architectural decoration. The interior had a rich, uniform rococo style dating back to the second half of the
XVIII century (the altars and the organ prospect) while the illusional polychromy from this period is assigned to the painter name Walenty Zebrowski.
The main nave and epitaph was placed in 1787 which was dedicated to the
viceroy of Łęczyca, Szymon Dzierzbicki while the vestibule of the church contains a plaque commemorating captain Szymon Nowicki who was shot
in 1818 during a duel with Józef Bem (the later hero of the national uprisings
of Poland and Hungary). On the yard in front of the church stands a figure of
the Holly Mary from 1855 which came from under the chisel of a Warsaw
sculptor Daniel Zelewski, funded by the builder of the Łęczyca region, Ludwik Bethier. In XVIII, the church was a place of voivodeship seyms. After
1864, as a result of the post-uprising repressions, a disbanding of the monastery took place. The Bernardine monks returned to Łęczyca in 1946. During
the middle of the 90’s of the XX century, a complex conservation was performed on the temple’s interior. The church is often, currently a place of organ
music and cameral concerts.
Visiting by appointment only, please contact: Phone 0 24 721 28 31.
Former Norbertine Cloister at Panieńska
street
The cloister of the Norbertine sisters was founded in 1604 by the castellan
of Łęczyca, Mikołaj Szczawiński. The full height of the mediaeval defensive
walls were used as the southern and western walls of this multi-story building.
From the north, the area of the cloister was closed in by a small cloister church
under the invocation of the Heaventaking of the Virgin Mary while from
the east and a wall with entry gate. In 1815, the nuns sold the cloister buildings
and moved to Strzelno. The new owner designated the buildings for housing
purposes. In the fourth quarter of the XIX century, the roofs were lowered and
the church disassembled. During the middle of the XX century, parts of the
edifice were restored to their prior cloister functions after its handing over by
Monastery of Bernardine Monks,
phot. by W. Górski
Church of St Mary of the Immaculate
Conception, phot. by A. Adamczewski
City ramparts, phot. by W. Górski
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History
the last owners to the order of the Urszulanka sisters. A plaque was placed on
the eastern wall of the cloister commemorating the founder and the renovation
works performed in 1877. The former cloister yard along with Panieńska street
and the church yard constitute one of the most beautiful places in the city.
City defensive walls
Bell tower and a part of the ramparts,
phot. by A. Kaźmierczak
The defensive walls erected along with the castle in the times of the ruling
of Kazimierz Wielki had a significant meaning for the security of the city with
regard to the increasing danger from the nation of the Teutonic Knights.
They enclosed an area of approximately 9 hectares, the length of the walls
amounted to 1150 metres and their height 7 metres. To the city built on the
plan of a rectangle lead two gates: the “Poznań gate” (also called the “Toruń”
gate) and the “Crakow gate”.
The row of fortifications were supplemented by guard towers placed every
50-60 metres. The defensive tower still standing today near Kościelna street
(reconstructed in XVIII century into a bell tower for the church of St. Andrew) originally performed the function of the strongest (aside from the castle
tower) independent point of defence. In 1603, a cloister and a church of the
Norbertine sisters was erected by the city walls maintaining the full height
of the fortifications along with the crenelage (visible from the side of Belwederska and Jana Pawla II streets). During the period of 1793 – 1795, the Prussian authorities included the remaining medieval city fortifications into the
bastion fortification system. In the 20’s of the XIX century, the defensive walls
were taken apart. Also, the moats which surrounded the city were covered up
while from the west, new representational alleys were created (the alleys of Jan
Paweł II). Currently, the regular layout of a medieval city is underlined by the
J. Kilińskiego, H. Sienkiewicza and the alley of Jan Paweł II. Relics of the
defensive walls remain still in places difficult to reach: the north and east walls
of the former Dominican monastery and the yards of certain premises near
J. Kilińskiego street.
City hall
The multi-storey building of the city hall located in the central point of the
square was erected in a classicistic style in between 1787 – 1790 in accordance
with the design of the royal architect Jakub Kubicki.
At the beginning of the XX century when it was subjected to heavy modernization (lowering of the roof, adding of a balcony, a new cornice profile)
partially lost the features of its initial style. The western wall bears a marble
slab with a date of 1788 which commemorates the construction of the city
hall. Until the 70’s of the XX, the city hall was the seat of the municipal authorities. Works are currently underway which are intended at restoring the
original appearance from the XVIII century.
Roman-Catholic Cemetery at Kaliska
street
One of the two cemeteries in Łęczyca was established near the Kaliski route
at the beginning of the 30’s of the XIX century. The oldest remaining monuments date back to the 40’s of the XIX century. In the surroundings of the old
trees, there are many valuable works of tombstone art and graves of people
deserving the remembrance of history and the culture of the Łęczyca region,
History
including Ferdynand Dworczak, a doctor of the medical sciences, a doctor
of the Warsaw hospitals, called the “father of philosophy of medicine in Poland” (died in 1877), also priest Józef Kalasanty Mętlewicz, the parson and
dean of Łęczyca, historian of the church, author of the first publications on
the topic of the church in Tum, Jadwiga Grodzkiej – a teacher, ethnographer
and founder of the museum in Łęczyca and the initiator of the reconstruction
of the castle. In the southern part is also a military cemetery of the Polish
soldiers who died in September of 1939 (642 graves) as well as with its eastern
part with the soldiers of the Russian and German armies who fell in 1914. At
the end of the main alley of the cemetery (with the Janicki family chapel) is
a lapidarium of tombstones organized from the initiative of the Society
of Admirers of Łęczyca Region and the Płock Society of Sciences with its
branch in Łęczyca.
Orthodox cemetery near Górnicza street
The cemetery was created in the second half of the XIX century no far from
the route leading from Łęczyca to Cracow and near the clothing production
Settlement of Waliszewo. On this small area, among the old trees is a large
number of containers of a highly artistic value commemorating the important
persons from the political and economic life of Łęczyca. The oldest graves date
back to the 40’s of the XIX century and among others include Adam Szubert,
the colonel and commander of the light, horse-drawn artillery, a heroic participant of the battle of Raszyno. A small military quarters of the soldiers
of the German army from the times of the I World War also remains here.
Text: Andrzej Borucki, Museum of Łęczyca
Roman Catholic cemetery,
phot. by A. Bugajski
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Old Town
Old Town
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From the folk traditions of Łęczyca
Folk costume of Łęczyca,
phot. by R. Nowicka
Folk costume of Łęczyca,
phot. by R. Nowicka
All known and documented element of the folk culture present today
on the Łęczyca region display its rich resources. It is a composition
of the current creativity of the folk artists still inhabiting this region
where the traditions of some rituals and customs as well as the original
and unique folk literature are still alive today.
The diversity of the folk culture of Łęczyca includes a set and includes
a selective way of its presentation.
One of its older spheres which is worth of reminding is the folk art of
weaving. The most characteristic examples of this in the Łęczyca region
are the woollen wefts, woven on flax or cotton warp. Their colour lacks
glamour and is limited to a few toned-down colours. The striped folk
costumes worn in the Łęczyca region usually have red background,
which reminds the colour of burned brick, or green background. No
matter which background is used, it is divided by narrow strips in green,
red, black or blue colour.
Wool homespun as well as linen are basic materials, which were once
used to sew separate elements of the folk costume. A well-known Polish
proverb says, “fine feathers make fine birds”, and that is why, based on
what people were wearing, it was possible to describe their social status,
wealth or family state. Type of clothing also indicated its purpose. We
had casual clothes, ritual or festive attire. A definition of traditional folk
costume will refer to the last type of clothing.
Traditional folk costume of a woman from Łęczyca region consisted
of striped homespun with a predominance of red colour, with linen shirt
beneath it. A dress was covered with a green cotton gown, while an
apron made of red homespun covered shoulders of a woman. Young girls
put on colourful headscarves made of silk and tied them under their
chins. A married woman rolled it up and tied it with a bonnet used to
hide hair. An elderly woman put on an additional cotton headscarf
and fastened it under her chin with a clasp. Hand-made headscarves
were a popular wedding gift in the Łęczyca region, and were often referred to as “wedding” headscarves. Moreover, strings of beads and
bootees with a red ribbon complemented the attire of a woman.
Traditional clothes of a man consisted of striped, hand-woven trews
usually in green, a linen shirt and a cotton sweater with predominance
of red colour. Outerwear consisted of a russet flared coat, usually black
or navy-blue, with a colourful cotton or leather wide belt – so-called
“pouch”. Leather calf-length boots and a round cap or a high black hat
were indispensable elements of man’s traditional attire. In 1938, an
anonymous author stressed remarkable beauty of the clothes from the
Łęczyca region in a local newspaper: “/…/ especially male folk costumes
arouse admiration with their colours taken from green meadows and of
yore reddening walls of Łęczyca as well as with an outstanding shape
of the fanciful hat, truly from the land of Mr Boruta”.
Changes in the character of folk costumes from the Łęczyca region as
well as their later diversification and gradual resignation from the traditional way of dressing resulted from fast development of industry, trade
and changing fashion.
One of the most interesting, only folk, fields of artistic works is the
fine arts, including traditional forms and ways of adornment. In the fes-
From the folk traditions of Łęczyca
tive arts of the Łęczyca, masterfully finished “spiders” are especially
beautiful. They are elaborate compositions made of straw, colourful
blotting paper and glossy paper; round, so-called “hedgehogs” and
“feathers” as well as crystalline, so-called “woven” and “inflated”. Delicate ornaments, red and purple, were once not only a characteristic element of interior décor, but also real evidence of manual skills of women
from Łęczyca.
Ornaments made of paper and other traditional forms attracted attention by their beauty and simplicity of representing the world of nature.
Those included heart-shaped bouquets, crowns and garlands woven
from roses made of blotting paper, as well as paper cuttings – openwork,
plain and round or with geometrical, plant or harmoniously compiled
motives.
Traditional straw ornament (called “Spider”)
in the form of a hedgehog, phot. by W. Stelmaszewski
Traditional straw ornament (called “Spider”) decorated with
feathers, phot. by W. Stelmaszewski
Traditional woolen scarf, phot. by W. Stelmaszewski
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From the folk traditions of Łęczyca
Sources of folk artistic works of sculptors from the Łęczyca region
have their beginning in church figures and paintings. Apart from sacred, local sculpture from the Łęczyca region takes up historic themes
and themes inspired by folk life and natural environment. The most
numerous group of sculptures are figures that represent demonic themes.
The sources of inspiration need to be sought in legends and stories, characteristic for the folk culture of the Łęczyca region.
He comes from pre-Christian forest demons. At the beginning, he
was only a local and mediocre devil, but he was promoted in his devil’s
hierarchy very quickly. “M’lord nobleman was moved from ordinary
ravines and forest mud to more comfortable dungeons of the castle
in Łęczyca to have a better residence to participate in feats and festivities
of his fellow gentry brothers /…/” – Oskar Kolberg wrote.
Today, Boruta is the most famous devil in Poland, and his fame and
importance are maintained by still living legends, in which the devil
does not dispose either of his hellish abilities or devil attributes when
changing costumes or being incarnated as various figures.
Numerous sculpture representations and images of Boruta come from
a loose interpretation of popular stories and artistic quests of subsequent
generations of regional artists. When the devil takes off his robe of a
gentleman and leaves the castle, he prowls in the meadows near Łęczyca
as “muddy” or scanty”. When he hides in the waters of Bzura he is “kelpie”. When he guards the treasure in the castle hi is an “owl”. Boruta as
“lordling” or “fribble” wanders among other people, he dances as
“windy” among village roads and he wants to knock over the collegiate
church in Tumsk as the “black one”.
These and other devilish incarnations can be seen in the museum in
the castle in Łęczyca. There is the largest collection of sculptures that
treat of demons in Poland there, which consists of about 400 exhibits.
Sculptors from Łęczyca carve devilish figures all the time according to
the saying “a devil is nowhere more welcome than in Łęczyca”.
Traditional cuisine of the Łęczyca region used the fruits of the earth
from the very beginning. It was based on products obtained from farming and cultivation. Very seldom was it supplemented by products obtained by means of barter or trade. Its characteristic dishes were created
based on potatoes, flour, groats and dairy products. Meat was used very
seldom. Fish, usually freshwater, was eaten more often.
Bread played an extremely important role in the menu not only of the
Łęczyca region. It was baked from rye or wholemeal flour, sprinkling
dill or caraway on top.
Boruta devil of the marsh, phot. by W. Stelmaszewski
Boruta devil carrying a stone, phot. by W. Stelmaszewski
Devil’s orchestra, phot. by W. Stelmaszewski
From the folk traditions of Łęczyca
It is impossible to describe its delicious and remarkable taste. One
simply needs to try it. There are no problems getting such bread in our
region. “Real” bread can be bought on the market in Łęczyca.
Dishes of Łęczyca’s contemporary cuisine do not differ from those,
which are prepared according to generally accepted standards and
trends. Reviews of Regional Dishes of Łęczyca Region, organised in our
town for the fifth time now, are to make our most typical dainties more
popular and known. Maybe beans in caramel sauce will became such
dainty?
Text: Anna Dłużewska - Sobczak, Museum of Łęczyca
Beans in caramel sauce
Half a kilo of beans “ jaś”, 4 spoons of sugar, 1 spoon of butter,
2 spoons of cream, half a lemon
Soak the beans the day before, then cook it in that water. Prepare the
sauce: heat the sugar on a dry frying pan until it gets brown, then dilute
it with few spoons of water and add butter. Season it with cream and
flour. Add some lemon juice to taste. Pour the sauce onto the cooked
beans and serve.
Traditional cuisine of the Łęczyca
region, phot. by A. Bugajski
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18
The legend
Boruta and the maiden
Despite the fact that Devil Boruta belongs to the devil’s family and he
indeed plays a big part in it, he possesses many human features. He enjoys sitting in a pub and talking with people, having a fine taste of beer
and wine also listening to a band play and dancing to the music.
One day, Boruta went for a party to an inn, which stood at the crossroads, near Łęczyca. Many people often gathered there since the musicians played well and the ale was strong. In order not to give away who
he really was, the devil hid his tail under the coat, covered his horns
with his hair and slipped his fork into his sleeve.
Boruta spotted a tall, slim girl famous for her beauty in the whole
neighbourhood. When the band started playing a lively “oberek” dance,
Boruta drank a cupful of liquor to encourage himself, twiddled his
moustache rakishly and bowed low before the girl.
They rushed into a dance. The devil and the girl were whirling in the
dance, he was spinning her round, tossing her, stamping his heels against
the floor. All of a sudden – bang! The fork fell down on the floor making
a terrible noise, among the ruffled hair a horn came out and a long black
tail slipped from under the coat. The band stopped playing and the
dancers stood still. The girl was the only one who didn’t lose her head.
She grabbed a bench standing in the corner and shouted:
- Oh you devil incarnate! You liar!
And with the bench she was hitting him angrily at random.
Boruta hid his head between his arms, covered his horns with his
hands and tucked his tail between his legs. Without looking back he
started to run crossing the fields towards the castle. The girl chased him
for a while, brandishing the bench over his head and her yelling and
cursing sounded quite some time over the fields.
Not until he was behind the castle walls did he feel safe. It took a long
time for him to dare leave his home and visit the inn, fearing the meeting with the girl. The gossip has it that the girl never got married. Bachelors from the neighbourhood despite admiring her beauty were scared
of her strong arm and sharp tongue.
Boruta the lascivious, phot. by W. Stelmaszewski
Events
Children’s Day
Children’s Day (June 1) has been celebrated in Łęczyca in a particularly
festive way for ten years now.
From the very beginning, its main focus has been placed on fund raising and the money collected helps children from poor families realise
their dreams of holidays which they long for.
Children’s Day is traditionally opened with the city’s authorities handing the keys to the gate of Łęczyca to the children. Among the guests invited, you can meet many celebrities. Devil Boruta is never missing and
instead of frightening people he gives away smiles to every kiddie.
Children from schools and kindergartens in Łęczyca have an opportunity to showcase their talents on a stage specially prepared for them as well
as take part in numerous competitions and games such as building sand
castles, graffiti spraying, karaoke, school of walking on stilts, treasure
seeking as well as participating in interactive theatrical performances.
The city centre turns into a huge fun fair with beautiful, colourful merry-go-rounds. All enthusiasts of outdoor activity will find something for
themselves: all day long there are beach volleyball and beach football
matches taking place on fields specially prepared for this purpose.
All thrill seekers have a chance to bungee jump or climb the castle walls.
The evening concert is a complement of the attractions of the whole day.
At that moment the old town of Łęczyca turns into a sheer discotheque
under the stars- the guests performing include the most popular artists
of Polish musical scene such as: Wilki, Perfect, Kazik Staszewski, Sistars.
Children’s Day, phot. by J. Wojtera
Organiser: Cultural Centre of Łęczyca. Phone 0 24 721 03 49.
Cinema in the castle – Festival of Film
Trailers
The youngest among the cultural events in Łęczyca is the Festival
of Film Trailers. It functions as a summer cinema and is placed in the
castle courtyard. The festival organizers’ aim to achieve is acquainting
the audience with short production forms which include a trailer – a
film in a nutshell.
The festival is also accompanied by various festival-related events,
meetings with the authors of the pieces presented – directors, screenwriters and actors, previews of cartoon, documentary and independent
film reviews as well as a review of the world’s best commercials.
Events of a nationwide scale were the premières of both Polish
(“Ławeczka”) and foreign films (“Bon Voyage”, “Fahrenheit 9.11”).
Apart from film presentations, the programme of the festival includes
workshops on animation in commercials, opening of a drawing exhibition and a review of the best Polish clips.
In 2005 for the very first time the audience had a chance to award
the best trailer of the festival with a “Boruta’s Claw” prize.
Organiser: Museum of Łęczyca, Stowarzyszenie „Łódź Filmowa”,
Stowarzyszenie „Teraz Sztuka”. Phone 0 24 721 89 97.
A. Olawa vel Olawiński
Film festival of trailers - Cinema
in the Castle, phot. by A. Bugajski
19
20
Events
Knights Tournament at the King’s Castle
in Łęczyca
For a few years now, the king’s castle together with the old town
in Łęczyca have been returning back to the times of late Middle Ages
every last August weekend. It happens so because of a knights tournament which takes place at this time in Łęczyca. The event attracts thousands of history enthusiasts while the castle becomes home to brave
knights, their squires and ladies-in-waiting.
During the two-day-long event you can watch an archery tournament, a crossbow shooting tournament, the “noisy” battle team tournament called “melee”, horse-riding agility tournament or wrestling tournament where a sack of wheat is to be won as a prize.
One of the annual attractions is burning of the outer parts of the fortifications and a battle over the castle. These events are accompanied by
a Middle Age fair and the sounds of music from those times played over
the courtyard. Joyful not only for the youngest participants, there are
plebeian games of various kinds taking place, among which the most
popular is “kręcioła”. The audience has an opportunity to challenge
their own physical strength in pulling-the-rope contest, riding-a-wooden-steed contest or fighting with a “safe” mace.
You can also watch a game of “living chess” while the two-day long
tournament is completed with performances of jugglers, fire swallowing, showcases of chain clubs cannonnette shooting as well as old Polish
cuisine and Middle Age dance showcases.
Organiser: Museum of Łęczyca. Phone 0 24 721 89 97.
Medieval feast, phot. by J. Wojtera
podpis zdjęcia
Foreign co-operation
Rillieux – la – Pape, France
The co-operation of Łęczyca and Rillieux-la-Pape began in 1999 with
an official signing of an agreement on mutual friendship between the
cities. Signing this document reflected the willingness to co-operate
through meetings and getting to know each other, understanding problems concerning both of the communities and participating in mutual
ventures allowing to strengthen the bond between the cities. It has been
7 years since we started exchanging experiences concerning the functioning of the local communities, there have also been citizen exchanges
taking place, thanks to which they have had an opportunity to improve
their knowledge of the language, as well as to get familiar with the history and culture of the two countries.
During the visits of Rillieux-la-Pape citizens in Łęczyca the guests
had a chance to see the city and its surrounding areas, participating
in trips to the most interesting places in Poland, and taking part in the
knights tournament.
On the other hand, the citizens of Łęczyca who travelled to Rillieuxla-Pape had among others, an opportunity to participate in a biennial
dance festival in Lyon. During the parade our French friends together
with dancers from Łęczyca presented their interpretation of the myth
of Faust in four scenes. Wonderful, colourful and original costumes
of the actors as well as perfect preparation of both of the groups – Polish
and French had the audience enchanted and delighted with the performance, which was broadcast by the regional and state television
channels and widely commented in the French press. The Poles had
a chance to see many magnificent monuments of Lyon during European
Days of Cultural Heritage, also of the city of Perouges, region of Beaujolais and of course, Rillieux-la-Pape itself.
Another form of co-operation is outdoor sculpturing called “Spotkanie” (“Meeting”), which took place simultaneously in the twin cities
in 2004. In Łęczyca, together with Bogdan Wajberg from the Art Academy in Łódź sculpturing in stone, worked with a French sculptor Alan
Mantle, who created a sculpture by the castle of a Celtic family using
oak-wood. At the same time Zbigniew Dudek, also from the Art Academy in Łódź, went to France and alike his French friend Roger Groslon
created a monumental sculpture referring to motifs from the world
of nature.
Friendship between Poland and France additionally resulted in school
children learning French going on an educational trip. The aim of the
8-day-long trip was to get familiar with the French culture, educational
system and to improve the knowledge of French language.
A. Mantle „Celtic family”,
phot. by P. Marynowski
Dance Biennale, Lyon,
phot. by A. Straszewski
21
22
Foreign co-operation
Penzlin, Germany
Penzlin, castle’s courtyard,
phot. by A. Kowalska
Fountain, phot. by A. Borucki
A. Kowalska „Instrument in brown”,
phot. by A. Kowalska
In 2002 Łęczyca established a partnership with a German city of Penzlin. The declaration signed by the two mayors contributed to a firm
friendship between the citizens of both cities. Aside from partner-like
contacts, this co-operation aims mainly at the development of cultural
and social relations. It is based on several levels concerning mainly children’s education, culture and tourism as well as issues connected with
economic development of both cities.
One of the basic means to achieve the aims assumed is a meeting
programme for the citizens. First meetings took place at the occasion
of celebrating the International Children’s Day in June 2002 in Łęczyca
and during a German and Polish rock night in October that year
in Penzlin.
Another trip of Łęczyca citizens to Penzlin took place in 2003. An
event, which to a large extend helped to strengthen the bond between
the “partners” was the International Youth Festival called “Europe in
Penzlin”, in the course of which grammar school students from Łęczyca
presented a performance called “Devil in the proverbs”.
In April 2004 a group of young people arrived from Penzlin for the
“Language Theatres” taking place in a community centre in Łęczyca,
and staged a play called “Behext”.
Another form of co-operation is presented by the museums of both
cities. It began with a research comparing the folk demonology in Germany and Poland and resulted in 1999 in a book publication by professor Andrea Rudolph and doctor Małgorzata Półrola entitled
”Teufelsbilder in mecklenburgischen und masowischen Sagen” and
a folk sculpture exhibition in Penzlin on demonic subjects from the collection of the Museum in Łęczyca. In connection with improving the
co-operation between the two institutions, a project of promoting young
talents was launched. The idea behind it is to present their works abroad
and create an opportunity to gain wide connections in the world
of culture and art. In 2004 the museum in Łęczyca presented in Penzlin
works of Agnieszka Kowalska, a laureate of the XXI edition of Władysław
Strzemiński contest and a year later, in the halls of Alte Burg in Penzlin,
works of Remigiusz Wojaczek could be admired.
Hand brochure
Catering base
Łęczyca
Restaurant „Kargul”, ul. Ozorkowska 8 a
Restaurant „Agawa”, ul. Kaliska 29
Wayside Inn „Senator”,
ul. Ozorkowskie Przedmieście 47
Pizzeria „13”, ul. Belwederska 31
Pizza place „Da Grasso”, ul. Belwederska 37
Pizza place „Arka”, ul. Bitwy nad Bzurą 11
Pizza place „Stara Prochownia”, ul. Zamkowa 1
Bar „Pasieka”, ul. J. Grodzkiej 12
Artistic Pub „Entropia”, ul. M. Konopnickiej 11 a
Area of Łęczyca
Restaurant „Królewska”, Topola Królewska 37 a
Wayside Inn „Zatoka”, Sierpów 33
0-24 721-56-72
0-24 388-11-29
0-24 721-24-04
0-24 388-16-64
0-24 721-51-81
0-24 388-80-80
0-24 388-66-66
0-24 721-01-62
0-24 721-71-26
Collegiate church in Tum,
phot. by A. Kaźmierczak
0-24 722-34-00
0-42 718-07-88
Accommodation
Łęczyca
Wayside Inn „Senator”,
ul. Ozorkowskie Przedmieście 47
Dormitory, ul. Kaliska 13
Area of Łęczyca
Restaurant „Królewska”, Topola Królewska 37 a
Wayside Inn „Zatoka”, Sierpów 33
Petrol station BP „Katmar”, Sierpów 1 a
Petrol station „Celika”, Borki 81
0-24 721-24-04
0-24 388-36-00
0-24 722-34-00
0-42 718-07-88
0-42 718-05-56
0-24 721-01-75
Means of Transport
Bus station, ul. Belwederska 7 a
Railway station, ul. Belwederska 54
0-24 721-25-94
94-36
Medieval settlement,
phot. by W. Górski
23
24
Hand brochure
Important institutions
Municipal Office of Łęczyca, ul. M. Konopnickiej 14
Regional Council, pl. T. Kościuszki 1
Police, ul. Ozorkowskie Przedmieście 4
Fire station, ul. Lotnicza 21 e
Post office, ul. Kaliska 42
Tourist information, pl. T. Kościuszki 24
ww.pit.leczyca.info.pl
Cultural institutions
Museum, ul. Zamkowa 1
Community centre, al. Jana Pawła II 11
Municipal and Regional Public Library,
ul. M. Konopnickiej 11 a
Pedagogic Library, ul. Kaliska 13
The bell tower of the St Nicholas church
in Tum, phot. by A. Adamczewski
Pit shaft, phot. by A. Adamczewski
0-24 721-03-00
fax 0-24 721-03-01
0-24 388-72-00
fax 0-24 721-32-17
0-24 721-11-00
0-24 721-26-32
0-24 721-34-06
0-24 721-89-65
0-24 721-89-97
0-24 721-24-49
0-24 721-03-49
0-24 721-03-57
0-24 721-22-15
Health care
Hospital, ul. Zachodnia 6
0-24 388-26-01
Pharmacies
Pharmacy, ul. Kaliska 44
Pharmacy, ul. M. Konopnickiej 17
Pharmacy, ul. Kilińskiego 7 c
Pharmacy, pl. T. Kościuszki 8
Pharmacy, ul. Osiedlowa 2
Pharmacy, ul. Ozorkowska 9
0-24 721-29-95
0-24 721-87-00
0-24 721-22-30
0-24 721-26-59
0-24 721-74-15
0-24 721-24-57
Bank machines
PKO BP SA, al. Jana Pawła II 17, ul. Belwederska 77 (sklep „Biedronka”)
PeKaO SA, pl. T. Kościuszki 24
Bank Spółdzielczy Ziemi Łęczyckiej, ul. M. Konopnickiej 12
Internet cafes
Cafe-Tom”, ul. Belwederska 23
„Ram Komputery”, ul. 18-go stycznia 2
0-24 721-64-98
0-24 721-87-80
Petrol stations
Petrol stations „Orlen”, ul. Ozorkowska 2
Petrol stations „Orlen”, ul. Poznańska 32
Petrol stations „Petro –Tank”, pl. Przedrynek 15
LPG station, ul. Górnicza 2 a
LPG station, ul. H. Sienkiewicza 18
0-24 721-29-60
0-24 721-28-03
0-24 721-35-64
0-24 721-27-37
0-24 721-66-20
Emergency road services, tyre retreading workshops
Emergency road service, ul. gen T. Kutrzeby 36
Tyre retreading workshop, ul. Ozorkowska 19/21
Tyre retreading workshop, ul. Ozorkowskie Przedmieście 61
0-24 721-68-88
0-24 721-46-54
0-24 721-21-06
Cover photos:
Page 1: Royal castle, phot. by A. Adamczewski, Collegiate church in Tum, phot. by A. Adamczewski,
Panoramic view of the town, phot. by K. Lipiński
Page 3: Collegiate church in Tum, phot. by A. Adamczewski
Page 4: The devil Boruta, phot. by A. Bugajski, Panoramic view of the town,
phot. by G. Niewiadomski, Children’s Day, phot. by J. Wojtera
Photographs by A. Bugajski, K. Lipiński, W. Stelmaszewski and J. Wojtera
are part of the collection of the Town Hall of Łęczyca
Photographs by R. Nowicka, W. Górski and G. Niewiadomski
are part of the collection of the Museum of Łęczyca
Urząd Miasta Łęczyca (Municipal Office of Łęczyca)
Poland
99-100 Łęczyca
ul. M. Konopnickiej 14
tel. +48 24 721 03 00
fax +48 24 721 03 01
www.leczyca.info.pl