Wąwolnica combines insights into local history with two marked routes: a museum displays objects from several centuries, while a hiking trail and a cycling route each include the town as part of a longer journey. This gives you different focuses to choose from when planning: sacred art and historical artefacts in the town, or a tour that lists Wąwolnica as a stop along the way. The two routes are 60 and 62 kilometres long, respectively; however, their similar total lengths do not mean they are the same route.
Museum and Local History
The Wąwolnica Museum exhibition is located on the lower level of the castle church, built in the 14th century. On the upper level, which has been remodelled several times, is the Chapel of Matki Bożej Kębelskiej. The exhibition and the chapel are therefore located on different levels of this building.
The museum was founded in 1995 on the initiative of the board of the Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Wąwolnicy and the parish priest at the time, ks. infułat Jan Pęzioł. Its collection includes items from the 16th to the 18th centuries: a 16th-century sculpture of Christ, well-preserved leather-bound books from the 17th century, and liturgical vestments and vessels from the 18th century.
A model shows Wąwolnica in the 15th century. It was created in 1996 based on court books from that century that had been rediscovered. Alongside the works of art and collection items, it offers a glimpse of how the town is represented in an earlier period.
The museum displays several works of sculpture and drawing by the brothers Józef and Stanisław Gosławski. It also houses some drawings donated by the family, which Józef Gosławski made before restoration work on the Pod Świętym Mikołajem house in Kazimierz Dolny.
Marian Shrine and Medieval Traces
The Kębelska Madonna dates from around 1440 and was carved from linden wood. The figure is 85 centimetres tall and 27 centimetres wide at its broadest point. It may have originated in an unidentified workshop in Silesia or Pomerania. The Madonna was transferred to the church in Wąwolnica.
The chapel of the Marian shrine is considered the town’s oldest architectural monument. The main surviving feature of the original building is a Renaissance marble portal from the 17th century. The Madonna and the portal therefore represent two distinct periods in sacred art: around 1440 and the 17th century.
Low, small fragments of the medieval castle walls survive on the church hill. These include the foundation of a cylindrical tower in the southern castle wall. Together with the church and museum collections, these wall remains add to the picture of Wąwolnica’s historical heritage.
Hiking Trail and Cycling Route
The 60-kilometre, red-marked western Wyżynny hiking trail runs from Kazimierz Dolny through Rąblów, Wąwolnica, Nałęczów, Wojciechów, Motycz and Dąbrowica to Lublin. Wąwolnica is one of the stops along the route connecting the two cities.
The red-marked cycling route between Lublin and Kazimierz Dolny is also 62 kilometres long. It passes through Rąblów, Kębło, Wąwolnica, Nałęczów, Wojciechów, Miłocin and Dąbrowica. Both descriptions give the same endpoints and pass through Wąwolnica, but some of the listed intermediate locations differ.
The activity is a clear distinction when choosing between the two routes: one is described as a hiking trail and the other as a cycling route. Their stated distances are similar, but do not indicate how long the journey will take. Before setting out, check local trail conditions and current route markings.
Discover more destinations: Lysa Gora, Janowiec, Sadurki, Kurów, Końskowola, Bochotnica, Kazimierz Dolny, Parchatka.
For the broader travel overview: Puławski.
