Heading East

By August Kochanowski

Once in every man’s life he is faced with the questions: Who am I?  Where did I come from?  These questions were answered for me upon coming to Poland and getting to see the place of my roots, first hand.  In particular, visiting the city of Zamość and seeing the surrounding countryside had a strong pull for me.  Both of my Grandparents were from this region of Poland and being able to walk the same streets as them, hearing the same church bells ring as they did, was a fascinating experience. 

Eastern Poland is mainly farm land of rolling hills and small picturesque villages.  Today it seems poorer than its neighbor to the west, Lesser Poland, but at one time it was very wealthy and influential which you can see in the array of castles and palaces that cover this region.  In all, we toured three castes, all of which where amazing to see, but my favorite was Krzyztopor Castle.  Like the rest of Poland it has seen its fare share of turmoil.  In 1655 the Swedes sacked and plundered the castle.  Today it is a labyrinth of honeycombed, bombed out walls that you can freely explore. 

The city of Zamość is a truly spectacular place.  Once you make the turn into the main square of town you’ll be amazed to find that you have just walked into what appears to be Italy. The square is lined with old arcaded burghers’ houses that look like they have been trapped in time.  The main focus of the square is the towering city hall that beckons you to climb its elegant stairs.  One more thing worth mentioning is the people.  After spending a significant amount of time in the bustling city of Kraków where almost everyone speaks perfect English, and then coming to a small town (hardly touched by tourists) where absolutely no one speaks English, it was truly like stepping in to my grandparent’s Poland.