Lowicz Things to Do

Late Baroque ,three - nave; inside polychromy by Palloni, side altars with figures by Plersh, frescoes by Limecki or Palloni. Monastery founded in 1668 had a college, rich library, theatre band, and printing firm. the church was used as the hospital for prisoners of war and military storehouse.

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The medieval urban plan preserved; three-cornered market is a unique specimen on a European scale. There was a Gothic Town Hall from 1443 in the middle, it was ruined in the 20s.of the 19 century. Now there is a fountain in the middle. At present tenement-buildings from the 16-19th century. In the northern part - a stone commemorating Insurgents from 1863.

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Late Renaissance, nowadays an academic church; originally wooden then partly brick. It was rebuilt about 1642, founded by Cebrowski. There was a church and Institute of St Leonard taking care for poor boys, so called Bartoszki. In 1780 there was established the first cemetery in Poland which was situated at the outskirts.

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The church is neo-ghotic, from 1910, according to design by Zaze. Interior from the 19th and 20th century. Nearby the monument of W. Grabski - the Prime Minister, "the father of Polish zloty", the author of Polish monetary reform in 1923.

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The Tawn Hall is a classicist building. It was built in 1828 according to a design by Bonifacy Witkowski but was modernised a few times. The room upstairs decorated with frescoes by Lamparski and pictures of Sienkiewicz, Laski, Staszic, Kosciuszko and Kazimierz the Great. The building looks nice, probably after renovation.

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According to the inscription under the gallery, the church was there in 1100. In 1433 it was given a dignity of the collegiate church. In the middle of the 15th century it was established the collegiate church the cathedral, and during the Pope's visit in 1999 the church received the name of basilica.

Inside the church is mostly Renaissance and Baroque. 12 primates were buried inside this church.

When I entered the church I found the show of organs. There was a group of foreigners and they were listening the music of organs. Lowicz organs are unique as you may see small sculptures around the organ moving. See my video from the show.:)

There is an old and a new market square - so be carefull. There is a basilica in a heart of the square, two monuments and some interesting buildings: in the northern part so-called Primate Gate from the 17th century and in the southern part the Cebrowskis' tenement-house.

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The Museum in Lowicz occupies the building of a former 17th/18th century seminary, largely rebuilt after war damage. It consists of four permanent exhibitions plus the Open-air Folk Museum at Maurzyce 7 km away. The ground floor houses the exhibition of baroque art in Poland, on the first floor you can follow the history of the town and of the Land of Lowicz and on the top floor you can admire the colourful folk arts and crafts of the region. And, last but not least, there is also a small but fascinating open-air folk museum. As I found them all interesting in their own ways, I will discuss each of them in separate tips.

Opening hours: daily, except Mondays - 10 am.- 4 pm, Saturdays and Sundays - 10am.- 5 pm.
The open-air part open from 1 April till 31 October.

Admission to permanent exhibitions: 7 PLN, concessions - 4 PLN, Sundays free
temporary exhibitions: 2 PLN

For the open-air part there is a separate ticket at 4 PLN, concessions - 3 PLN, Saturdays free

Photography: 10 PLN (and do get and keep the ticket - I was asked to show it a few times)

The reception sells some interesting souvenirs, which are cheaper and more original here than in Cepelia shops.

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The Basilica, dedicated to the Assumption of the BVM and to St Nicholas rises high above the Old Market Square. You can climb one of its towers for a great view of the town, the river and the fields beyond it.
Lowicz belonged to the archbishops of Gniezno from the 12th to the 18th centuries so the church played a very important part in the life of the town. A wooden church existed there already in 1100. The Gothic church of the following centuries was in the 17th century rebuilt in the baroque style, thus acquiring its present shape.
In front of the Basilica stands the monument to Pope John Paul II, who visited the town in 1999.

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The amazing baroque facade of the Piarists' Church would be hard to miss as it rises right across the street from the Basilica. The Piarists, whose motto is 'Pietas et Litterae' (Piety and Learning) came to Lowicz from Hungary in 1668 and ran a college here with an excellent library, an ensemble and a printing house.
The interior of the church is baroque too with numerous altars and sculptures by the royal sculptor J.J. Plersch, the author of many sculptures in the Royal Castle in Warsaw and the Wilanow Palace, as well as of the main altar in the Lowicz Basilica.

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On our first trip to the area we stopped at Lowicz for the second time that day on our way back from Leczyca. We hardly knew the town then but we pulled in when we saw a procession in front of what looked like an interesting old church. As it later turned out it was the Church of the Holy Spirit - the oldest brick church in Lowicz, founded in 1404. Its late-Gothic style is not immediately obvious as the west facade is baroque. Inside there are five baroque altars dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The church boasts a Gothic statue of Our Lady with Baby Jesus sculpted around 1500 and a rennaissance tomb. We looked in but did not go in as we did not want to disturb the celebrations. Perhaps another time?

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Most of the handicrafts presented at the museum are perhaps not as popular nowadays as they were in the past but they are by no means dead. If you visit the museum on a summer weekend you will be able to watch the artists at work. We very much enjoyed a demonstration of making paper flowers, hand and machine embroidery and making paper cut-outs, and, above all, talking to the artists. You can actually try your hand at the skills like the two girls in the pictures. I wish we had had more time, then I'd definitely have liked to learn making the cut-outs but mine would never have matched the ones made by the artist anyway. They were just superb!
The artists change so that you can also watch bead-embroidery, decorating Easter eggs, making folk dolls, pottery making or wood-carving (I would have loved to see this!).

Demonstrations are available on most Saturdays and Sundays between mid- June and end of August from 12.00 to 18.00. Admission is included in the ticket for the open-air exhibition. Fee for the lesson - 4 PLN per person + the cost of the materials
If you visit Lowicz on a weekday you still have the chance to see such a demonstration at the Open-air Museum in Maurzyce nr Lowicz. Daily from mid-April till mid-August.

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This open-air part of the Museum of Lowicz, for which you must get a separate ticket, consists of a beautiful 18th century cottage and a 19th century farm with painted walls and wooden fences with pots drying on them, a display of traditional vehicles from a cart to a sleigh, a thatched shed (the cottages are not thatched probably for safety reasons), a traditional dugout cellar, a wonderful display of beehives and many other great objects. It's a lovely place to take a stroll in after hours spent inside the museum building. You can now take a rest on one of the garden benches and feast your eyes on the colours of folk art. If you want to see even more, visit the open-air museum (Skansen) at Maurzyce about 7 km away. We certainly will, another time.

For more pictures see the travelogue.

Admission: Adults - 4 PLN, Concessions - 3 PLN
On Wednesdays admission free.

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This exhibition presents the folk arts and crafts of the area starting with the characteristic colourful striped or embroidered men's and women's clothes, some still worn on special occasions nowadays. And if clothes then also the weaver's shop where the cloth for these would be made.
Then come the everyday objects: cupboards painted in floral patterns with folk pottery on display, painted wooden chests where clothes were stored, a cradle, carved chairs and benches, kitchen utensils and many more.
And for decoration the wonderful paper cut-outs representing flowers, animals and birds, esp. the famous cockerels, as well as whole scenes from village life. Also the so-called 'spiders' made of straw, paper and sometimes wool and hung from the ceiling like chandeliers.
And, last but not least, the carved figures and the roadside shrines. If you haven't had enough, and who would, you can visit the small open-air museum to see a complete cottage and a farm with a charming collection of beehives. A real feast for the eyes!

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The first floor of the museum houses a collection of objects connected with the history of the Lowicz region and of the whole country. Here you will find some archaeological exhibits, coffin portraits of Lowicz burghers of the 17th and 18th centuries, interesting tiles, coins, books, documents, engravings, paintings, arms and military uniforms from the 16th century to WWII, the so-called 'black jewelry' worn by civilians during the partitions of Poland and many many more. Chris, who is a bicycle lover, took a picture of a late 19th century bicycle. He also loved the collection of weapons and uniforms. I loved the hand-embroidered cloth, the tiles and lots of other things. Whatever your interests are, you are sure to find something for yourself there.