Paszkówka

Paszkowka is a village in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, only a half-hour’s drive from Krakow and 20 minutes from Balice Airport. To be more precise, it is located in Wadowice County, some 16 km from Wadowice itself, in the administrative district of Brzeznica. The proximity to Krakow makes Paszkowka a frequently chosen destination for conferences and weddings.

Paszkówka TOURISM

The vicinity is perfect for bike trips or horse riding. The terrain resembles the Beskidy Mountains, with numerous hills crossed by streams, rich in traces of the region’s history with roadside shrines, small manor houses, old houses and churches. The most important historic building in Paszkowka is the 19th-century palace, a former residence of the Wezyk family. It was in 1865 that Leonard Wezyk commenced construction of the palace complex, and with the guidance of a famous architect from Krakow, Feliks Ksiegarski. It was completed within five years and became the Wezyk family home, remaining in their hands until 1940. The building survived World War II, and afterwards was owned by the State Treasury for decades. It wasn’t until 1997 that it was finally sold to a private businessman, and since then it has been renovated to regain its former charm and it now serves as a hotel and conference centre, as well at the home of the Wawel Brotherhood of the Bronze Bell. Another relic of the past in Paszkowka is the Church of the Transfiguration of Jesus, built in the 19th century. It’s also worth seeing the obelisk with an inscription made in 1811 on the occasion of granting permission to organise annual fairs in Pobiedzie (as part of the village was called until the end of the 20th century). The plaque was paid for by former owners of Paszkowka – Wojciech and Magdalena Rottermund.

GEOGRAPHY

The village lies at an altitude of 280 metres above sea level, on a plateau known as Pogórze Wielickie. Access is easy from the A4 motorway – when you reach Skawina, just take road 44, the Krakow to Oswiecim road.

HISTORY

The early days of Paszkowka were probably connected with those13th-century knights, the Radawanits. The first written mention comes from 1325, however, and it is certain that the village has always belonged to the nobility. In the 15th and 16th centuries it was a property of the Paszkowcy family, which gave its name to the village. However, by the middle of the 19th century it was owned by the Wezyk family, who built the palace there. One of the first famous peasant writers, Antoni Kucharczyk (1874-1944), also known as “Jantek of Bugaj”, was from Paszkowka. The village’s history is strongly related to that of the Neo-Gothic palace and the 19th-century gardens surrounding it, where lindens, oaks and hornbeams still survive from the days of its former owners. There was once a granary on the property, where today stands the hotel called the Spichlerz Hotel, spichlerz meaning “granary” in Polish. After World War II the palace housed a school, a farmers circle, veterinary clinic and even a special place for growing agaricus. Efforts made by the new owners have contributed to the feeling that one has stepped back in time to the palaces finest days.