Raclawice

Raclawice takes a significant position in the history of Poland and due to the fact it is worth visiting. However, the village, except for its rich past, has a lot of tourist values and its situation among beautiful hills of the Miechow Highland gives many opportunities for active visitors.

Raclawice TOURISM

The most interesting monuments of Raclawice commune are: St. Peter and Paul church from 1778, the battlefield, a cemetery with the tombs of Marchocice, Klonow, Janowiczki, Dziemierzyce and Raclawice owners and erected in 1926-34 Kosciuszko Mound (Polish: Kopiec Kościuszki).
A very special tradition of Raclawice is the choice of „Peasant of the Year.” The competition is held annually from 1995 on the first Sunday after April 23 (St. Adalbert’s Day) nearby Bartosz Glowacki statue. The one who becomes the Peasant of the Year has to be dressed in national costume and obtain the most points in agility competitions, like horseshoe throw or cow time milking.

GEOGRAPHY

Raclawice is a historical village in the southern Poland, located on Miechow Highland, by the Raclawka River. In between 1976 and 1991 it was a capital of Raclawice-Palecznica commune and belonged administratively to Kielce Voivodeship.
Currently Raclawice is populated by approximately 500 people.

HISTORY

Most probably Raclawice took its name after its owner, knight Raclaw. The first records about the settlement are from the 14th and 15th centuries. In Jan Dlugosz’s Chronicles we find the information about Raclawice peasants coming to Wladyslaw Jagiello’s camp near Sandomierz and bringing veal and game in barrels for Polish army before the Battle of Grunwald.
In the 14th and 15th centuries Raclawice commune area was owned by Dzieroslaw Karwacian from Krakow, and in the period of Kosciuszko Uprising by Walery Wieloglowski. Since 1778 there have been a church and bell tower in Raclawice.
On April 4, 1794 Polish troops led by Tadeusz Kosciuszko had a victorious fight with Russians. The battle was and still is of great importance to Poles. In 1880 a part of the property was sold to Mr Szczepanowski. In 1895 the rest was sold to the Jew Rzedoslawski from Dzialoszyce, who re-sold it to Raclawice inhabitants.
After WW2 the structure of holdings was changed. As a result of 1945 agrarian reform, about 200 new holdings of 2-4.5 hectares came into existence. In 1976 Raclawice and Palecznica communes were joined. Only in 1990 Palecznica inhabitants made efforts to disconnect them. A year later they were split and so they have stayed till now.