Kazimierz Dolny & Sandomierz

Polish cards from Kazimierz Dolny and Sandomierz, both sent by Emerich.

 Photo by Dariusz Krakowiak

Kazimierz Dolny is a small town in Central Poland.

This is the Celej House also know as St. Bartholomew house due to the figure of the saint on the right-facing façade.

It was probably buil in the 16th century and its owner was a rich merchant and town concillor Bartlomiej Celej.

The richly decorated façade has all the caractheristic forms used by the sculptors and builders of the time. There are animals, plants and querubs. On this particular façade there is Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, and St. Mary as Queen of Heaven. On the left there's St. John the Baptist with a Cross and St, Bartholomew with a knife.

After World War II, Karol Sicinski had his architectural studio here. It was there where the reconstruction of Kazimierz Dolny was planned and prepared.

In 1964 the house became the seat of Regional Museum, which in 1972 became Kazimierz Dolny Museum and in 1987 was given the name of Nadwislanskie Museum. Nowadays, the exhibits works of artists who were inspired by Kazimierz Dolny. - in: http://www.kazimierzdolny.eu/monuments/108/

Photo by Dariuz Krakowiak

Sandomierz is a town in south-eastern Poland, known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction. This beautiful building is the town hall, built in the 14th century. It initially had a form of tower. Due to a rebuilding in the 15th C., the structure got the shape of a lengthened rectangle. A century later, it got a high attic, decking the whole roof, and in the beginning of the 17th C. a tower was added on the western side.

The building went through several fires, mainly in 1623 and 1757, yet luckily it is made of brick, so the construction has not been completely damaged.

Moreover, a spacious cellar has been lately discovered under the building. The room could have been used as prison where the accused were tortured, as there are hooks and rings attached to the walls. Yet, these are not only remarkable elements of this object. In another part of the building, there is a residence of the Regional Museum with historic and artistic exhibitions.

The Town Hall’s interiors are also noteworthy because of the late-Renaissance, neo-Renaissance and neo-Baroque furniture. The historic department of the museum covers the ground floor of the building, while on the first floor there is a wedding hall and the rooms of the City Council. In the basement one can find “Lapidarium” (“The Lapidary”), a club of the Sandomierz Cultural Society. - in: http://www.wrota-swietokrzyskie.pl/608