"Sandomierz...it's HOW old ! ..." a Sandomierz Travel Page by Pawtuxet

Sandomierz is a delightful little town along the old trade routes south of Warsaw yet north of Krakow and Rzeszow. Once part of the major trade route from western Europe to Russia and further east, it's history dates to around 800. Much of what we see today is from the 1300's, 1500's, and 1600's. There are 120 historic buildings which are preserved and well loved in this little town.
There are remnants of the town's old fortifications in the gothic gateway erected in the 14th century and a smaller gate known as the "needle's eye". You might wish to visit the main gate and climb to enjoy the views of the town, countryside and Vistula River from the top of the tower.
Sandomierz has a castle built of stone which has been rebuilt after wars and now serves as a Regional Museum They graciously wave the admission on Mondays.
There is a Granary built in 1696, which is the only remnant of Sandomierz's past as a port on the Vistula.
We toured one of the several wonderful churches in town. The Cathedral sits on the grounds of a church built in 1148 and destroyed in Mongolian raids. The interiors of today's gothic building are amazing. There are rococo altars, paintings produced in 1421, and porticoes of black marble decorated with pink marble. You could study the collections here for hours.
In 1367 King Kazimierz Wielki gave special privilege granting royal protection to the Jewish community here. They had the second biggest in Poland, after the one in Krakow. Their synogogue, built in the 17th century now houses a branch of the State Archives.
One of the oldest schools in Poland, the Jesuit College (Collegium Gostomianum) was founded in 1602. Demolished by fires in previous centuries, several features were rescued and the school has been rebuilt. It is now an active college once again.
And finally, there is an old mansion c. 1476 which I will probably never forget. We wanted to visit a house of this age, which is of course rare. However, it's what happened while we were in the house that permanantly ingrains this place in my mind. It's the House of Dlugosz, currently owned by the Diocese as a museum. I hope you will enjoy my stories of our experience here...as told in several of my tips and travelogue. Antoni Rzasa ~ Coincidence or karma?]

It is always astounding to me that the Poles don't just give up on a building when it's been burned or bombed...they come back again and again to restore it exactly as it was before the tragedies and destruction. How I wish this was a more prevailing characteristic in the US where we have so little of our early buildings. The workmanship in the restoration is quite noteworthy. I hope you will one day have an opportunity to observe it all first hand.

We saw a number of art students working on their projects all around the town. Such wonderful material for subjects...what art student wouldn't be happy with this town?