"Take the blessed waters" Gorecko Koscielne by cheekykev

Gorecko is known for its chapel on the water. The chapel is connected with Saint Stanislaw, who had a local following in the area. There is a belief that the waters that flow beneath the chapel have some special powers - of the curative and restorative sort, in a similar way to the waters of Lourdes (I can at the very least testify that if you splash them on your face, they're cold enough to rouse you from a mid-afternoon slumber).

If you park up in the car park of the main church, you can find the chapel along a kilometre long footpath, lined with carved wooden shrines, which takes you between some very old trees.

The stream that runs below the chapel is a good place for checking out the local birdlife. You're likely to see the usual forest species around (thrushes, ***, blackbirds), but look out for the grey wagtails by the water, and the flycatchers perched on the fenceposts on the way down to the water.

One of the shrines

On the walk down to the chapel on the water from the church, you'll find yourself wandering between a long line of wooden shrines and carvings, each depitcting a different religious scene. There is also a stretch of the walk that runs in between some truly enormous old trees which are reputed to be in the region of 700 years old - two of them have openings in the trunk which are human sized enough to offer a great Robin Hood style photo oppertunity.

The wooden church

Gorecko Koscielne is also worth a visit for its church. Its an old wooden church, dating back to the year 1767 - i.e. it was built before the first partition of Poland.

The church was included on Pope John Paul II's tour schedule for his 2000 trip to Poland. There is a a statue to commemorate the event.