The best road cycling routes around Siemiatycze

Holy Mount Grabarka is the most important Orthodox center in Poland, located in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, near Siemiatycze. It is a pilgrimage site known as the "Hill of Crosses" because for centuries the faithful have brought votive crosses here, symbolizing prayers and thanksgiving. The complex includes the Saints Martha and Mary Monastery and three Orthodox churches.

A beautiful and magical place. It's impossible to describe, it must be seen.

Before organizing your route, be sure to check the ferry times and ticket prices: https://podlasie.siematycze.pl/83-siematycze-przeprawa-promowa-mielnik-zabuze It's worth having cash with you.

The Church of the Protection of the Mother of God in Zubacze is an Orthodox parish church, built in 1895 after the previous church burned down. The wooden structure on the plan of a Latin cross with two towers and domes is an example of traditional sacral architecture of the region. In the vicinity there is a freestanding bell tower from the same period.

At the foot of the Mountain there is a miraculous spring. It was those who washed themselves here and drank the water that were saved from the cholera epidemic in 1710. To this day, people come here and wash their sick and sore places, drink water from the well and take it home. In 1910, on the bicentennial of the miracle, a round roof was built over the spring. Currently, the well is surrounded by a new chapel from 2001. According to Orthodox tradition, water is blessed several times a year. The Great Consecration takes place on the eve and on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord itself. The Little Consecration traditionally takes place on parish feast days (here: the Transfiguration of the Lord, the 10th Friday after Easter, the feast of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow"), as well as on other days designated by the liturgical calendar (e.g. the feast of the icon of the Mother of God "Life-giving Source", half of the period of Pentecost).

The Orthodox Church of the Icon of Our Lady of All Sorrows Joy in Koterka is located in a remote area surrounded by forest, approx. 1.5 km south of the village centre. An interesting story is connected with the construction of the church. According to it, on 19 May 1852, a woman appeared to a resident of these areas - Eufrozyna Iwaszczuk - ordering a prayer of atonement. In 1855, when an epidemic of plague air broke out, the Mother of God ordered Eufrozyna that the priest and the parishioners should pray for God's mercy. After this event, the parish priest - Szymon Budziłowicz decided to erect a cross at the site of the apparition. The area quickly became a popular place spontaneously visited by pilgrims, who miraculously experienced healing there. Later, a spring appeared in the place of the cross, and with it pilgrimages and further healings. In 1906, permission was obtained to build the church. On July 29, 1912, the church was consecrated. During its construction, many healings occurred. During World War I, the bells were removed from the church, which were taken down by the Germans, and the entire clergy were evacuated to Russia. During this period, the entire fence was also destroyed, as well as liturgical vestments, banners and candlesticks. A new fence was erected in 1925, while three new bells were acquired in 1931. The church is a building built on a cross plan, with a narrower chancel closed on three sides and two rectangular sacristies. The church is oriented, has a single-space interior layout divided into three parts. Next to the church there is a well over a spring in the form of a hexagonal arbor. Renovation and conservation works were carried out in 1996. In the summer of 2012, the church in Koterka celebrated the important ceremony of the 100th anniversary of the consecration of the church. The jubilee was celebrated with great pomp by the parishioners, but also by the inhabitants of the entire Mielnik commune and the surrounding area. On this occasion, a polychrome was also made inside the church, designed and executed by Jarosław Wiszenko. To this day, the church and the miraculous icon located in it are a place of pilgrimage for Orthodox believers.

The Korol Vineyard was founded in 2010 by Mikołaj Korol, owner of an organic farm

1 V - 2 XI Monday - Friday 10:00-18:00 Saturday - Sunday 8:00-18:00 The Mielnik - Zabuże ferry runs from spring to autumn (the exact start and end dates depend on the water level on the Bug River), ferries run from 8:00 to dusk