Attractions and Places To See around Siemiatycze - Top 20

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.

A settlement. Near the bridge over the Toczna River, an old water mill from 1935 stands here. Originally, a wooden mill belonged to the estate of Count Ostrowski of Korczew. After him, the mill was taken over by Aleksander Mincewicz, a native of Drohiczyn and from a family with a long milling tradition. A few years before the war, he completed the construction of a brick mill in Drażniewo, which was blown up by retreating Germans during the war. Aleksander rebuilt the mill after the war and, despite harassment from the communist authorities, ran it until 1965. Since 2009, the settlement has been run by Anna and Marcin Wawrzyński.

Most of the "Molotov Line" bunkers along the Bug River are in very poor condition.

The Bug Valley tempts with picturesque views, but this is not the only attraction of this area. History enthusiasts flock here to discover the remains of one of the most famous fortifications of World War II. Around 1,900 structures of various purposes, over 150,000 soldiers and civilians working on their construction in 1940, over 1,000 km long – the scale of this undertaking is still admirable today. And all this in order to separate themselves from the German ally, with whom Minister Molotov had signed a friendship treaty just a few months earlier. However, Stalin knew that an alliance with Germany was as fleeting as the smoke from his favorite pipe. Hence the construction of large-scale fortifications, which were to stop the aggressor, enable mobilization in the event of war and support offensive operations. The Molotov Line, like its French “cousin” – the Maginot Line, did not live up to the hopes placed in it. The German attack surprised the Russians, some of the bunkers were not even occupied, others did not resist for long. Abandoned almost without a fight, some turned into a pile of rubble, after the war they became a treasure trove of engines and generators for the local population.

Large reinforced concrete shells of combat bunkers hide from the view of outsiders in the forest shade or grow from the tops of the Bug River hills. Overgrown with grass and bushes, covered with thick moss, they are beginning to resemble more and more the creations of nature, not human hands. The memory of them is slowly fading away along with their outlines. And yet eighty years ago, Soviet staff officers proudly referred to them as... Stalin's fangs. They were supposed to bite all those who dared to raise their hands against the Soviet Union. The belt of famous Soviet fortifications stretches across a significant part of the southern and western edges of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. The Molotov Line, because that is the name under which they are currently best known, is a real treat for lovers of military equipment and military architecture.

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).

Legend has it that during the plague epidemic in 1710, an old man from Siemiatycze had a revelation. With a few companions, he carried a cross to Mount Grabarka, washed his face and drank water from the spring gushing at its foot and prayed. A miracle happened and he and his companions recovered. The news quickly spread around the area and from that time on, to this day, people have been bringing their own crosses with their intentions written on them, which have become a symbol of this place. --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcsvnGc5xtg