The best traffic-free bike rides around gmina Wieprz

Nice market square. Currently under renovation.

Key dates and historical facts: 1285: Village founded and parish established. 1325–1327: Mention of an existing church. 1496: The church was destroyed, likely by fire. 1502–1506: Construction of the current wooden church. Its founder was Count Zygmunt Porębski. 1509: Consecration of the church. 1644: A tower was added. 1720–1763: Period when the church served as a Calvinist church. 1763–1791: Renovation work, modernization of the tower, sacristy, and interiors, as well as replacement of the Renaissance altars with Baroque ones. 1916–1917: Painter Adam Giebułtowski created new interior polychrome.

St. Bartholomew's Church in Poręba Wielka is a wooden, late Gothic church, whose present form dates from the early 16th century (1502–1506). The church was founded by Count Zygmunt Porębski. Its history includes a period when it served as a Calvinist church from 1720 to 1763. Later, after renovations, the church was rebuilt, and the furnishings (including the altars) were changed to Baroque styles. Renovation and conservation work was carried out in the 21st century.

Everything indicated that the project would receive PLN 2 million in funding. Unfortunately, at the last minute, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW) decided against the grant. The facility continues to deteriorate, and so far, there's no indication that a new development plan will be found.

The beautiful Carp Valley also has a dark side. On the trail leading to the ponds of the Przeręb farm in Zator, tourists encounter a surprising sight. A dilapidated building looms among the trees, along with the outbuildings belonging to the Institute of Inland Fisheries in Olsztyn and its subordinate Fisheries Experimental Station in Zator. The facility and its entire neglected surroundings mar the beautiful surroundings. It also has interesting features, such as a bus with a trailer, the popular "cucumber," and interesting items lying around in the warehouses. It was supposed to be a carp and night heron museum. The fishing plant in Zator lacks the funds to renovate the decaying facility. Currently, its employees only use two rooms. The building is being systematically looted and vandalized. A rusting "cucumber" bus with a trailer sits next to one of the halls. Kayaks and a tractor, in relatively good condition, can be seen through the windows in the warehouses. A few years ago, the idea arose to create a carp and night heron museum there.

The old, prestigious market square in Auschwitz. The weekly market no longer takes place here.

It has its charm

"The Church of St. Bartholomew in Poręba Wielka was built in the 16th century and is one of the oldest churches in the Silesian Foothills. The temple has the character of a late Gothic church of the Silesian variety. It consists of a nave and a narrower chancel closed on three sides with an added sacristy, covered with sheet metal. Inside the church you can admire late Gothic portals with lintels cut in the so-called donkey spines, and on the walls and ceilings there is Young Poland polychrome. Rococo altars, the pulpit and the organ prospect date back to the end of the 18th century, while the baptismal font is classicist."