The best traffic-free bike rides around Kałuszyn

In the very heart of Węgrów, in the market square, stands a bench with the figure of Pan Twardowski. It is a symbolic point of the walk, where legend meets the city's history and its urban layout. For centuries, the Węgrów market square has been the center of life: trade, meetings, and events. It is surrounded by the most important buildings, including the monumental Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Węgrów, with which the most famous thread of the Twardowski story is associated – the mirror attributed to the sorcerer. From a geographical perspective, the market square lies on a slight elevation of the plateau, safely above the Liwiec valley. It was precisely this location that favored the establishment of cities: dry, stable, and at the same time close to the river, which provided water, fertile meadows, and communication routes. Sitting next to Twardowski in the market square, one can discern three layers of this place: • historical – the former layout of the chartered city, • legendary – the story of the sorcerer and the mirror in the basilica, • geographical – the relationship of the city with the Liwiec valley. This is a good starting point for a walk: from the center, where the meaning of Węgrów is concentrated, before the road leads towards the river and the open space of the valley.

A large complex of ponds with numerous waterfowl. It is worth stopping for a moment and listening to the birds in silence.

The cemetery is overgrown with grass and shrubs. Within the cemetery there is a monument from 2017 and a fragment of a sandstone stele. The mass graves are not marked. The owner of the cemetery is the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage. More http://cmentarze-zydowskie.pl/kaluszyn.htm

The original church from 1407, endowed in 1478 by Jan Litawor Chreptowicz, the royal chancellor. The next one built in 1676 by Emerencjana Mleczko. The current brick parish church, built in 1788 by Aleksander Ossoliński, Lithuanian sword-bearer, consecrated in 1837 by Bishop Jan Marceli Gutkowski. Baroque-neoclassical style.

View from the bridge over the Liwiec River

The belfry next to the church is "younger", it was placed here in 1951. There is a certain story associated with the bells. During each wartime turmoil, the church bells were melted down to make cannons. In 1794, the bells from the previous church were given to the Kościuszko insurgents. Also during the November Uprising, the parish offered its bells to the Polish army. The next bells were requisitioned in 1915. The Germans stole them for the last time in 1941. The current bells were consecrated in 1957 and bear the names of Jakub and Franciszek.

The church is of log construction, with three naves separated by cast iron columns and a chancel separated from the main nave. There are two chapels on its sides. In the years 1907-1910, i.e. during the renovation, the church also gained two sacristies. It was then that the ceiling was covered with illusionistic paintings with rich ornamentation. The interior is well lit with natural light thanks to the fact that the main nave is higher than the side naves, and the windows were placed above their roofs. The ceiling of the church makes a huge impression above all. It is covered with illusionistic paintings and coffers with rosettes. It is impossible to tell what is painted and what is real. In the chancel there are three beautiful, oak, twentieth-century altars. In the main altar there is a painting of the Assumption of the Mother of God. The Rococo altars in the chapels from around 1770 are also beautiful. In the right one there is a painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate Conception, while in the left one – an eighteenth-century sculpture of the Crucified Christ, once surrounded by worship. This is evidenced by the numerous votive offerings hanging around the cross. The organ prospect also comes from that year. The church's equipment also includes two beautiful, historic feretrons, two Rococo confessionals, a baptismal font in the shape of a chalice and eighteenth-century paintings from the school of Szymon Czechowicz. One of them – the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary decorates the wall of the presbytery, and the other – the Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus is hung next to the organ.

The Church of the Holy Trinity in Żeliszew Podkościelne was built of pine wood on a rectangular plan in the years 1770-1777. The first church in Żeliszew existed already in the first half of the 16th century, but it was burned down during the Swedish Deluge. The parish of the Holy Trinity was established in 1769. The current church was built thanks to the foundation of a local heir. In 1906, most of the village residents converted to Mariavitism - it was then that they occupied the church. A year later, by court order, they had to leave the temple.