Welcome

Welcome to the Piwniczna-Zdrój Land

All things begin at the heart, and if you really want to know a person, you must know their heart. If you want to get to know Lesser Poland or the Polish-Slovak mountains, you should start your journey from the heart of Beskid Sądecki, i.e. the town of Piwniczna-Zdrój.

From the charming Market Square, roads and trails run in all directions, including Slovakia and the peaks of Jaworzyna and Radziejowa mountain ranges, beautiful at every time of the year. The Poprad river, which has been associated with the town for centuries, forms picturesque gorges, and the numerous mineral springs further increase the medicinal and leisure features of the area.

This is where the past meets the present. Here, the array of tourist attractions includes on one hand the beautiful landscapes and mementoes of the Free Royal City of Piwniczna (in the museum), and on the other hand a broad range of recreational services (in hotels and resorts).

Active leisure enthusiasts can travel along bicycle routes, and in the winter - use skiing lifts and enjoy skiing routes as well as vast cross-country skiing areas. The observation tower at the summit of Eliaszówka offers a magnificent view of the Poprad river landscape.

During the whole year, Piwniczna-Zdrój and its surrounding area shimmers with an array of colors, vibrant with wonders of natural life, giving refuge to birds, amphibians and game animals. It is not only the capital of the Black Mountaineers, but also of black sheep and black storks. The Black Mountaineers have been residing in these lands for centuries, and have distinguished themselves through original customs, industriousness, but also a love for singing and dancing. Nowadays, the “Dolina Popradu” band as well as other bands and orchestras, offer an insight into that original folklore to residents and tourists alike.

A bit of history, or the “Free Royal City”

The town was founded by Casimir III of Poland who, on 1 July 1348, issued an order to establish a town under the Magdeburg rights, on both sides of the Poprad river, in the place called “Piwniczna Szyja”. 

In the 18th century, Piwniczna had a water supply network, and the following were added in the 18th and 19th centuries: a school, an inn, five mills, two sawmills, a fulling mill, a drilling mill for drilling water pipes, a water cistern, and a paper mill, founded by Maciej Baczyński in 1793 on the Czercz brook, as well as a hospital. 

In 1912, a kerosene lighting system (8 lanterns) was introduced in the town, and the year 1918 saw the paving of Równia and Zatyłki streets, as well as the road from the Market Square to the railway station. Piwniczna soon became a powerful resort and leisure center.

Under occupation, the town was part of a courier route to Hungary (Warsaw - Nowy Sącz - Budapest through Kosarzyska, Sucha Dolina and Eliaszówka), and the Piwniczna forests housed sabotage and partisan groups, of which the most numerous and dangerous one (for the occupant) was the ninth company of the third battalion of the 1st Regiment of Podhale Rifles of the Home Army, led by Julian Zubek alias “Tatar”. On 23 January 1945, the 1st Guards Army of the 4th Ukrainian Front liberated the town of Piwniczna and the adjacent areas from Nazi occupation. In recognition of the contribution to the fight against the German occupants, on 18 October 1986 the Town and Commune of Piwniczna were awarded the Cross of Valour by the Polish Council of State. 

We recommend:

AQUAVELO bicycle path

Bicycle path connecting the health resorts of the border areas (Krynica-Zdrój - Muszyna - Piwniczna - Szczawnica - Vyšné Ružbachy - Stara Ľubovňa - Ľubovnianske KúpeleBardejov - Bardejov Spa). The route runs through the most precious natural and landscape areas (landscape and national parks, nature reserves), and also includes monuments of wooden architecture and mineral springs. Source and photographs.: www.aquavelo.eu

Active leisure in the summer

Thanks of the numerous tourist values of Piwniczna-Zdrój, there is a little something for everyone. The direct vicinity of the mountains of Beskid Sądecki, the border with Slovakia and location over the Poprad river, make this place perfect for practicing all kinds of sports at any time of the year.

Mountain Tourism

The persons planning to hike in the mountains should remember that Piwniczna-Zdrój is located in Beskid Sądecki and so it has a typical mountain climate! The temperature drops by ca. 0.7^oC with every 100 m above sea level.

Regional Museum of the Piwniczna Friends Society

The Regional Museum currently houses over 2000 items presenting multiple fields from the history of Piwniczna, including: an ethnographic collection, historical town souvenirs, paintings, photographs, a small open-air museum, and a collection of old skiing equipment.

Sports and Entertainment Arena in Piwniczna-Zdrój

The arena is a modern facility, with a 20x40 m playing field and stands with ca. 230 chairs. The Arena is perfectly prepared for daily training sessions, dancing or fitness lessons. It also houses a gym and a climbing wall over 15m high.

The Danuta Szaflarska Municipal-Commune Cultural Center in Piwniczna-Zdrój

The Danuta Szaflarska Municipal-Commune Cultural Center has been operating in Piwniczna-Zdrój since 1978. It stimulates cultural life in town, and provides subject matter and financial assistance for artistic activities both in the town and in the whole commune.

Tourist Information

The Tourist Information Center is located in the building of the Municipal-Commune Cultural Center in Piwniczna-Zdrój. The entrance is at Krakowska street, opposite to the parish church. Address: Rynek 11, 33-350 Piwniczna-Zdrój, phone No. 18 446 83 25, email: informacjapiwniczna@o2.pl

Radwanów Swimming Complex

The swimming complex is a recreational facility operating in the summer season. The visitors can enjoy: a large outdoors swimming pool with 3 lanes (depth: 120-180 cm), two water slides, water massage areas, an indoor swimming pool with 3 lanes (depth up to 150 cm), a whirlpool tub and a sauna.

Artists’ Water Drinking Room and Spring Park

An amphitheater for open-air concerts is located at the Artists Water Drinking Room in the Spring Park. The charming alleyways of the park allow you to calm down and relax, and the hum of the nearby Poprad river gives this place an exceptional charm.