Nowy Sącz: City history between the Dunajec and the Beskid Sądecki

Riverside location and cycling routes

In Nowy Sącz, the VeloDunajec route joins the international EuroVelo 11 cycle route. This is a useful point of reference for travellers planning a cycling holiday. The tourist information office is in the city centre, 700 metres from the VeloDunajec route. There you can get free maps and guides to the Nowy Sącz region. The city is also connected to the railway network.

Another cycling route, the Carpathian Cycle Route from Leluchów to Myślenice, is 180.8 kilometres long and rated difficult. This information can help you assess the route as a longer and demanding cycling option. In Nowy Sącz, the VeloDunajec route, in turn, connects to EuroVelo 11 as described above. If cycling is a focus of your trip, these are two different details to consider when planning your route.

City history in museums and buildings

The Sącz Land Museum’s main building has a permanent exhibition on the history of Nowy Sącz from 1867 to 1945. The building was formerly the Austro-Hungarian Bank and was built in 1912. Another historic landmark is the 15th-century Gothic House on Jagiellońska Street, which also houses the Sącz Land Museum. In the city, you can encounter both the history of the 19th and 20th centuries and older architectural history.

Visible remains of Nowy Sącz Castle stand at the edge of the Old Town: these include a fragment of the wall, a tower and remnants of other buildings. The castle was built in the early 14th century and later expanded by King Casimir the Great. The wall fragment and the Kowalska Tower were reconstructed after the war. This distinction is particularly interesting when exploring the city’s cultural history: the castle has medieval origins, while parts of the structure visible today have been reconstructed.

The religious buildings also reflect different periods. St Margaret’s Church features Gothic and Baroque elements, and its history reaches back to the founding of the city. The Church of St Roch was built between 1595 and 1608 at the initiative of the Norbertines of Nowy Sącz. Its coffered ceilings feature figurative Late Renaissance polychromy dating from the mid-17th century. Those interested in religious history can also visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Consolation in the Church of the Holy Spirit in the Old Town. Since the 16th century, residents of the region have made pilgrimages to this sanctuary.

Open-air museum and Galician culture

The Sądecki Ethnographic Park is the largest open-air museum in Lesser Poland. It covers 20 hectares and is divided into four main sections. During the summer season, the park regularly hosts folklore events. These showcase traditional ways of making a living, old crafts and rural production, as well as rituals, singing, music and dance. This offers a different way to explore cultural history than the city museums: the focus here is on inherited ways of life and forms of expression.

Another branch of the Sącz Land Museum is the Galician Town, which transports visitors to 19th-century Galicia. Visitors can stroll around, see a photographer and a watchmaker, and sample Galician dishes. The Galician Town also hosts outdoor events and concerts, as well as annual Christmas markets.

Discover more places

For further inspiration, you can also visit the pages for the following places: Grybow, Nowy Sącz, Muszyna, Krynica-Zdrój, Uhryń, Świdnik, Podegrodzie, Stary Sącz, Rytro, Tylicz, Piwniczna-Zdrój, Łącko, Jazowsko, Gródek Nad Dunajcem, Wierchomla Wielka, Zarzecze, Nowa Wieś, Żegiestów, Labowa, Cieniawa, Żeleźnikowa Wielka, Chełmiec, Krzyżówka, Barcice, Rożnów, Brzyna, Zawadka, Kąclowa, Florynka, Mochnaczka Niżna, Wierchomla Mała, Binczarowa, Białawoda, Berest, Rąbkowa and Zubrzyk.

For the broader travel overview: Lesser Poland.