Kęty: Town History, Church Art and Cycling Routes
Accommodation in Kęty
Kęty combines a well-preserved medieval town plan with museums, notable churches and cycling routes through forests and fields and along waterways. The regular town plan dates from the end of the 14th century. This gives you several starting points for planning your trip: you may be interested in history and sacred art, or you can explore Kęty by bike.
Town History and Everyday Objects
The Muzeum im. Aleksandra Kłosińskiego is housed in the historic townhouse at Rynek 16. Its exhibits include household items and objects relating to food preparation, as well as pottery from local pottery centres. The collection also includes handmade historical toys by local craftspeople. This topic can give families a specific talking point: the toys offer a chance to look together at how craftspeople once made objects for play.
The tourist information office at Miejsce Aktywności Mieszkańców, Rynek 13, offers another point of reference. Those wishing to focus on the historic town layout and local collections will find a range of cultural themes here, without having to limit themselves to a single museum.
Churches and Kęty’s Religious History
The parish church of St Margaret and St Catherine was the first shrine to St John Cantius to be built in Poland and anywhere in the world. It draws pilgrims to the miraculous image of Our Lady of Kęty, which dates to the first quarter of the 15th century. The image follows the Byzantine Hodegetria type and comes from the so-called Kraków School. The growing veneration of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Consolation led to the church being granted the status of a Marian shrine.
The Church of St John Cantius is another landmark in the town’s history. As veneration and pilgrimage grew, it was expanded into its present-day Baroque form in 1715. Its furnishings are late Baroque; the main altar, with the painting “Vision of St John of Kęty,” dates from 1722. The church also houses a wax sculpture of the saint, donated by professors of the Kraków Academy in 1767 in memory of his canonisation. These works of art and their different historical dates offer several ways to explore Kęty’s religious history.
Monastery, Museum and Routes through Kęty
The Reformed Franciscan monastery complex is a valuable monument of 18th-century sacred architecture. The monastery houses the Muzeum Klasztorne; the monastery museum is open to visitors on selected Sundays after the 10:00 and 12:00 Masses. The Franciscan church houses a polychrome Pietà from the first quarter of the 15th century. The monastery complex also hosts annual celebrations of the Franciscan Portiuncula Indulgence, attended by thousands of the faithful.
For a change of pace, try the historical walking quest “Z Kantym po Kętach.” It leads through the streets adjoining the market square; Cantius accompanies participants as the town’s patron saint, who was born in Kęty. The outdoor quest is designed as an activity available at any time. Its starting point is about 0.6 km on foot from Kęty railway station. The route “Szlak Śladami Kęckich Świętych, Błogosławionych i Świątobliwych” has also been created.
Cycling offers another way to experience the town and its surroundings: Kęty’s extensive cycling routes form part of the Ziemia Oświęcimska cycling network. They often follow quiet paths through forests and fields, along rivers and between ponds. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Kęty, you can take your interests into account when choosing your destination: are town history and church art your main focus, or would you like to include cycling routes in your trip?
More destinations: Nowa Wieś, Brzeszcze, Zator, Grojec, Jawiszowice, Skidzin, Łęki and Bielany.
For the broader travel overview: Oświęcim.
