Chustki: The Sandstone Madonna
Accommodation in Chustki
Chustki offers two unusual starting points for planning a trip: a Madonna figure with a distinctive historical tradition and the option of including the village in a longer cycling or skiing tour. One topic leads into the village’s cultural history, while the other offers a look at tour options in the wider Szydłowiecki destination.
The Madonna of Chustki and Her Story
The Madonna figure in Chustki dates from 1898 and is carved from local sandstone. A municipal travel guide from 2011 relates that the Madonna stopped weeping when the Second World War broke out. According to eyewitness accounts, she is said to have wept bloody tears. The Church did not recognize the reported phenomenon as a miracle, and scientific investigations were unable to establish its cause.
The tradition also includes the interpretation that the Madonna wanted to warn people of an impending danger, but that her signs were not properly understood. Thus, accounts of an unusual event sit alongside religious interpretation and a cause that remains unexplained to this day. For those interested in cultural history, the particular appeal lies precisely in these different layers of the story.
A municipal travel guide from 2011 locates the figure on the right-hand side of the E77 when travelling from Radom to Szydłowiec, just beyond the junction with the local road to Zdziechów. For current directions, it is best to check this information against an up-to-date map.
A Tour with an Optional Detour to Chustki
A municipal tour description from 2011 mentions a cycling or skiing tour of about 30 kilometres that starts and ends in Szydłowiec. The route passes through the valleys of the Korzeniówka and Szabasówka rivers and via Krzcięcin, Korzyce, Omięcin, Wysoka, the Marianka Chapel and Zdziechów. Chustki can be included as an optional stop after Zdziechów. This distinction matters when planning: Chustki is a possible addition to the tour, while Szydłowiec is both the starting and return point. It is worth checking the route details for updates before setting off.
Other cycling routes in the wider Szydłowiecki destination also provide a comparison of different distances: Cycling Route No. 1 is 23 kilometres long, with a 33-kilometre variant; Cycling Route No. 6 covers 25 kilometres and starts and ends in Szydłowiec. Before setting off, it is advisable to check the conditions along Cycling Route No. 1. This helps you choose a tour to suit your preferred distance without conflating the optional Chustki loop with the other routes described.
Culture in the Wider Szydłowiecki Destination
In the wider Szydłowiecki destination, Szydłowiec lies in the southern part of the Masovian Voivodeship, on the border with the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. Szydłowiec Castle stands on an artificial island in the Korzeniówka floodplain. Between 1470 and 1480, Stanisław Szydłowiecki built a brick castle there.
The Muzeum Ludowych Instrumentów Muzycznych presents its exhibitions, including three permanent exhibitions, in the castle chambers. The museum was founded in 1968 and is considered the world’s first independent museum dedicated to folk musical instruments. The Eksperymentarium Dźwięku is also located in one of the castle’s oldest chambers: visitors can play rare musical instruments and create digital compositions there.
The museum offers museum lessons for children and adults in the form of workshops or lectures. The cultural offer in the wider destination thus ranges from Chustki’s historical Madonna tradition to musical instruments, exhibitions and hands-on activities in Szydłowiec. If you are looking for a holiday apartment, you can choose where to stay based on your planned focus: the Madonna’s story in Chustki or the castle and music attractions in the wider Szydłowiecki destination.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Szydłowiec, Chlewiska, Jastrząb, Sulistrowice, Ostałówek.
Back to the wider travel overview: Szydłowiecki.
