Nowy Sącz County

Nowy Sącz County (Pol. powiat nowosądecki) is one of 19 land counties of Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It has an area of 1550,2 km², with the population of over 207,000, the population density is 134,1 p/km². The county's administrative centre is Nowy Sącz, which geographically doesn't belong to it. Nowy Sącz County came into being on January 1, 1999 as a result of an administrative reform.

The first written records about the settlement on the territory of Nowy Sącz County date back to 1224. In 1257 Prince of Kraków Boleslaw 'the Chaste One' (Bolesław Wstydliwy) delegated his wife Kinga for the management of Sącz lands, she contributed to the creation of the Order of poor Ladies in the modern city of Stary Sącz. Later all the control authorities of Sącz lands were shifted to Stary Sączу. In 1292 the King Wenceslaus II shifted the settlement Sącz to the village of Kamienica, the place where subsequently arose the town of Nowy Sącz. After the First Partition of Poland Sącz became the part of Austria. Then Sącz County was formed, it subjected to Wielicky district. After World War II the Sącz lands were included into Kraków Voivodeship and Nowy Sącz has become an admimistrative center of the county. As a result of an admimistrative reform of 1975 the Nowy Sącz Voivodeship emerged and existed up to the next territorial reform in 1999.

The natural conditions and resources of the Nowy Sącz County created the possibilities for the development of health tourism. There are balneological resorts in the region, among which the biggest are:

  • "Zegiestow", Zegiestow
  • "Krynica-Zdrój", Krynica-Zdrój
  • "Muszyna", Muszyna
  • "Piwniczna-Zdrój", Piwniczna-Zdrój

For those who enjoy alpine skiing there are such sport and tourism centres:

  • Kamianna ski resort, Kamianna
  • Kokuszka ski lift, Kokuszka
  • Henryk ski resort, Krynica-Zdrój
  • Gromada ski lift, Krynica-Zdrój
  • Słotwiny ski resort, Krynica-Zdrój
  • Jaworzyna Krynicka ski resort, Krynica-Zdrój
  • Dwie Doliny Muszyna — Wierchomla ski resort, Piwniczna-Zdrój
  • Ryterski Raj ski resort, Rytro
  • TopSky Tylicz ski resort, Tylicz

Worth visiting:

Wooden churches and Roman Catholic Churches

  • Roman Catholic church of Mother of God Of Perpetual Help (prev. lemk. Church of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, 1842), Berest
  • Transfiguration Roman Catholic Church (1864), Krynica-Zdrój
  • Roman Catholic church of St. Mary of Czestochowa (prev. Church of Archangel Michael, 18th century, 1846), Mochnaczka Niżna
  • St. James Roman Catholic church (prev. church, 17th-19th centuries), Powroźnik
  • Roman Catholic church of Mother of God (prev. Church of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, 1798), Piorunka
  • Church of St. Wojciech (1661), Rożnów
  • Church of St. Cosmas and St. Damian (prev. church, 1837), Tylicz
  • Roman Catholic church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (prev. church, 1893), Czyrna

Sacred architecture and cemeteries

  • Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Grybów
  • Church of the Virgin Mary Ascension (1887-1902), Krynica-Zdrój
  • Jewish cemetery (19th century), Muszyna
  • Roman Catholic Church of St. Joseph (17th centuries), Muszyna
  • Basilica of St. Małgorzaty (14th-16th centuries), Nowy Sącz
  • White Monastery (19th century), Nowy Sącz
  • Chapel of St. Anna (17th century), Nowy Sącz
  • Chapel of St. Mark (1771), Nowy Sącz
  • Church of St. Elizabeth (1898), Nowy Sącz
  • Church of the Holy Spirit and the Jesuit Monastery (15th century), Nowy Sącz
  • Grodzka Synagogue (1746), Nowy Sącz
  • Bajs Nusn Synagogue (19th-20th centuries), Nowy Sącz

Fortifications and palaces

  • House of Lubomyrski (17th century), Nowy Sącz
  • The ruins of the royal castle (1350–1360), Nowy Sącz
  • The ruins of the Rytro castle (13th-14th centuries), Rytro
  • The remnants of defensive walls, entrance gates and bulwarks (16th century), Rożnów

Other architectural monuments

Natural monuments and protected areas

  • Popradsky landscape park
  • Romanówskie lake, Romanów
  • 500-year-old linden, Czarny Potok
  • Mofetta named after H. Świdziński, Jaśczembik

Museums

  • Parochial museum; Grybów, Kościelna St. 3
  • Nikifor museum "Romanówka"; Krynica-Zdrój, Bulwary Dietla St. 19
  • Toys museum "Bajka"; Krynica-Zdrój, Piłsudskiego St. 2
  • Parochial museum; Krynica-Zdrój, Kościelna St. 2
  • Nowy Sącz skansen; Nowy Sącz, B. Wieniawy-Długoszowskiego St. 83-b