Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Poland
After a fun long weekend visiting Kraków with my parents, it was time to strike out on my own again. I stayed in the city for a couple more days, but took some trips out to the surrounding area. Poland is a very religious country and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska is one of its most popular pilgrimage spots.
Created in the 1600’s, the founder noticed that the area was similar to that around Jerusalem. Therefore, he decided to build various chapels and monuments representing the equivalent places around the landscape. It centres around the old monastery, but nearby are the Mount of Olives, Golgotha, etc. A well-worn trail links all of these together, which would be thronged with pilgrims on notable dates.
Rather than the religious aspect, I enjoyed just walking along the route, hopping from monument to monument. A lot of them are tucked away up steep hills and in forests. The main basilica was fairly busy, but I liked that the surrounding paths were very quiet.
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