The Piecki Commune is located in the south-eastern part of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship and is adjacent to the communes of: Mrągowo, Mikołajki, Ruciane Nida, Świętajno, Dźwierzuty and Sorkwity. The area of the picturesquely situated commune is 314.6 km2. Thanks to the attractive geographical location, the area is developing in terms of tourism, offering visitors a lot of experience. Thanks to its natural values, canoeing, cycling and horse riding is developing successfully here. Among the natural attractions, one can mention the route of the Krutynia River, which flows through reserves, lakes surrounded by beautiful landscapes. It is one of the most interesting lowland routes in Europe, eagerly visited by people who want to cross it by canoe. Over 50% of the commune is covered by forests, which in the eastern part belong to the Masurian Landscape Park. About 10% of the commune’s area is covered by lakes, and the largest is Lake Mokre.
The main non-natural attractions of the commune are:
Regional Museum of Walentyna Dermacka née Sapieha in Piecki. The facility is located at ul. Zwycięstwa 48. The main part of the collection are figurines and figural scenes carved in clay (fired, polychrome, glazed) made by the world-famous artist of folk art, Władysława Prucnal from Medynia Głogowska. The artist created them according to the scenarios and sketches of Mrs. Walentyna Sapieha-Dermacka. Additionally, under the influence of the works created, Mrs. Walentyna wrote poems about them. The entire collection concerns the life of the former village.
Church of st. Józef in Nawiady. It is a Gothic building from 1437, later (since the Reformation, ie 1525) an Evangelical church, now Catholic. The wooden church tower dates back to 1687, the baroque altar with valuable paintings on its two sides still decorates the church. At the top of the altar, we can see two figures of saints: Peter with keys and Paul with a sword, and in the center a radiant cross. In the middle of the altar there is an image of the Mother of God with baby Jesus on her shoulder. On the sides there are valuable rotating pictures depicting the Evangelists, while on the back are passion scenes: Christ before Caiaphas, Pilate, the Flagellation and the Crucifixion of Christ. Initially, the altar was connected to the pulpit, today they are two separate elements. There is also a baptismal angel holding in his hands the bowl on which the child was placed and baptized. The church is surrounded by a wall with six corners and four exits, and in front of it there is a huge stone, which commemorates the soldiers who died during the war.
The Ernst Wiechert Memorial Chamber in Piersławek, the birthplace of Ernst Wiechert, an outstanding German writer, known as the Masurian Euler. He spent his childhood in Piersławek (forester’s lodge). The deep humanism of his prose and critical statements about the Nazi regime meant that he ended up in the concentration camp in Buchenwald. After the war, due to the lack of changes in Germany, he emigrated to Switzerland. The exhibition in Piersławek includes the writer’s works published in German and their Polish translations, as well as numerous documents, occasional prints and photographs. On the outer wall of the forester’s lodge, there are two commemorative plaques commemorating the 100th and 110th anniversary of the writer’s birth.
Natural Chamber of the Masurian Landscape Park in Krutynia. The nature collection, which is constantly growing, is located in a historic barn in the center of Krutynia and has over 300 exhibits of animals. All the exhibits in the museum are made by Dr. Janusz Dynowski. In the historical part of the chamber, you can see an exhibition of photographs and learn about the past of Krutynia, as well as read about the life and work of Karol Małłek, a famous Masurian activist, writer, folklorist, journalist and teacher. The chamber also organizes exhibitions on the subject of nature, where art works of school students from the Park are presented. For groups of visitors who want to explore the beauty of Masurian nature, the offer also includes a multimedia diaporama with photos of a famous photographer – Waldemar Bzura, an inhabitant of Krutynia.
Adam Szubski Gallery in Zgon. The sculptor Adam Szubski (1931-2008) was associated with the village of Zgon. He saved from extermination an old Masurian cottage from the nineteenth century, in which, inter alia, a series of sculptures “Faces” made in a new material, which is a composition of cements, resins, acrylics and paints with the use of an innovative own technique, depicting masks, heads and whole figures, mainly friends and acquaintances of Szubski and villagers. Numerous works by the artist are available on the property in front of the cottage.
The article comes from the website of the Piecki Commune
