Zamosc owes its existence to Jan Zamoyski. His political and economic career is among the most brilliant in the history of Poland. A man with an excellent education—he studied in Strasbourg, Paris and Padua—Zamoyski won recognition as a young talented scholar and organizer as a student. After returning to Poland he became a secretary to the king; at 33, a chancellor; and four years later, the great Crown hetman—the second most important figure in the state after the king. The young politician was among the most brilliant minds of the Republic of Poland and maintained contacts with Europe's intellectual elite. At the age of 38, on April 10, 1580, he issued the founding act for the city of Zamosc, which was confirmed by King Stefan Batory's privilege on June 12.

An ideal city
Zamoyski commissioned the design of the city and its most important edifices from Bernardo Morando, an architect renowned in Poland at the time. A location convenient to defend was chosen and over dozen or so years a large town for 3,000 was built according to the latest urban planning concepts.
Zamosc was the fulfillment of the dreams of 16th-century Italian urban planners and philosophers—an ideal city. It not only had a grid-like street layout and excellent city structures; it was also designed to perfectly combine space and function. This ideal city was intended to fully meet the residents' expectations.

A stronghold
Over its nearly 300-year history, the Zamosc stronghold was never seized by any invading army. The city had its baptism of fire on 1648, when it was besieged by the Cossack army under Bohdan Khmelnytsky. After two weeks, the attackers withdrew. Eight years later, Zamosc—along with Gdansk and CzejStochowa—was the only Polish fortress to withstand the Swedish "deluge."
Zamosc fortifications were consistently modernized. However, due to the advancement of military technology, a decision was made to shut down the stronghold in 1866 and part of the fortifications were blown up. However, what remains is an impressive testimony to the stronghold's former power.

Cultural melting pot
Zamoyski wanted Zamosc to be inhabited only by Roman Catholic Poles. However, soon he issued location privileges for the Armenians, Sephardic Jews and Greeks, in 1585,1588 and 1589 respectively. Merchants and craftsmen from Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland and other countries came to the city. Students from all over Europe flocked to the academy in Zamosc, adding even more international flavor. Zamosc became a multi-cultural city.
Today, there are still many traces of Zamosc's multi-cultural past—a synagogue, a former Greek Orthodox church, an old Eastern Orthodox church and the Armenian tenement houses on the Great Market. Their rich facade ornamentation is proof of the intermingling of eastern and western cultures.
Despite many storms over history, Zamosc has been preserved in perfect condition. The exceptional role it has played in the history of Poland, and in international architecture and urban planning, is confirmed by the 1992 inclusion of Zamosc's Old Town on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List, next to the most valuable architectural complexes of Europe and worldwide.

Roztocze
Located not far away from Zamosc, the picturesque range of forest-covered hills, with a myriad rivers and streams, is a haven for people looking for recreation opportunities away from the big city bustle. The vast pine and fir-and- beech forests, tourist and bicycle trails and lakes with sandy beaches offer great conditions for family recreation and many leisure activities.
The richness of local nature and the beauty of Roztocze landscapes are reflected in the Roztocze National Park, five landscape parks, and several nature reserves in the area. The presence of so many forms of nature and environmental protection on such a small area is unique in Poland.
Roztocze is not only about nature—there are also picturesque villages and small towns, such as Zwierzyniec with a church "on the water" and a layout resembling a time when the town was the capital of the Zamosc Entail; the historical center of Szczebrzeszyn, the Jewish cemetery in Jozefow, or the sanctuaries of the Blessed Virgin Mary in \ Krasnobrod, St. Stanistaw in Gorecko Koscielnei and St. Anthony in Radecznica.

Marek Jawor

The Zamosc region possesses many attractions in terms of the environment. The location of Lublin province, at the crossroads of eastern and western Europe, encourages great biodiversity in the area. Many elements of the environment in the region are unique in both Poland and on a European scale. For their protection and preservation, the Protected Area System has been created to encompass the Roztocze National Park, five scenic parks and two protected landscape areas managed by the Zamosc Scenic Park Complex (ZZPK).
All of the scenic parks are recommended for those who value nature, attractive landscapes and ecology. They are located not far from Zamosc, which is a convenient central location for bicycle and car trips for visiting each park. Scenic parks have fewer restrictions for tourists than their national equivalents, and all feature well-marked tourist and educational walking paths.
Each protected area of the Zamosc region offers something unique and special.
The Solska Forest Scenic Park has nearly 30,000 hectares of primeval forest encompassing the southwestern ridges of Roztocze with inland dune complexes. Unique water gaps within the Roztocze ridges and Solska Forest have sequences of small waterfalls named "szumy" and "szypoty", forming the unusual, picturesque and somewhat rugged character of these forested areas. Seven marked tourist trails and two nature paths run through the park.
The Krasnobrod Scenic Park, with a total area of 9,390 hectares, includes some of the highest elevations of Central Roztocze. The forest accounts for more than 60 percent of the park, featuring fir and beech stands, as in the Roztocze National Park, but without visitor restrictions. The area features some of the finest fir trees no longer found anywhere else in Europe. The park has four marked pedestrian tourist trails, two walking paths and a bicycle path.
The South Roztocze Scenic Park is home to the largest stand of petrified trees dating back to 18 million years ago—a rarity in Europe. The trees are on display both in the open and at the local museum in Siedlce. The park, which has great historical value, has three marked tourist trails and three educational paths as well as numerous earthwork fortifications and bunkers dating back to World War II.
The Szczebrzeszyn Scenic Park has Poland's largest and most beautiful network of loessic gorges with walls several meters high, ranging from a few dozen centimeters to 20 meters wide. The most beautiful of them, located between Szczebrzeszyn and Wywtoczka, is called Piekietko (Little Hell). The gorges form labyrinths of bewitching beauty and unique topographic configurations.
The Skierbieszow Scenic Park marks the highest section of the Lublin Upland, with meadows on the Grabowieckie Divide as well as lightly forested gorges. Visitors to the park will also encounter many plants that are rare in Europe.
The Dothobyczow and the River Bug Protected Landscape Areas encompass the Bug River valley—one of Europe's last unregulated rivers, picturesquely meandering through Poland's easternmost corner. The complex is also home to many bird species, including the ubiquitous stork, gray heron colonies and Poland's only spotted souslik habitat, as well as traces of the land's history dating back to 9,000 BC.
We invite you to come and visit this unusual region, where the nature is rich, history interesting and people warm and friendly.

Alina Anasiewicz

director of the Zamosc Scenic Park Complex (ZZPK)

The Warsaw VOICE - May 22-29.2005