Lemko Land
19.03.2017
The Low Beskids can be called the historical land of Lemkos, which impresses with the beauty of the hills, hundreds of roadside chapels, old churches, cemeteries and abandoned villages. The lowest and extensive part of the Beskids stretches from the Tylicka Pass to the Łupkowska Pass. In the east it borders with the Bieszczady Mountains, while in the west with the Beskid Sądecki. This land was once a land of Lemkos, a strong and separate ethnic group of Ruthenian origin. They had their own language, customs and Orthodox religious rites with their own local colors. This community, mainly due to forced relocations, was dispersed as a result of hostilities during World War II. The Lemkos were accused of supporting the actions of the Ukrainian rebellion provoked by the UPA. Currently, around 6,000 live in Poland. Lemkos, of which only 600 in the lands of their ancestors. Fortunately, they left behind a testimony of the once-expanding culture and community. Tourists will see here many wooden churches, which were once the center of Lemko villages, a place where the religious and cultural life of the inhabitants took place. These churches belong to the zero class monuments. Today, you can find traces of farms here - burnt foundations, old orchards, beehives in which bees still live, overgrown cemeteries or thousands of characteristic roadside, sometimes even two-hundred-year-old chapels. And all this against the backdrop of beautiful landscapes of hills, mountain streams and meadows. This wonderful land encourages mountain hiking, horse riding and cycling trips, as it is worth discovering the Lemko region.
