Mstów: Manor Park and Local History

Location and historical context

Mstów lies on the Tarnawka stream in the central part of the Jodłownik municipality, a few kilometres north of Jodłownik. If you are looking for a hotel in Mstów, the stream and location help you place the village geographically. In addition to this geographical context, the village’s history leads to the former manor, the manor park, and a wayside shrine. These topics differ in time and nature: alongside dated landmarks, local tradition also includes a legend. Your travel plans can therefore take into account both the geographical setting and the specific historical connections of the village.

Manor park and wayside shrine

The manor park was entered in the heritage register on 23 August 1988 under number A-525. A decision dated 1 September 2015 removed part of the park and part of the visual buffer zone from the register. Both dates belong together: 1988 marks the listing, while 2015 marks a later partial delisting. This affected parts of the park and the visual buffer zone, not the areas as a whole. The original listing and the later change should therefore be understood as two separate steps.

Near the former manor stands a wayside shrine containing a figure of the Sorrowful Christ. A local legend tells of a snake charmer who died while luring snakes out of the manor; the manor owner is said to have built a shrine at that spot. In this account, the construction of the shrine belongs to the legend and should not be presented as a confirmed historical event.

Historical landmarks

The earliest known mention of Mstów dates from 1408 and is found in the archives of Szczyrzyc Abbey. In 1505, Mstów belonged to Joanesa, a benefactor of the Cistercian monastery in Szczyrzyc, where he was also buried. There are 97 years between 1408 and 1505; Szczyrzyc first appears as the location of the archives and later as the site of the monastery with which Joanesa was connected as a benefactor and where he was buried.

Towards the end of the 16th century, Mstów came under the rule of Stanisław Zborowski of the Jastrzębiec coat of arms. A few decades later, the village passed into the possession of the Gąsiorowski family of the Pilawa coat of arms. In the 19th century, the Popiel family took over the estate and manor in Mstów. The dates refer to different circumstances: at the end of the 16th century, they concern rule over the village; in the 19th century, they concern the takeover of the estate and manor. Zborowski belonged to the Jastrzębiec coat of arms, and Gąsiorowski to the Pilawa coat of arms. The historical period thus extends from the earliest known mention in 1408, through later changes of ownership, to the park decisions of 1988 and 2015.

Discover more destinations: Jodłownik, Mecina, Mszana Górna, Kobyłczyna, Kamionka Mała, Niedzwiedz K Limanowej, Podobin, Makowica

For the broader travel overview: Limanowa.