Podwilk: Nature Conservation and Church Art

Podwilk offers two clearly distinct highlights to consider when planning a trip: the Bembeńskie Nature Reserve, with its conservation mission, and St. Martin’s Church, with its distinctive architecture and furnishings. If you compare destinations based on your interests in nature and culture, these themes can help you decide what appeals to you most about a place. The features below range from protected plants to a dated bell, giving both sides a distinct profile.

Nature and protected plants

The Bembeńskie Nature Reserve in Podwilk was established in 2001 to protect peatland spruce stands, black and grey alder trees, and protected and rare subalpine herbaceous plant species. It covers 40.54 hectares and consists of two separate sections. Its conservation mission therefore applies to different types of vegetation: named tree stands as well as herbaceous plant species. The area is not continuous, but is divided into two sections.

One of the legally protected plant species is soft-haired knapweed. It adds a specific example to the description of the tree stands and subalpine plant species. Nature enthusiasts can thus distinguish between two perspectives: trees and stands on the one hand, and a specifically named protected species on the other. The area’s protection therefore covers more than a single plant or group of trees.

Architecture and furnishings of St. Martin’s Church

The tower and roof turrets of St. Martin’s Church have bulbous tent roofs. A tent roof tapers towards the top; “bulbous” describes its curved outer contour. Both features characterize the roof shape of the tower and roof turrets. The rounded line adds a distinctive detail to the tent roof’s upward taper.

Surviving elements of the former furnishings include a pulpit with a relief of St. John the Baptist, a side altar, and two Rococo confessionals. A pulpit is a raised place from which a speaker addresses the church; here, it is further identified by the subject of its relief. The term Rococo classifies the two confessionals by style, while the side altar is another item of furnishing.

A stucco relief of St. Wendelin is located above the door to the sacristy. Two different saints are thus represented in relief: St. John the Baptist on the pulpit and Wendelin in the stucco work above the sacristy door. The subject, material, and placement distinguish this detail from the depiction on the pulpit.

The bells in the tower also provide a point of reference in time: a bell from 1702 hangs among bells dating from the interwar period. It has a diameter of half a metre. The date 1702 applies to this bell; the other bells mentioned are classified as interwar. The collection therefore brings together different historical periods, along with a specific measurement for the older bell.

When choosing a destination, you can put your interests first: if your focus is on plants and nature conservation, the Bembeńskie Nature Reserve is the relevant point of interest; if you are interested in church architecture and furnishings, the roof shapes and historic details are more relevant.

Discover more destinations: Falsztyn, Szlembark, Chochołów, Podsarnie, Tylka, Łopuszna, Lasek, Zubrzyca Górna

For the broader travel overview: Nowotarski.