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The main reason for visiting Czestochowa is to see the spiritual heart of Poland, if you will. The Black Madonna – a key religious item (supposedly painted/carved onto a table by St. Luke, the Evangelist) and an item also tied to Polish history – resides at the Jasna Gora monastery/fortress. I was expecting to be visiting another important site, take a few pictures, and learn something. But I learned something I was not expecting to learn as I did when I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau.

A Monastery Fortress – Jasna Gora

The Jasna Gora monastery seemed daunting at first. It sits atop a hill and surrounded my massive fortifications.

However, a visit to the info office at the monastery quickly made it very accessible to us. As quick background, back in the 17th century (or was it the 16th?), the monastery resisted the Swedish armies. Sweden had just conquered and ravaged most of Poland and I think Jasna Gora may have been the only place not taken thereby ensuring the continuity of Poland at the time (someone with better history, please correct me or add to this info!).

Visiting Czestochowa from Krakow

To get to Czestochowa from Krakow, the best way was a two hour+ train ride. Upon arriving at the train station, we took a cab to the monastery on recommendation from a Krakovian who said there wasn’t much to see along the way. We were glad we did because of the timing of our arrival at the monastery.

The Black Madonna of Czestochowa

The painting of the Black Madonna hangs in the altar of the chapel next to the Basilica. The painting is not always exposed and the screening (covering up) and un-screening of it are key events which we got to witness almost by coincidence in the timing of our visit – pretty cool.

The chapel fills up with pilgrims or locals, people kneel during the un-/screening, and big trumpet (or horn) music plays for the important moment. At the info office, we were informed that the next screening was 15 mins away – so our timing was great (this only happens twice per day). An hour and a half later the un-screening would take place so we would be there to see it – this worked well because it was the right amount of time to see the 3 small museums in the monastery in between events.

The un-/screening was not as momentous for me though I’m aware how important it is religiously here and how it played a key part in Polish history. I imagine if I were Pole, I would have experienced differently but seeing it and seeing the locals at those moments definitely gave me a view into Poland.

Above the chapel via Knights Hall

One nice surprise was the second story of the chapel (we accessed it via the Knights Hall). The stations of the cross (plus 2 extra stations) were painted around 2000-01 by a painter named Duda Gracz. They are fairly graphic but basically place the stations of the cross with key personages or events (mostly from Poland). For those familiar with the stations of the cross, one depicts Veronica helping Jesus. In this version, it is Mother Teresa. In the one where Jesus walks past his mother, the Black Madonna is the figure shown. The Holocaust is also represented very vividly.

Jasna Gora musems

The museums in the monastery are simple and small sized but the arsenal one was my favorite as it eventually displays photos and key items from the Solidarity movement in the 1980s. Very moving to see. Part of it is built around one of the exterior corner walls of the fort so that was pretty neat. I also enjoyed walking around the exterior of the fort.

Looking towards the main avenue from the fort

Out and about down the Main Thoroughfare of Al. NMP

Once done with Jasna Gora, we walked down the main thoroughfare (known as Al. NMP due to its long name) and stopped at a cafe for a snack. The first cafe we tried only had desserts (no pastries) and was very smoky (while there are non smoking sections in some restaurants I ate at. Those non-smoking sections were usually worse off than the smoking sections). The second place, a few doors up, had the front door open so it was very pleasant inside and, besides desserts, had pastries. The almond/apple tart I had was delicious. That and a cafe au lait totaled a whopping $3.25. Nice. The place was spotless, the restroom clean and the cafe had good ambiance.

We kept walking down Al. NMP until we saw a plaza with a very large cross and a status of Pope John Paul II in from of St. Zygmunt Church.

St. Zygmunt Church in Czestochowa, Poland – massive cross!

We arrived to the area near the train station, typical of many train stations around Europe. With extra time in our hands, I had some time to snap a few shots along the way to “memorialize” the experience of visiting Czestochowa.

Stands near the train station

Serendipity while traveling scores another hit

Czestochowa, while not seemingly as exciting as Krakow in the short duration of our visit, certainly helped me know Poland a little better and is a great destination for those wanting to see more of Poland – a place unencumbered by the importance of Warsaw or the fame of Krakow. Visiting Czestochowa was an inspired idea that paid off nicely, even if it made for a long day. Once again, the lesson is drive home to go with serendipity when traveling!

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Other posts you may enjoy about the Poland I explored

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