Sights

What are the most attractive sights in our commune?

Greater Poland Museum of Firefighting in Rakoniewice

Greater Poland Museum of Firefighting

The Greater Poland Museum of Firefighting in Rakoniewice is one of the oldest museums of this type in Poland. It was founded in 1974 thanks to the efforts of the town authorities, members of the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society (PTTK) and the Volunteer and Professional Fire Departments. Since 1995 it has been a branch of the Central Museum of Firefighting in Mysłowice. It is situated in the former Evangelical church from 1763. The museum displays over 4,000 exhibits documenting the traditions and history of the fire brigade in Greater Poland, including 24 horse-drawn hand pumps (from 1786 - 1923), helmets (from the oldest ones, made of leather, to modern ones), motor pumps (the oldest date from the 1930s) and 24 flags (from 1886 - 1997).

Timber-frame former Evangelical church

The church was built in 1662 for German colonists who settled down in the neighbourhood and founded the town Freystadt - modern Rakoniewice. The German colonists were mainly Lutherans and called themselves Augsburgians. The timber-frame structure of the church was built from wood from neighbouring forests and clay. The church, which was built in haste and of perishable material, had to be renovated only twenty years later. The church was surrounded by a churchyard. In the late 18^th century there was no more free space in the churchyard, and a new Evangelical graveyard was built to the north of the town centre.

Arcaded houses

The construction of arcaded houses was propagated by Maciej Radomicki, the owner of Rakoniewice in the years 1695-1729. Radomicki, who was the Wojewoda (Governor) of Inowrocław Province, supported the construction of arcaded houses because of their suitability for the commercial and craft function of the town and their representative character. The buildings in Rakoniewice differed in appearance from the houses in most towns in Greater Poland Province. Their gables usually faced the street. A characteristic element was protruding upper storeys supported on beautifully decorated arcades. An average house was 17 m long (without the arcade) and 6-7 m wide. It usually consisted of two chambers on the ground floor, which were separated by a windowless kitchen, and one or two rooms in the attic.

Scenic park

The scenic park in Rakoniewice was founded around 1840 by count Marceli Czarnecki and his wife Florentyna. It is situated on the south outskirts of town and is the biggest green enclave in Rakoniewice. The park with the pond occupies an area of 12.5 ha.

In the park there are over 30 species of rare, exotic of trees and bushes, including oaks with a circumference of 4.5-6 m, growing near the pond (the biggest oak, Quercus robur, has a circumference of over 6 m and is listed as a natural monument). Other interesting species of trees include: black pine, eastern white pine, Douglas fir, thuja, bald cypress, swamp oak, red horse-chestnut, common beech, and liriodendron.

Church of St. Martin and St. Stanislaus

The Catholic church in Rakoniewice was built in the years 1797-1805 by Ewa Zakrzewska, widow of the castellan of Santok and owner of Rakoniewice. Saint Martin has been the patron of the church in Rakoniewice since its erection. Later, another dedication was added - of Saint Stanislaus the bishop. In the years 1914-1915, the church was completely rebuilt and extended by Roger Sławski, a well-known architect from Greater Poland, who collaborated on the task with Stanisław Wojciechowski, a builder from Rakoniewice. A chancel, two vestries and a transept with two altars were added. The vestry on the north side was converted into a box where the founders of the extension of the church were sitting.

Neo-Renaissance palace

The palace in the neo-Renaissance style was built around 1840 by count Marceli Czarnecki and his wife Florentyna. In front of the palace there is a scenic park with avenues of lindens and hornbeams and over 30 species of rare, exotic trees and bushes. To the south of the palace, there is a fish pond with a little island. The road leading to the palace is surrounded by linden trees; it ends with a wide forecourt in front of the building. In the years 1897-1898, count Marceli Czarnecki and his son Stanisław added two lower wings to the main body of the palace. The façade facing the park has a balcony supported on four columns and two octagonal turrets with staircases on both sides of the palace.

St. Ursula's Church

The wooden Church of St. Ursula in Ruchocice was built in the years 1730-1737. It has a shingle roof and a turret with a weathercock displaying the date of its consecration. In the interior there are three late Baroque altars from the time of its construction and a small organ with a rococo decoration. On the side altars, there are coats of arms of the church founders: the Kierski and Tysiewicz families. Next to the church, there are some trees - natural monuments.