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Dungeon in Tarnów
During the 1997 and 2010 renovation of the Town Hall, an enigmatic structure was found below the north wall of the building. It was a cylindrical stone well, 3 meters deep and 2 meters wide. At first, it was believed to be a water tank. But the results of archaeological works beneath the floor of the structure excluded such a possibility. The permeable layer of sand could not hold water, as it was over 8 meters deep. No traces of waste nor excrement eliminated another potential function of the pit. Therefore it was assumed that the structure was a town prison, the dungeon.
"Pearl of Renaissance"
“Pearl of the Renaissance” that is how Tarnów’s Old Town is spoken about by art connoisseurs. In the epoch of Renaissance Tarnów was one of the most beautiful towns in Poland. Its extraordinary beauty and atmosphere were created by structures such as: majestic parish church, magnificent city hall and the townsmen houses with polychrome finished front walls.
At the beginning of the 16th century Tarnów had ca. 1,200 inhabitants. The city was surrounded with fortified walls and had water supply and sewage systems in place. The inhabitants made their money on trade and craft.
Tarnów is second largest complex of monuments in Małopolska
There are dozens of historical structures spread around the city. The oldest were erected in Gothic and Renaissance periods.
Tarnów - the warmest place in Poland
The long-term mean annual temperature equals 8.80C and is the highest in Poland.
The only painted village in Poland
North of Tarnów, where Dunajec and Vistula rivers meet, resides one of the most interesting ethnographic micro-regions in Poland with the village of Zalipie at its center. It has earned the name of "painted village" because of a region specific tradition that involves the painting of cottages.
The largest Baroque residence
The Castle in Nowy Wisnicz is the largest preserved Baroque fortified residence in Poland. The structure has received its current Renaissance-inspired facade during the reign of Piotr Kmita. The residence is composed of four two-story wings surrounding a quaint, little courtyard. The feature that allows the Castle its unparalleled allure is the four towers that proudly stand at each of the corners of the residence.
The biggest wooden church
St. Stanislaw Church in Skrzyszów was erected in 1517 and has earned the title of the biggest wooden church in Małopolska as a one-part church, with two chapels. The church has a tower and is surrounded by cloisters. Its most prized relics are late Gothic sculptures on the altar and the sculpture of St. Barbara, which dates back to 1500.
Jan Szczepanik - "Polish Edison"
Jan Szczepanik, the most versatile Polish inventor, spent several years in Tarnów. He was the pioneer of color photography, television and color films, precursor of modern textile industry, including the bullet-proof jacket.
General Bem – The Hero of Two Nations
General Joseph Bem, the national hero of Poland and Hungary was born in Tarnów, in a house located right outside the city walls, on the suburbs called “Burek”. The birth registry kept by the Cathedral parish in Tarnów contains the record of Joseph Bem’s christening and birth on 14th March 1794.
"Stone City"
The monadnocks have formed into an extremely bizarre and interesting way as the result of harsh atmospheric factors like rain, wind and frost. Other natural elements have also altered the shape of the rocks, like the Scrub Pine that roots itself deeply into cracks and splits the rock. However, despite the attempts of science to explain such a phenomena, the locals have adopted their own unique understanding of the rock formations.
