Sokołów Podlaski

Sokołów Podlaski is located in the eastern part of the Masovian Voivodeship about 20 miles to the north of Siedlce. Sokołów Podlaski District covers an area of 137 square kilometers and consists of 36 villages. In the village of Krasnodęby-Sypytki, in the place where the last commander of the January Uprising, Rev. General Stanisław Brzóska, was captured by the Muscovites, there is a monument commemorating the priest. Rev. General Stanisław Brzóska is revered in the city. There is a monument to the heroes of January Uprising of 1863 and a mural dedicated to them. The monument is in the center of the city. My wife and I took a bus to that city and enjoyed our day trip.
We managed to see several sights of the city and enjoyed our stay a lot.

Sokol Cultural center was the first thing we saw in this city. The cultural hub has been there since 1964. It has a great movie theater with a spacious hall and a gallery of children’s pictures. In the park there is an open-air stage for different events.

We also saw two young oaks dedicated to Lech and Maria Kaczyński. They are called Lech and Maria. The inscription on the memorial plaque reads,
Lech and Maria, the symbol of eternal love,
in memory of the presidential couple Lech and Maria Kaczyński,
who tragically died in the Smolensk crash on April 10, 2010.
Sokołow Cultural Center, May 28, 2010

An exhibition of children's pictures at the city cultural center, Sokołów Podlaski

The old furniture exhibition at the city cultural center / The carved wooden sculptures exhibition at the city cultural center

The square in front of the city cultural center, Sokołów Podlaski

The square in front of the city cultural center, Lech and Maria oaks to the right

Breatheasy mini-brine graduation tower stands in the park to the left of the entrance to the cultural center. It is a publicly available facility that produces "water mist" from the brine solution in its immediate vicinity. Staying close to the graduation tower can help treat many respiratory diseases, and above all, it promotes relaxation, calmness and stress relief. Using the graduation tower is free of charge.
The brine graduation tower is a device that produces brine mist used in halotherapy. The applied ultrasonic technique allows for the emission of mist with very large particle size distribution (below 5 μm) that combines perfectly with the air. The brine used in the graduation tower has been extracted for over 120 years from the "Korona" borehole in the spa town of Zabłocie. It is characterized by a huge amount of micro and macro elements. One liter of brine contains over: 110 mg of iodine, 130 mg of bromine, 800 mg of calcium, 400 mg of magnesium, 80 mg of potassium, 40 mg of strondium and many others useful substances. This composition allows for effective prevention and treatment of respiratory and immune system ailments.

Sokołów Podlaski is the oldest city in the historical Podlasie. The city rights privilege was written by Grand Duke Witold in Latin in Grodno on April 20, 1424. The city owes its development to its position of the Great Lithuanian Highway. The Great Lithuanian Highway was one of the most important trade and postal routes of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 17th and 18th centuries. It led from Warsaw through Sulejówek, Okuniew, Stanisławów, Dobre, Liw, Węgrów, Sokołów Podlaski, Drohiczyn, Perlejewo, Ciechanowiec, Rudka, Brańsk, Bielsk Podlaski, Białystok, Czarna Białostocka, Sokółka, Kuźnica, Grodno, Druskininkai, Merecz, Orany and Trakai to Vilnius. Centuries ago, people traveled this route in carriages, coaches, and stagecoaches, stopping at postal stations located every few miles, where one could spend the night and exchange horses.

Church of St. John Bosco in Sokołów Podlaski

The Salesian priests, also known as the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales, were invited to Sokołów by the city authorities in July 1925. In accordance with the charism of their congregation, founded in 1859 by Fr. John Bosko, whose goal was to care for and educate young people, especially the poor, they were to run a grammar school in Sokołów. Today, the Salesian priests run the Salesian High School, and the Salesian Gymnasium.
The church is located in St.John Bosko Street next to Adam Mickiewicz Square, with its façade facing north-west. It is a three-nave, pseudo-basilica church. The modernist church, designed by Warsaw architect Brunon Zborowski, was completed in 1939 and consecrated the same year.
The interior of the church, like its elevations, is characterized by the austerity and simplicity of form. The balcony of the choir is suspended above all three naves, above the side ones it protrudes towards the interior of the church, and in the central part it is supported by two columns. The presbytery is filled with an altar made in the mosaic technique, with a representation of St. John Bosco at the finial. The side altars were made in a similar way - the left one with the image of the Heart of Jesus, adored by the saints: John Eudes, Margaret Alacoque, Francis de Sales and John Bosco, and the right one with the personification of the Church and the figures of St. Joseph with the Child and the Archangel St.Michael. The stained glass windows also feature figures of saints.

After the church, we visited Adam Mieckiewicz Park and saw the Independence Fighters memorial there.

Then we walked along Freedom Street until we reached an impressive church.

The Church of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The first church in Sokołów was founded on May 12, 1415 by Mikołaj Sepieński, the owner of the estate, advisor and secretary of Grand Duke Vytautas. On October 3, 1424, Grzegorz, Bishop of Volodymyr, erected and endowed the parish with tithes from Sokołów and the surrounding villages.

At the entrance gate of the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Virgin Mary, Sokołów Podlaski

The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Virgin Mary, Sokołów Podlaski

The construction of this church lasted from 1820 to 1826. In 1826, the church was consecrated. The building erected by the Kobylińskis did not survive World War II. On the night of July 26-27, 1944, the Soviet aircraft bombed the city, as a result of which the church, rectory and the vicar's house were destroyed. The construction of the new church began in 1948, according to the design of the Warsaw architect Andrzej Bonia. It was dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The works, supervised by the then parish priest of Sokołów, Fr. Stanisław Pielasa, were completed in 1953. That year, Fr. Ignacy Świrski, Bishop of Siedlce, consecrated the new church.

It was not until 1983 that the construction of the tower crowning the facade of the temple and the furnishing of its interior were completed.
The architecture of the Church of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary combines the features of modernism and historicism. The cubic shapes of the body, presbytery and tower, practically devoid of architectural divisions, are juxtaposed with Gothic detail.

The courtyard of the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Virgin Mary with Our Lady's Life stations/A station of Our Lady's Life

Fr. Jan Czarnocki was buried in the church courtyard in 1855. There are only two graves in the courtyard (the second one has no name on the cross). We read the story of Fr. Jan Czarnocki on the information board that stands next to his tomb. I rarely take pictures of tombs, but here I decided to make an exception.
Here is a quotation taken from the information board. It was written by B. Niemirka under the title "Sokołów in the years 1815-1866" for the book "Sokołów Podlaski. History of the city and its surroundings", edited by G. Ryżewski, Białystok - Sokołów Podlaski 2006.
"Fr. Jan Czarnocki was born on November 12, 1828 in the town of Strusy in the Paprotnia commune. He was the son of Franciszek and Marianna née Korycińska. He started his schooling at the government school in Krześlino. After graduating, he moved to Siedlce, where he attended one of the local junior high schools. After completing the 4th grade, Jan Czarnocki decided to enter the Diocesan Seminary in Janów. The future vicar took spent years learning the theological sciences, from 1848 to 1852, then he was ordained a priest. By decision of the diocesan authorities, Sokołów Podlaski was chosen as the first place of his ministry. While staying in the city, he quickly gained the recognition and respect of the local faithful, to whom he never spared a kind word. When a cholera epidemic broke out in the city, regardless of his own safety, Fr. Without a second thought, Jan devoted himself to serving those in need. While providing support to the defenseless and confessing the dying, the young vicar himself eventually fell victim to the disease. Death came quickly. Fr. Jan Czarnocki died on July 30, 1855. However, the inhabitants did not forget about his devotion. Wanting to thank the priest for his care and dedication, they donated a tombstone for him. The monument was to become a symbol of mutual love.
An extraordinary period for the people of Sokołów was the time of the cholera epidemic, which caused terrible devastation in 1855. It was brought by Russian soldiers from Asia. The plague devastated some parts of the Kingdom already in 1848, then in 1852 and 1853. In Sokołów, the most serious outbreak of cholera occurred in 1855. During the three summer months of that year (July-September), several hundred people died, and there were several dozen funerals a day..."

We also found out that the city had its own patron saint - St.Roch. The monument to him stands across the street opposite the church.

St. Roch Feast, celebrated on the day of the patron saint, August 16, became very popular in the city and has always attracted crowds of believers, who tend to come to Sokołów for this feast, not only from the city, but also from distant areas.

The Monument in honour of Fr. Stanisław Brzóska and Franciszek Wilczyński

General Father Stanisław Brzóska (1834-1865) is one of the most famous heroes of the January Uprising. He operated in the vicinity of Sokołów Podlaski, where he led an armed struggle against the Russian invaders for a very long time. Captured together with his adjutant Franciszek Wilczyński, he was imprisoned and sentenced to death. Both were executed in the Sokołów market square.
The inscription on the obelisk reads,

There are three memorial stones at the foot of the monument. The inscriptions on those stones read,

The monument is dedicated to the heroes of the January Uprising
Fr. Gen. Stanisław Brzoska and Fr. Franciszek Wilczyński.

It was destroyed by Germans during World War II.
It was revalorized on the 120th anniversary of their death.
.............................................................................................................

The Commander and the Chief Chaplain of the insurgent troops
Fr. General Stanisław Brzoska and his adjutant Franciszek Wilczyński
were executed at this place on May 23, 1865
by the Russian occupying authorities during a public execution.

On the 90th anniversary of the outbreak of the January Uprising.
.............................................................................................................

General Stanisław Brzóska was posthumously awarded
the White Eagle Order on May 23, 2008
by the President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczyński.

On the anniversary of President Lech Kaczyński's stay in Sokołów Podlaski.
The grateful residents of Sokołow

The mural in honour of Fr. Stanisław Brzóska and Franciszek Wilczyński, Sokołów Podlaski

A dentist's clinic in Freedom Street / Walking along the city boulevard, Sokołów Podlaski
The dentist's clinic looked like a castle from afar and attracted our attention. It was also seen from across the city pond, when we walked along the city boulevard.

Walking along the city boulevard, Sokołów Podlaski

The city boulevard led to B&B and Red Cross Park, The park turned out to be the site of the old Jewish cemetery. Not a single grave has been preserved, and there are several pieces of broken Jewish tombstone embodied into the Commemoration Stone of the former Jewish cemetery in Sokołów Podlaski. The inscription on the commemoration stone is very touching. It reads,

The old Jewish cemetery in Sokołów Podlaski was established in the mid-17th century. The Jews settled in Sokołów Podlaski from the beginning of the 17th century contributing to the economic and cultural development of the city.
In 1939 almost 4,000 Jews lived in Sokolow Podlaski. World War II brought annihilation of the Jewish community of our city.
On 10th October 1942, during Yom Kippur, the Nazis closed down the getto and transported its inhabitants to the Treblinka extermination camp.
“Let their souls be bound into the bond of everlasting life.”
To the memory of Jewish residents of Sokolów Podlaski.
The City Council of Sokolów Podlaski, the Jewish Community of Warsaw.
Sokołów Podlaski 2009

The Commemoration Stone of the former Jewish cemetery.

The Red Cross Park at the place of the former Jewish cemetery, Sokołów Podlaski

The B_B in Sokołów Podlaski

The old city pond in Sokołów Podlaski

The old city pond

A nice bank building in the traditional Polish style, Freedom Street

The market area in Sokołów Podlaski

During our walk in Sokołów Podlaski