Częstochowa

City with county rights

German: Tschenstochau Postal code: 42-217 Dialling code: +48 (0)34 Area: 160 km² Population: 255.549

Czestochowa is one of the major religious shrines in the Christian world and attracts some of the largest pilgrimages in Europe (sources put it third, after Lourdes in France and Fatima in Portugal). Some 4-5 million tourists and faithful alike flock in large numbers throughout the year.

The town's development really began with the arrival of the Pauline Order from Hungary in 1382. The monastery was built with funds provided by Duke Wladystaw of Opole. Two years later the Duke presented to the Order a Byzantine style painting of the Virgin Mary, commonly referred to as Black Madonna. Thanks to numerous miracles attributed to the image, the place soon began to attract crowds of believers.

In the course of the following centuries, the monastery was gradually extended and turned into a fortress in the 14th century. The victorious defence during the Swedish invasion in 1655 added to the fame of Czestochowa and strengthened the belief in the miraculous powers of the sanctuary. The monastic complex is a unique historical monument, which also contains u treasury of valuable works testifying to the rich national heritage of Polish state and culture.

Adjacent to the Jasna Góra Basilica is the Chapel of the Miraculous Painting that contains the icon, an object of particular devotion and the destination of pilgrimages. The icon is solemnly revealed at several periods during the day and during certain religious celebrations. Both the basilica and the chapel are filled with priceless art objects, the majority of which were donated by monarchs, hetmans, end ordinary people showing their gratitude.

Surrounded by a moat and defensive walls, the large area of Jasna Góra (Bright Hill) is dotted with other monastic buildings. The most interesting are those, which contain the Knights' Hall, the Arsenal, and the monastery's 600th-Anniversary Museum.

The Krakow-Czestochowa Upland stretches for over 100 kilometres from Czestochowa to Cracow. The undulating landscape features many rock formations from the Jurassic period. Two hiking trails - the Trail of the Eagles' Nests and the Trail of Jurassic Strongholds - lead to and conjoin the picturesque ruins of medieval defensive castles.