Włodawa (Wlodawa)
Wlodawa is a small town very near the border with both Belarus and Ukraine.
The countryside is relatively flat, forested and studded with lakes. The
region between here and Leczna is known as the Wlodawa-Leczna Lake District.
Just to the east of the town is the north flowing Bug river, which forms
Polands border here.
The Central Square
Part of the
main square.
One of
the buildings at the north end of the main square.
Włodawa
1915
Carved wooden
sign of an eating house on the main town square. Relatively cheap, simple
and with all sorts of hunting related items on the walls.
The Northern Part of the Town
A nice example
of a wooden house with features copied from dwors (central door) and 19th
century town houses (balconied second storey room).
This is
a much modified house and one would have to examine it carefully to discover
its origins. You can see that it was originally one-storied with a pitched
roof but now has an added second storey. Whether it was originally used
as individual shops or was once a single residence is more difficult to
tell.
Wlodawa
spent a lot of the 20th century in decay with little maintenance. Predicting
the future of buildings is often difficult as it depends on whether it
has a single owner, joint ownership, or a pre-war owner wanting it back.
19th century
buildings
Always difficult
to date as this is quite a classic shape of Polish building.
Unusual
tower, almost an Alpine castle turret.
Just behind
the main street are some more traditional buildings - here a standard shape
of cottage, identical in form as of a wooden cottage - unusual only in
having 2 chimneys.
Eclectic
and wonerful - It could be the gateway into a castle or palace instead
of a 19th century block of flats.
2 old ladies
watching a wedding from there fortunately placed balcony - views of the
Roman Catholic church, the Orthodox Church, and out across the valley of
the Bug river.
Called 'Bridge
Street', this leads down from into the valley of the Bug river where I
assume there was once a bridge.
This has
the dimensions of a dworek, still with its original farm buildings behind.
Wlodawa's Church Properties
This is the
priests house for the Orthodox church. The priest was out when we called
to visit and the housekeeper would on;y speak to us through a closed door.
Part of
the Orthodox church, the inset corner feature is relatively common in old
Polish stone and brick buildings.
Business Wlodawa
This uninspiring
block is part of a Wlodawa workers co-operative. Whether the co-operative
still functions, I don't know.
All this
timber, and more, was stacked around the edge of the Orthodox church grounds.
I was not sure if they were intended for church restoration or whether
the church had sub-let the grounds to a timber company. Timber is not in
short supply in the Wlodawa region, and many buildings are in dire need
or restoration.
1990's building
in Wlodawa, a bank.
Okolice Wlodawa - In the Area of Wlodawa
A view of the
Bug river and its flood plain seen from the Orthodox church in Wlodawa.
Wlodawa from
the south, Wlodawa being set on a low promonatory above the old flood plain
of the Bug river. On the right is the Roman Catholic Baroque church, and
in the centre is the Orthodox church.
Part of a
horse shoe shaped lake that was once the main course of the Bug river.
A small village
just to the south of Wlodawa.
This same
village is known in Poland for its miraculous picture of Mary. It is a
minor place of pilgrimage. The picture, or icon, of Mary is not on common
display but hidden behind a panel. This panel can be lowered electrically
by the priest, if you ask.
One of the
lakes close to Wlodawa.
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Website written & maintained by: Trevor & Ania Butcher