Niepokalanow, or "City of the Immaculate," was founded by Saint Maximilian Kolbe to express his life-long devotion to the Virgin Mary. Niepokalanow was a Franciscan community which combined prayer and poverty with joyfulness and modern technology. The goal was to promote the gospel message throughout Poland by using the mass media. After Germany invaded Poland, Niepokalanow then became a refugee camp for thousands of Poles and Jews seeking escape from Nazi persecution. The friars shared everything they had with the refugees, and the Catholic monastery became a universal shelter for all. In 1941, the Germans arrested Father Maximilian and sent him to Auschwitz. Survivors remember his extraordinary benevolence and his saintly behavior. One day, ten prisoners were chosen to die in the underground starvation cell as punishment for one who had supposedly escaped. One man, Franciszek Gajownieck, begged not to be sent down there, because of his wife and children. Father Maximillian stood, and asked to be sent down in his place. As he said, "I am a Catholic priest. I wish to die for that man. I am old; he has a wife and children." The SS commander agreed and sent him down, and after four weeks he died. Father Maximillian Kolbe was canonized on November 9th, 1982, with his sainthood defining a new category, "A martyr of charity." He is a saint for the twentieth century. When St. Maximilian was canonized, Franciszek Gajownieck was in attendance.
A popular travel spot in the Skierniewice Province is Lowicz, known for
keeping the traditional culture of the commoners. The Lwickim Museum
displays cuttings, embroidery, traditional clothing, and other handcrafts
from this region, known for its textile manufacturing. See Suite of Songs and Dances from the Lowicz Region. In Lowicz there are also many monuments, including Gotycko-Renesansowa Cathedral and "Old Bishop's Castle."
Classic composer
Frederick Chopin was born in Zelazowa Wola ("Iron Will") in 1810. To this
day the town is known for its many piano concerts by the world's finest pianists.
In Sochaczew there are the ruins of King Mazowieckich's Castle. There are seasonal trains that travel to Kampinoskiego Park. Sochaczew is the site of the Narrow Gauge Rolling Stock Museum. The Sochaczew Narrow Gauge Railway started operating in 1922 and provided passenger and freight trains until 1984. Since then, the railway operates occassionally, providing some trains during summer seasons and also specially ordered trains for tourists.
Do you have any information on Skierniewice? Submissions are welcome! Please
email me.
Host: Donna Pointkouski
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Last Modified: Tuesday, 14-Jul-1998 14:01:51 MDT
