Joanna's Whimsical Life: A long gone sawmill, quarry, church and butcher's

Saturday 27 July 2013

A long gone sawmill, quarry, church and butcher's

Bracing up for the hot weather.
...
I survived the heat, just returned from biking/walking. In some places it was necessary to hop off the saddle and lead the bike. As a result, my feet resembled those of a barefoot coal miner.
Again, I learnt a lot about the by-gone days of this area. When a few days ago I wrote here about exploring a new to me, but very old Tartaczna Street, I added pictures of some abandoned houses. Today I gathered that the brick one for many years was home to a local forester.

The remains of the wooden buildings on the right were the premises of a prosperous timber selling business in post-war Poland. It flourished in the 1950s and 60s when the blocks of flats were built in Milica, and later in Przydworcowe. Further ahead, to the left of the path there was a small quarry where many people were shot dead by the Germans during WWII. Another execution took place a short disatnce to the right, at the back of former Primary School No 2 in Krakowska Street. The school was taken over by the Germans and a Gendarmerie Post was established there. These untamed shrubs, grass and weed have covered lots of history.

I also learnt about the sawmill that was owned by a German who treated his employees well. After the war it was taken over by the state and later some furniture was produced there.

A week or so ago I added pictures of the wooden church, St Joseph's, in Zachodnie District. I could see it from the meadows today. It was built on the ground given to church by a local man whose name happened to be Jozef.

I don't think I had heard before about a wooden church that stood by the river near the bridge guarded now by St Nepomucene statue.

The martyr saint, a patron against calumnies and a protector from floods, is looking towards the wooden house across the road, or street, by the bridge.

I didn't take pictures while making my way towards the bridge. Most of the time I had to lead the bike, as the path through the wilderness was full of deep sand and unsuitable for my vehicle.

The Kamionka River flows from Rejow Lake into The Kamienna River a short distance from the bridge. However, it's not easy to get there through the thick bushes and weeds.

Biking along Reja Street I photographed a roadside shrine and a traditional well. It may be the right moment to mention that the street is named after a local man of this name, and not (as it may seem) after one of the founders of Polish literature: Mikołaj Rej.

We stopped at Rejow, but it was far from pleasant because of the noise from the water scooters on the lake. I didn't take a single picture there, as I added plenty on the day I biked around Rejow Lake.
Heading home I chose the route across the area known as Łąki (Meadows). How else could it be called?

If you look closely at the picture below, you will spot the red brick house on the horizon, to the right of the saddle. It was built in the 1920s, which means it is as old as the town, more or less. The owner was a well-to-do butcher, just like his brother who had a house in Zachodnie, near St Josef Church. I remember this house because my father's colleague and friend lived there. He had a beautiful St Bernard (dog), the largest I saw as a child. He would let anybody in, but your departure had to be confirmed by the dog owner or his wife.

At Łaki, I took a few pictures of the place where you could sometimes encounter a couple of horses enjoying the feast alfresco. That's not all. There was a cow regularly grazing there in the 1990. And a special cow it was, because it provided milk for me, as a young mother, and later for my dear offspring consumption! The woman who owned the bovine lived not very far from us and every evening we would take a walk to get the freshest supply. She was very nice and chatty. We would listen to her telling us (or me) about her life and family.