Today I will write again about searching for historical traces in my district. I'am a typical local tourist, and I like to discover the world close to me. As I mentioned in the article a month ago, I live in Krakow's new, industrial part. Right after WWII, the construction of my district and giant steelworks began here. The communist authorities intended to create an independent workers' city, which would be an ideological counterbalance to the old bourgeois Krakow. However, the Nowa Huta district and the steelworks were incorporated into Krakow. My dad came here from his native village in the 1960s and worked in the steelworks for several dozen years. As a child, I didn't like my neighborhood. In my opinion, it was gray and dull; I was in love with old Krakow. When I grew up, I noticed that Nowa Huta is more than a steel plant and socialist realist blocks of flats. Today I love discovering not very popular, historical places here.
Some of my discoveries are related to the history of villages near Krakow, which were incorporated into the city during the district's construction. This is where you can find old houses, mansions, and churches. But it's not everything! Long before the Slavic tribes began to create the foundations of statehood, mammoth hunters and Celts lived in these lands - the oldest finds attesting to human activity are even 25,000 years old. The fertile soil and the favorable climate meant that these lands were very eagerly populated. Paradoxically, thanks to the works related to the district's construction, these areas were thoroughly examined by archaeologists, which resulted in many exciting finds
Despite being included in Krakow, some areas of the former villages have retained their rural character. It is the case of Branice, about which I want to write today. It's located on the western outskirts of the city. There, among arable fields, meadows, and single-family houses, there is a somewhat neglected manor complex, the history of which dates back to the beginning of the 16th century.
I was in this area for the first time, and although it's still the same district where I live, it took me about an hour to get there by public transport; it was also necessary to walk a dozen or so minutes.
From the 16th century, Branice belonged to two noble families: Branicki and then Badeni. Unfortunately, part of the manor buildings was destroyed, mainly in the 20th century.
The mansion is situated in a vast, neglected park. You can see the Classicist Badeni manor house from the street, built in the 19th century.
On the property - the front of the Badeni manor. Today it houses a branch of the Krakow Archaeological Museum.
Another building that looked like a small palace immediately caught my attention. It turned out that I had the correct association. It was the first seat of the Branicki family, constructed in 1603 (late Renaissance style) in the form of a defensive castle. The term "castle" sounds strange as the building is relatively small. It has a base measuring 12 x 10 meters and two floors. Not much for a manor house. Perhaps the owners came to the same conclusion because they quickly built a new manor house, which, unfortunately, has not survived to our times. The old seat became a kind of granary and began to deteriorate quickly. What we can see today is mainly due to the meticulous renovation.
The old Branicki manor house is charming; it looks like a miniature fortress.
I liked the renovated details; even the glass in the windows resembled the original ones.
I also walked in the park adjacent to the manor buildings; the area still requires a lot of investment to bring it to its former glory. But it is charming even in this form.
I walked around for quite a long time, thinking that I would like to see the Branicki old manor inside.
At one point, a woman came out of the Badeni house and asked... if I wanted to see the Branicki old manor's interior!
"You name it, and you got it" in practice 😁
Of course, I expressed such a desire, and this kind woman let me in. She was an employee of the archaeological museum.
I expected an empty, neglected space, but it turned out that there was a modest archaeological exhibition about the villages incorporated into Krakow during the construction of Nowa Huta.
I could see, among others, utensils excavated in these lands, some from 4 - 6 thousand years ago.
There was also a whole section devoted to the figure of the pagan deity Swiatowid, which was excavated in the mid-nineteenth century from the Zbrucz river (today the territory of Ukraine). The original statue (dated to the 10th century AD) is in the main branch of the Archaeological Museum in Krakow. In Branice, you can see plaster casts and illustrations of the statue and learn about its history. I am fascinated by the little-known (due to the lack of written sources) world of Slavic mythology and pagan beliefs.
The manor complex in Branice used to include many more buildings; there were granaries, quarters, and the aforementioned new Branicki manor. Some buildings were demolished, others converted into warehouses in which numerous archaeological finds are kept. What I could see at the exhibition is only a tiny part of the entire collection.
I ended my visit with a long walk around the quiet neighborhood, thinking about what secrets it may still hide.
