Malopolska and the Tatras Sights

1. Tyniec Abbey

The Benedictine Abbey at Tyniec is perched high on a cliff above the Vistula River. Benedictine monks had settled at Tyniec as early as the 11th century, though the oldest remaining portions of today's abbey were not begun until the 12th century, and most of the buildings that stand today were begun in the 16th century. From this fortified cloister, the Confederates of Bar set off in 1772 to raid Kraków; as a result, the abbey was destroyed later that year by the Russian army. It was rebuilt, and it is those buildings that you see today. In 1817 the Benedictine order was banned, and the monks disbanded. It was not until 1939 that the order recovered the land and not until the late 1960s that it again became an abbey and the work of reconstruction began in earnest. From May to September recitals of organ music are held in the abbey church. To get to the abbey from Kraków, take Highway 7 (E77) south to Highway A4, then take A4 about 4 km (2½ miles) to Tyniec; or take Bus 112 from most Grunwaldzki, near the Manggha Center. On summer weekends, Żegluga krakowska runs boat trips to the abbey from Kraków.