Haczów, a village in the foothills of the Carpathians in southeastern Poland, has a church that is considered the largest Gothic wooden church in Europe, and one of the oldest. Built in the fifteenth century, probably on the site of an earlier church, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Michael the Archangel is a massive structure of larch logs, with a steep shingled roof and a bell tower, standing among old trees. Inside, the walls are covered with polychrome paintings, the oldest from the late fifteenth century, showing saints, biblical scenes and decorative patterns, and the atmosphere is dim, warm and fragrant with old wood. In 2003 the church was listed by UNESCO among the Wooden Churches of Southern Małopolska, along with five others in the region. It is still used for worship, so check visiting times and dress respectfully.
The village lies in the valley of the Wisłok river, between Brzozów and Krosno, in a landscape of rolling hills, fields, orchards and woods. It is a quiet, rural area, with wooden houses, roadside shrines and churches in every village.
Krosno, about fifteen kilometres away, was a prosperous trading town in the Renaissance, with a market square surrounded by arcaded houses, and it is famous for glassmaking, with a glass heritage centre. It is also associated with Ignacy Łukasiewicz, the pharmacist who invented the kerosene lamp in the 1850s and helped found the world's oil industry. At Bóbrka, near Krosno, the oil mine he established in 1854, considered the oldest in the world, is now an open-air museum, with wooden derricks and old equipment among the trees. It is a strange and fascinating place.
The riding is pleasant. The roads between Haczów, Brzozów, Krosno and the villages of the Wisłok valley wind through the hills with gentle curves and views over the countryside. Further south, the Low Beskids rise towards the Slovak border, with forests, wooden churches and quieter roads, and beyond them the Bieszczady. The surface is generally good, but watch for farm vehicles and village speed limits, which are enforced.
Brzozów and Krosno have fuel, shops and restaurants; Korczyna is closer. Try żurek, a sour rye soup with sausage and egg, a Polish classic, in a village inn.