In the hills of south-eastern Poland, a few kilometres from the border with Ukraine, a small wooden church stands in a green yard by the village of Radruz, beneath tall trees. It is the tserkva of Saint Paraskeva, dating from the early sixteenth century, and it is one of the finest wooden churches in the Carpathian region, inscribed by UNESCO in 2013 with fifteen others in Poland and Ukraine. The nearest settlement is Horyniec-Zdroj, a spa village of two thousand seven hundred people three kilometres away, and the larger town of Rava-Ruska lies across the border in Ukraine.
Tserkva is the Ukrainian word for church, and these buildings were built by the Greek Catholic and Orthodox communities of the Boyko and Lemko peoples, with steep shingled roofs, three domed sections and, usually, a separate wooden belfry. Radruz is built of horizontal logs, with a low, dark interior full of old icons, and the walls and ceiling are covered with painted scenes. A carved iconostasis separates the nave from the sanctuary. The village was Ukrainian until after the Second World War, when its inhabitants were forcibly moved in the 1940s, in an operation named Vistula, and the church passed through a long period of neglect before being restored and made into a museum.
The surrounding country is Roztocze, a range of low, wooded hills that stretches from Poland into Ukraine, with beech and fir forests, small farms and meadows. The roads are narrow and quiet, with gentle bends and sudden dips, patched surfaces, and the occasional horse cart or tractor. Summer days are warm and green, and autumn colours are lovely, while winter brings snow and ice. Fog is common in the early morning. The border region has checkpoints, and there are restrictions near the frontier, so carry your passport and check the current situation, since the war in Ukraine affects travel in the area.
Horyniec-Zdroj has fuel, a few shops, a spa and several guesthouses. Larger towns such as Lubaczow and Cieszanow offer more choice. Local food is hearty, with pierogi, borscht, potato pancakes and sausage, and a glass of mead or fruit cordial is common. The church is open at set hours in season, so check before you go, and remember to dress respectfully and keep your voice low inside.