Kazimierz Dolny – a charming town in the Lubelskie Voivodeship, on the Vistula, in the Lesser Poland Gorge of the Vistula. A part of the Puławy-Kazimierz Dolny-Nałęczów tourist triangle. The settlement’s historical origins date back to the 11th c. On one of the hills, there had been a settlement called Windy Mountain, belonging to the Benedictines order. After one hundred and fifty (150) years, the settlement and the vicinity became the Crown’s estate. The name Kazimierz derives from the name of the prince Casimir the Just who in 1181 handed the settlement over to the Norbertines, and These called it so in the donor’s honour as an expression of their gratitude. The adjective Dolny was added later for differentiation from Kazimierz near Kraków.
Founding the town and building the castle are attributed to Casimir the Great. Kazimierz Dolny was granted a town charter by Władysław II Jagiełło in 1406. Since the reign of Sigismund the Old until 1644, Kazimierz was under the dominion of Firlej family. During that time, the town developed rapidly and its inhabitants became rich, and this thanks to trade in corn floated through the Vistula to Gdańsk. The merchant families of Celej, Czarnota, Przybył made their fortunes exactly on corn trade. ‘Golden Age’ of Kazimierz lasted until 1656, i.e. until it was burned by the Swedish king Charles Gustav. Later wars, the partitions of Poland, a poor economic situation in corn trade made that the town was never restored to its former glory despite the next rulers’ efforts. Since the end of the 19th century, Kazimierz Dolny has become a holiday town, people have started building villas and boarding houses for summer holidaymakers, especially from Warsaw and Lublin. On 31 October 1927, the town was granted a town charter. Neither did World War II spare the town. On 27 April 1979, the Kazimierz Landscape Park was opened here. On 8 September 1994, the President of the Republic of Poland Lech Wałęsa acknowledged the Kazimierz historic complex as a Historic Monument. Since 2007, the Film and Art Festival TWO RIVERSIDES has been taking place here. Today, Kazimierz Dolny is a urban and landscape complex where a historical position of the trade centre situated on the route on the Vistula has been maintained. A charming town with numerous monuments and natural attractions, besieged with tourists no matter the season.
A Panorama of Kazimierz Dolny.
