Janowiec

Janowiec is a village in the Lublin Voivodeship, in the Puławy County, situated within the picturesque surroundings of the Kazimierz Landscape Park and the Lesser Poland Gorge of the Vistula River. The history of the settlement dates back to the 13th century, with the first mention of it as "Serokomla" appearing in 1325. Janowiec was granted town rights in 1537 by a privilege issued by King Sigismund the Old, but in the 19th century, in 1869, it was stripped of its town status and reduced to a village. The locality was an important trade center, benefiting from the route connecting Ruthenia with Silesia. Janowiec was once owned by the Firlej family, and later by the Tarło and Lubomirski families. During World War II, Janowiec suffered significant losses—in 1941, 210 residents lost their lives, and the village witnessed battles against the Nazis. After the war, it underwent reconstruction. Janowiec is home to numerous historical monuments, including a castle built in the first half of the 16th century, now a branch of the Nadwiślańskie Museum in Kazimierz Dolny; a Gothic church dating back to the early 14th century, substantially remodeled during the Renaissance; and a manor complex relocated from the Lublin region, consisting of a Baroque manor house, a wooden granary, and a lamus (storehouse). Janowiec is also a hub of cultural activity—it co-hosts the "Two Shores" Film and Art Festival and has a football club named Serokomla Janowiec. The village has a seasonal ferry connection with Kazimierz Dolny, which boosts tourism, and it is located on the Lublin Renaissance Route. According to the 2011 census, the village has 1,026 residents and is administratively a sołectwo (village council district) within the Janowiec municipality. An interesting fact is that the hejnał (traditional trumpet call) of Janowiec was composed by Mateusz Pospieszalski. Despite its small size, Janowiec is rich in monuments and history, attracting tourists and culture enthusiasts.