A magical place such as Sandomierz deserves a magical place to stay – and it has it!
I first visited Sandomierz around fifteen-years or so ago, and to revert to a well-worn cliché it was love at first sight: an enchanting town full of mysteries and legends, it was hard not to be seduced by its quiet cobbled side streets and quaint air of stillness.
Prowling around in the evening’s dusky haze, it’s a place in which you helplessly fall inside your own imagination.
Whether it’s passing in the long shadows of the 14th century town hall, or sneaking up the Needle’s Eye – a narrow stairwell through which late arrivals were once ushered after the other entry points had been bolted – the sensation is of following in the footsteps of medieval vagabonds or conniving, whiskered merchants.
Occupying a historic tenement, Widnokrąg is attached to Brama Opatowska, which in itself is one of the city’s soaring treasures.
And on spotting the caped clerics that potter among the pigeons in the square, one can’t help but feel immersed in the world of Ojciec Mateusz, the TV detective-priest who conducts his sleuthing in this very town.
Indeed, this is a magical place. Traditionally, however, over all my subsequent trips I’ve always found a little something lacking. Returning from an evening of drinking inside atmospheric, vaulted venues, would come that vague disappointment of the spell being broken – a point attributed to the choice of hotels.
These are not bad at all, don’t get me wrong, but with Sandomierz itself offering such charismatic charms, I was always underwhelmed stepping back inside my lodgings. Though of a solid three to four star standard, the hotels just felt strangely at odds at with the rest of town.
Built in the 14th century, and crowned with a Renaissance era attic, it’s a striking piece of brickwork that could easily belong in a Brothers Grimm story.
What I’m trying to say, is that such a special place deserves a special stay – and finally, it has it.
Of course, I’m bending the truth here a little. Widnokrąg opened four-years back, but with this being my first proper visit in that gap of time I’m counting it as new.
New, however, is a relative term. Occupying a historic tenement, find Widnokrąg attached to Brama Opatowska, which in itself is one of the city’s soaring treasures.
Built in the 14th century, and crowned with a Renaissance era attic, it’s a striking piece of brickwork that could easily belong in a Brothers Grimm story.
Thought to have been built in 1876 by a Jewish trader, this pristine white building glints in the spring sunshine with its wedding cake colours. Presenting an almost implausibly pretty sight, flowers and shrubs bloom on the terrace that spreads out in front.
Where once a portcullis would have snapped down on unwanted visitors, today tourists file through it to find Widnokrąg sitting to the right.
Thought to have been built in 1876 by a Jewish trader, this pristine white building glints in the spring sunshine with its wedding cake colours. Presenting an almost implausibly pretty sight, flowers and shrubs bloom on the terrace that spreads out in front.
Why, I think to myself, have I not noticed this building on all my walks before?
The answer, I guess, is actually pretty simple. For years, it would have passed me by as an anonymous blur of faded, cracked paint. Used after the war by the local hospital, it also housed a detachment of the scouting association before serving as an antiques store and clothes shop.
Entering, one steps inside a completely unexpected space. There is no lobby to speak of, but rather a restaurant that greets you with tall vases and works by local artists.
So far, nothing special. But then came Anna and Przemysław Bokwa, a couple raised in Sandomierz. Though lacking any history in hospitality, it was their joint vision that saw this property’s transformation.
“It wasn’t that long back that half this building was uninhabitable,” Anna tells TFN. “Ownership was divided between about twelve people, including one person in Canada and another in Australia, so acquiring this address was a step-by-step process.”
Ultimately though, their patience proved worthwhile.
In my room, No. 3, the feeling is of being inside my own womb-like den: encased in light woods, it’s a place of subtle modernity where you immediately feel at home.
Once the curtain swishes back – there, in front, I discover a petite outdoor terrace sitting under the Opatow Gate.
“This was always a long-term project, so were never in a hurry,” she continues. “We also didn’t want to borrow from the bank, so it actually suited us to buy bits in stages.”
Having done so, it then took the couple a decade to realize their dream. With the building falling inside the environs of the historic centre, the ensuing renovation was conducted in close cooperation with the conservator and yielded several surprises along the way.
Adjoining the medieval walls, excavations revealed a flurry of graves with some dating as far back as pagan times. “We did of course anticipate making archaeological finds, just not quite so many,” says Anna. “Of the graves that were found, workers discovered a 10th century knight as well as a woman buried alongside a two-month-old infant.”
Room No. 1 is a beauty of chic fittings, narrow windows and stylish little add-ons.
Painstaking as the restoration was, it has reaped dividends. Entering, one steps inside a completely unexpected space. There is no lobby to speak of, but rather a restaurant that greets you with a flurry of activity.
Elegant but warm, it’s a space filled with tall vases and works by local artists. Around the tables, elderly couples in their Sunday best sip tea while a girl gang on the next table make merry over a bottle of fizz. It feels… natural – a place where normal people of all and background gather to feel that bit special.
As for the rooms, of these there are four. Found upstairs, you pass bits and pieces forged by the local blacksmith, before entering accommodation that captures the essence of modern Polski design.
The incredible cooking of Przemysław Kapron reimagines Polish traditions through a 21st century prism.
In my room, No. 3, the feeling is of being inside my own womb-like den: encased in light woods, it’s a place of subtle modernity where you immediately feel at home. Though intimate in size, it’s delicious on the eye, something that peaks once the curtain swishes back – there, in front, I discover a petite outdoor terrace sitting under the Opatow Gate.
Exiting my digs, I notice that No. 1 has been left open by the maid in the midst of its daily clean. Incapable of resisting such chances, I seize the opportunity to stealthily slink inside: it’s a beauty of chic fittings, narrow windows and stylish little add-ons.
“We wanted to save what was original,” says Anna, “but we always said there was no point in pretending things were old if they actually weren’t.”
A gallery enclosed in steel and glass initially faced opposition from traditionalists who felt it disturbed the historical integrity.
The gallery has now been absorbed to become a much-loved feature of cultural life.
A clever move on their behalf, this thinking bestows Widnokrąg with a sense of coherency – it does not feel fake, but rather an organic assembly of styles and ideas.
It also says much for a place that refuses to be boxed by normal definitions. Yes, you can stay here, and yes you can eat here (the incredible cooking of Przemysław Kapron reimagines Polish traditions through a 21st century prism), but to call this a hotel or a restaurant would entirely miss the mark.
This is the closest Sandomierz has to a bona fide cultural centre, a point underlined by further explorations.
The real star attraction is a reading room tucked to the top end of the restaurant. Crammed with tomes of every description, and with sunlight sloping in through the windows, this flagstone-floored room emits the kind of bewitching magic that book-lovers dream of. You can lose hours here sipping regional Sandomierz wines whilst perusing the volumes.
Added during the revamp, a gallery enclosed in steel and glass spotlights this fact. Having initially faced opposition from traditionalists who felt it disturbed the historical integrity of Sandomierz, it has now been absorbed to become a much-loved feature of cultural life.
“All of our events, whether they be art exhibitions, music concerts or book meetings are free of charge,” says Anna, “but both my husband and I feel strongly that they are necessary to make Widnokrąg feel whole.”
This they certainly do, but not nearly as much as the real star attraction: a reading room tucked to the top end of the restaurant.
Loosely inspired by the brilliant Massolit bookshop in Kraków (“one of my favourite places,” confides Anna), it’s here you’ll find the engaging sight of organized clutter.
As for the town itself, whether it’s passing in the long shadows of the 14th century town hall, or sneaking up the Needle’s Eye – a narrow stairwell through which late arrivals were once ushered after the other entry points had been bolted – the sensation is of following in the footsteps of medieval vagabonds or conniving, whiskered merchants.
Having been raised in a family heavily involved in literary circles, these early influences on Anna’s life hang gloriously in the air.
“When I was studying in Warsaw, I actually lived for a while with the poetess Ludmiła Marjańska,” she says. “When she died in 2005, her daughter kindly asked if I wanted her bookshelf – after we created Widnokrąg, we knew immediately where it should go.”
Crammed with tomes of every description, and with sunlight sloping in through the windows, this flagstone-floored room emits the kind of bewitching magic that book-lovers dream of. You can lose hours here sipping regional Sandomierz wines whilst perusing the volumes.
Prowling around in the evening’s dusky haze, it’s a place in which you helplessly fall inside your own imagination.
Defiantly artistic in its mood, you settle into an armchair and let the day slip by. Named so after Wiesław Myśliwski book, Widnokrąg, the author himself is a much-valued guest and it’s no surprise to find several of his books lining the shelves.
“Mostly the books are from our own private collection,” says Anna, “but not a week goes by without someone leaving us something – of course, some also take them!”
Copious in its magnetism, it is a microcosm of Sandomierz itself: a place of art, culture, grace and hospitality, the very essence of the town is captured right here.
