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Southeast of Jedrzejow, 28km along the quiet backroads of Malopolska, the contemporary rural anonymity of PINCZOW belies the town's notable historical role. The old limestone quarries in evidence around the town were long an important source of stone for church building throughout the country. Along with nearby Rakow, Pinczow rose to prominence during the latter half of the sixteenth century as one of the chief centres of Protestant agitation in Reformation-era Poland, a group of Calvinist divines establishing an academy and a printing press responsible, among other things, for publication of the first Polish grammar in 1568. The town and surrounding region's resistance-minded streak surfaced again during the latter stages of World War II, when local partisan units were so successful at clearing Nazi troops out of the area that the town gained the nickname "The Republic of Pinczow", though not surprisingly they were unable to prevent the wholesale removal of the substantial Jewish population that had lived here for centuries. Most of the town's collection of historic monuments are ranged on or around the Rynek, the usual small town square with all main roads leading onto it. On the west side of the Rynek stands the parish church , started in the 1430s but only completed two centuries later. While elements of the original Gothic design survive in the exterior of the church, the interior is the standard ornate Baroque including an array of sumptuous side altars, carved choir stalls and an overpowering high altar. The adjoining building, the former Pauline monastery, houses the local museum (Tues 8am-3pm, Wed & Thurs 8am-4pm, Fri-Sun 10am-3pm; 2zl), a ramshackle collection of historical exhibits and local archeological finds enlivened by a small but interesting set of exhibits relating to the history of the town's Jewish population. A few minutes' walk from the square down ul. Klasztorna is the former synagogue , a large cube-shaped brick structure built in the late 1600s and set back from the street. Despite being looted and damaged by the Nazis during World War II, the empty remaining shell of the building is nevertheless in better condition than many others, mainly thanks to the restoration work that seems to have been carried out intermittently. If the funds ever materialize, there are plans to turn the place into a museum. A plaque on one of the outside walls commemorates the town's Jewish community - still a rarer occurrence than it ought to be in Poland. The wall separating the synagogue from the street contains pieced-together fragments of tombstones from the local Jewish cemetery. If you don't mind an uphill scramble, the Kaplica sw. Anny (Chapel of St Anne), clearly visible on a hillside overlooking the Rynek, is a fine Renaissance structure, probably designed by Santa Gucci - one of several period Italian architects drawn to Pinczow by the town's ample supply of raw building materials - and one of the few examples of a freestanding chapel in the country. The chapel isn't often open, however, which means you may have to content yourself with admiring the twin-domed structure from the outside, along with the views over the surrounding countryside.
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