These are castles remembering the era of Casimir III the Great, modest wooden churches “resistant” to adverse historical and weather conditions. It is also worth to mention the ruins of the castles in Rudno (Tenczyn Castle) and Bydlin. The trail will also make us visit the Old Polish Manor House in Krzykawka. This charming noble building was probably built before 1724. An equally charming residence was built in small Bolesław, it currently houses the Maria Płonowska Cultural Centre. It is also worth visiting the less known medieval strongholds of Stary Olkusz and Krzykawka.

Small wooden churches contrast with the magnificent defensive buildings and rich upland residences, which we will see following the Wooden Architecture Route. On the route we will find, among others, the church of St Mark in Rodaki, the church of Sts Nicholas and Lawrence in Dłużec and the chapel of St Joseph in Ojców (the “chapel on the water”). The first one of them is unique because it was created in 1601 and has survived to this day without major changes. Inside, we will see Mannerist altars from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, and a late Gothic statue of St Nicholas from about 1400, while the parish church in Dłużec is distinguished by a tower, which initially functioned as a free-standing belfry. After entering the temple, it is worth paying attention to the side altar with the statue of the Virgin Mary as the Throne of Wisdom, which dates back to the 4th quarter of the 15th century. Following the trail of wooden religious monuments, we cannot miss the chapel of St Joseph Craftsman. Located on the two banks of Prądnik and at the foot of the rocks known as Prałatki, it is one of the most interesting buildings of the Krakow-Częstochowa Upland. An intriguing story is connected with the “chapel on the water” – according to tradition, the impulse to build it was the ordinance of tsar Nicholas II, who banned the erection of sacred objects on the Ojców land. The result of the tsar's decision was the residents' idea to build a chapel “on the water” and thus outsmart the ruler's ban.

We encourage everybody interested in the Wooden Architecture Route to continue the exploration. In Wolbrom we can see the church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Paczółtowice the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Tenczynek the church of St Catherine and the church bell tower, in Poręba Dzierżna the temple of St Martin, while in Skała the belfry standing next to the brick church of St Nicholas.

Brick temples are also interesting, to name just a couple of them: Basilica of St Andrew the Apostle in Olkusz, Shrine in Jaroszowiec, Church of St Nicholas in Gorenice, Church of St Catherine in Wolbrom, or Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Strzegowa. Apart from them, it is worth mentioning other sites known for interesting architecture or charming location: the Monastery and Museum of the Discalced Carmelites in Czerna, the Church and the Hermitage of Bl. Salomea in Grodzisk, as well as the church and cemetery in Chechło.