Bread is a product known to everyone and can be found in every home. Bread baked in our small homeland - the municipality Krempna, we consider as really special and unusual product. It is made with ecological ingredients, with using of traditional methods, and most important it is baked in a traditional woodstove especially for bread. Also the recipe is passed down from generation to generation.

Homemade bread is a very rare product – it is a disappearing tradition. We would like to return to this time and show to the other, possibility of returning to the flavor of the past. You could meet with it, in our region.

In this place we would like to say: “thank you!” to the baker and inhabitant of Świątkowa Wielka, who let us to participate in the process of making and baking bread – the results you could see below.

As the first step, it is necessary to prepare sourdough for bread – around 24 before baking. Next we add flour and other ingredients, which could give an unique taste and also better appearance to the loafs. All ingredients have to be mixed carefully. Then there is time for growing of dough.

In meantime, we need to put some fire in woodstove. For this reason, in our place, people use wood of fir and alder. It gives special aroma for bread. The wood must be completely burn. In the stove there could be just a little embers.

There is time to prepare bread forms. After putting dough to the forms, it is possible to powder bread with poppy seeds, sesame, sunflower seeds, linseeds. And again there is time for growing of dough into the forms.

After process of growing in forms, there is time to put bread to the stove.

After one hour bread is ready.

In our opinion homemade bread – which we could find in our place, is like forgotten treasure. Not many people do it, not many people have possibility to try it and the flavor of this bread is irreplaceable – because of that, this is very unique product and it makes our place special.

In this particular place we could find just stone crosses – in the middle of the forest, and some remains of the dome. There isn’t any building or even road – just a narrow path hidden among the trees.

In this place, around 70 years ago, there was a big wooden church. According to some documents, books and opinion of people who lived in this place, the church was built in 1894 by: Piotr Szczerba, Michał Czulik i Michał Bawolak – main constructors, with the great help of other inhabitants of this village. The materials used during the building of the church were mainly wood and stones - accessible on Świerżowa or from other nearby places.

This Greek-catholic church was built on the hill - people believed that "House of God" should be located higher than other buildings in the village, because this was the most important place. There are some information about appearance of this church – in some books or documents we could even find some drawings of this building (e.g. „Beskid Niski – od Komańczy do Wysowej”, W. Grzesik, T. Traczyk, B. Wadas.). There are no photos with Greek-catholic church from Świerżowa Ruska.

Life of this Greek-catholic church was very short. After World War II there were resettlement of Lemko minority from this part of the country. All inhabitants needed to leave Świerżowa Ruska. There were no more people which decided to stay in this village – church was unnecessary. The process of complete demolition was made by employees of Cooperative Production in Jaworze. Materials from this building was used to construct farm building – stone, wood, tinware.

Some equipments from Greek-catholic church in Świerżowa Ruska, could be found in other churches or museums: there is old metal cross in the Orthodox Art Museum in Bartne (on the photo), tabernacle in Orthodox Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian also in Bartne. Some icons were taken by inhabitants of Świerżowa Ruska to the new places during resettlement, or destroyed – there are no official information, documents where icons are right now.

Today in the place where was wooden church – there are still stone crosses of the old cemetery – the only signs that there was a village like Świerżowa Ruska. This crosses still remind where was the village and the church . On this cemetery there are around 20 crosses – mainly of Lemkos. This place is still visited by families or friends of people who were buried in Świerżowa Ruska, who know how to reach this place - lost in the forest.

Proziaki is one of the most recognizable dish in our region. Baked at home, on the board of the tiled stove, they have a unique and great taste. Some people say it's the taste of childhood…

The name “Proziaki” came from one of the ingredients added to the “cakes” - baking soda, which is commonly known in our place as “Proza”.

During preparation of “Proziaks” it is very important the baking process. The most traditional cakes are those, bake on a board of tiled stove. Unfortunately, this kind of tiled stove is less frequently in houses, so “Proziak” also can be baked in a pan, although the taste of cakes might be a little bit different.

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

1. Add to a bowl 1 kg of sifted flour.
2. Add one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of sugar.
   
3. Add 1,5 spoon of sour cream.
4. Put 1,5 teaspoon of baking soda.
5. Add one egg.
   
6. Pour into to the bowl around half a liter of a curd.
7. Mix all the ingredients
   
8. Transfer the contents of the bowl to pastry board and knead
9. Roll out the dough
   
10. Cut the dough into pieces and shape squares or triangles
11. Place the cakes on the board of tiled stove (hot) and bake.
12. Proziaks are ready. You can serve it with butter, cottage cheese, or jam.

BON APPETIT!!!

Original photos from preparation and process of baking Proziaks, made by participants of project TYI – Forgotten Treasure.

Music is an essential element of Lemko culture. It is a synthesis of a musical genres of other nations. Lyrics of the songs talk about everyday Lemko’s life, about love, many are also about battles or soldiers. Some of the songs describe the fate of immigrants.

Currently one of the most famous performers of traditional music of the Lemko, in our region, is Julia Doszna. Also there are some folk ensembles. In the municipality Krempna are "Wilsznia" from Polany and "Świątkowianie" from Świątkowa Wielka. These teams perform songs of lemko and also polish. Often they are invited to perform at festivals, concerts, etc.

There are also events of Lemko Cultur. In Olchowiec (town next to the municipality of Krempna), every year in May takes place “Kermesz” - it is a festival of Lemko Culture. During festival there are concerts of Lemko music, tasting of traditional dishes and art exhibition. Another well-known and one of the biggest festival of Lemko culture is “Watra” in Zdynia. (“Watra” means bonfire in lemko language). It is held in the Malopolska province - also next to the municipality of Krempna. It is a 3-day event, during which artists from around the world present Lemko repertoire. This festival is held every year in July – this year it will 33rd time.

Almost in every villages, where Lemkos still live, there is a band with its typical folk clothes. Because of diverse influences in a different regions, we could find some differences in typical Lemkos clothes. But typical clothes consist of: female - ladies white shirt with handicrafts, vest, long skirt and colorful, folk shawl; male – trousers, white shirt, vest and overcoat.

In the Lemko band we can find instruments typical for mountain culture: violin and bass, but also there is a dulcimer, frequently for Hungarian and Ukrainian bands. Distinctive instrument for Lemko music, is often an accordion.

Julia Doszna
Kermesz in Olchowiec
Watra
Lemko songs recorded in 1986, performed by residents of Krempna and nearby villages

Examples of Lemko’s songs:

Chotar - Lemko
Lemkowyno kraju ridnyj
Cne mi sia za tobom

recorded by Tomasz Traczyk