The Holy Mountain of Grabarka
A hill covered with thousands of wooden crosses brought by Orthodox pilgrims, the holiest place of Polish Orthodoxy.
The story
According to tradition, during a cholera epidemic in 1710 a local man dreamt that anyone who carried a cross up the hill and drank from its spring would be healed. Ever since, the faithful have climbed it carrying a cross, large or small, and left it beside the church: today there are tens of thousands. For the Feast of the Transfiguration, on 19 August, tens of thousands of pilgrims arrive and pray through the night before the candlelit crosses.
Why go
A place unlike anywhere else in Poland.
In the itineraries
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Weather forecast
The forecast for the next 7 days at this spot: sky, temperatures, rain and wind.
Forecast by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), from the models of national weather services. Your browser downloads it directly from Open-Meteo, and only when you ask. In the mountains and at sea the weather changes quickly: check the official forecast as well before you set off.
Getting there
- By train. The nearest station is Sycze station, 1.6 km away (about 30 minutes on foot). Alternatively: Siemiatycze station, 5 km away.
- By air. The nearest airport is Lublin Airport (LUZ), about 132 km away; with more flights, Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) is about 141 km away.
- Parking. There are 2 signposted car parks within a kilometre; the nearest is 150 m away.
Stations, ports, airports and car parks from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); distances as the crow flies. Timetables and connections change: check them before you travel.
Climate month by month
The most pleasant months for weather are from May to September, with average highs between 18 and 29 °C. From December to March night-time temperatures drop below freezing on average. The wettest month is July (about 100 mm), the driest March.
| Month | Temperature | High / low | Rain mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | from -6 to -1 °C | -1° -6° | 50 |
| Feb | from -4 to 2 °C | 2° -4° | 43 |
| Mar | from -1 to 7 °C | 7° -1° | 40 |
| Apr | from 3 to 13 °C | 13° 3° | 48 |
| May | from 8 to 18 °C | 18° 8° | 68 |
| Jun | from 13 to 24 °C | 24° 13° | 66 |
| Jul | from 15 to 25 °C | 25° 15° | 100 |
| Aug | from 15 to 26 °C | 26° 15° | 61 |
| Sep | from 10 to 21 °C | 21° 10° | 58 |
| Oct | from 5 to 13 °C | 13° 5° | 65 |
| Nov | from 1 to 6 °C | 6° 1° | 40 |
| Dec | from -3 to 1 °C | 1° -3° | 51 |
Averages for 2015–2024, estimated for an altitude of 161 m. Air: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis), corrected for the altitude of the place; rain: average monthly total. These are indicative values: the weather on any given day can be very different, so always check the forecast before you go.
Nearby
- Białowieża bison reserveNature · 63 km as the crow flies
- ★ The Land of Open ShuttersTown · 64 km as the crow flies
- Białowieża ForestNature · 65 km as the crow flies
- Narew National ParkNature · 75 km as the crow flies
- Białystok and the Branicki PalaceTown · 80 km as the crow flies
- TykocinTown · 89 km as the crow flies