Roadside Shrines / Chapels, Poland

Catholic Roadside Shrine, Bledzew, Skwierzyna, Poland

A typical roadside shrine in Poland. This one is just outside Bledzew, Skwierzyna in Lubuskie.

Should you ever travel the roads of Poland, it won't be long before you notice either a religious figure, cross, statue, or a building that resembles a little house or miniature chapel along the roadside. These small religious chapels or shrines are commonly called roadside or wayside shrines. In Polish, they are called kapliczki. These shrines were often built at the expense of individuals, families and sometimes entire villages to publicly thank a saint or God for a benefit or blessing received. In the case of smaller shrines they acted as a remembrance for a tragedy or crime. Recently constructed shrines are usually on a much smaller scale and most often mark the spot where a fatal traffic accident occurred. Here's a photograph of a typical roadside cross marking the spot where someone was killed.

Roadside shrines or chapels can be seen almost anywhere: at the entrance of a village, up on a high point, at the outer boundaries of a village or town, or along a main road or at a major crossroads. Here are photographs of just a few of these shrines, from the province of Lubuskie in the west of Poland. Click any image to see a larger picture. See also: Saint Florian.

Province : Lubuskie

Useful Links:

Polish Translation

Polish Ancestry Research and Guided Tours

Guided Tours of Poland