By train, bus, car, bike, even a balloon – for over a year I have traveled through the most mysterious corners of the eastern part of Podlasie. I met dozens of people, visited 24 places.
Close to Warsaw, yet away from its hustle and bustle and constant rush. With each subsequent trip, I saw more clearly that the further east I went, the closer I was to magic and mysticism. In a land not hidden behind the city’s rush, glitz and splendor.
Podlasie is a place where cultures and eight religions clash. Southeast Podlasie, to which the report is devoted, is currently the only region in Poland where Catholics are a minority. In Podlasie we can also find Tatar mosques and synagogues. It is said that Podlasie is a region of the political, cultural, civilization and religious borderland.
The colorful mixture of Polish, Lithuanian, Belarusian and Ukrainian cultures has meant that Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian and Russian languages also mix here. I observed it mainly in the villages. The Podlasie language, also known as chachłacki or Ukrainian dialect, is a specific mixture of them all.
Czeremcha, Drohiczyn, Grabarka, Białystok, Tokary, Bielsk Podlaski, Parcewo, Orla, Pohulanka, Dobrowoda, Policzna, Biała Straż, Zubacze, Klukowicze, Wilanowo, Sycze, Berezyszcze, Siemiatycze, Kleszczele, Dubicze Cerkiewne, Osłowo, Mielnik, Grabarka
