Hajnowka

In this small, seemingly inconspicuous town is located the biggest in Poland Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity. What-is-more thanks to its location near to Bialowieza and its forest, town is called „ the gateway to the Bialowieza Forest”.

Hajnowka emerged from the settlement of a ranger, built in the 16th century. Today the town is not only a tourist center but also the center of the Belarusian minority (around 25% of local population is the belarusian nationality). After the World War I, the  Belarusian Division of gen. Bulak-Balachowicz was disbanded here and its soldiers settled in Hajnowka and Bialowieza. With the Polish they formed an interesting kind of dialectical and cultural conglomerate. Their heritage you can see in the Hajnowka’s Museum of the Belarusian Culture. Another interesting place to visit is The Holy Trinity Othodox Church which is one of the most interesting examples of modern architecture in Poland. The Church try to combine modernity with the tradition. It was designed by A.Grygorowicz, who was honoured with the Brother Albert Award for his work. Especially the interior frescoes made by the Greek artist Dymitros Andonopoulos are interesting. Also the outside ones are the work of another foreign artist Dymitri Grozdev from Bulgaria. Since 2002 the concerts at the International Festival „Hajnowka’s Days of the Orthodox Music” take place in the church.