The best family-friendly hikes and walks around gmina Raczki

The ruins of Pac's palace in Dowspuda are one of the greatest attractions in the Suwałki region, recalling the splendor of the Pac family and the time of General Ludwik Michał Pac, a participant in the Napoleonic Wars. The neo-Gothic residence, built between 1820 and 1827 according to designs by Italian architects, was considered one of the most impressive in Poland, hence the saying "Pac's palace is worth it, Pac's palace." After the property was confiscated by the Tsarist authorities, the building began to fall into disrepair and was demolished in 1867. A monumental portico and the so-called stork tower remain, surrounded by the remains of a landscape park.

It's a cult place, everyone knows the saying associated with this place

The construction of the magnificent palace in Dowspuda was started by General Ludwik M. Pac in 1820 after his return from Italy. This was connected with the decision to move the family seat to Dowspuda. Pac's palace in Dowspuda was surrounded by a beautiful park of several hectares, created by the Englishman John Heiton. The complex was partially destroyed during the war operations of 1830-31, and later gradually deteriorated. To this day, the guardhouse building located at the entrance gate leading to the palace has survived in Dowspuda. In accordance with its purpose and location, the palace guard was stationed in the building. Today, this beautifully restored building houses the Tourist Service Centre, which offers guests accommodation and the organisation of occasional receptions. http://www.kordegarda.dowspuda.pl/historia-o-zamku/

The last heir to the great estate was Ludwik Michał Pac (1778-1835). He came from a poorer side line of the Pac family, and received the estates under a will, after Józef Pac, with whom the "hetman's line" of the family ended. By testament, he received Różanka, Horodyszcze, Wielka Dzitwa, Żyżma, palaces in Grodno and Vilnius (Russian partition) and Dowspuda, Raczki and Mazurki (Prussian partition). He then became one of the richest men in the country. https://suwalszczyzna.com.pl/info/miejsca/dowspuda---palac-paca

In 1513, the Grodno equerry - Bohdan Hrynkowicz Wołłowicz received a square mile of wilderness from King Sigismund I, along with the obligation to settle it. He built a wooden defensive manor house on the site of today's Dowspuda. It was the oldest known town in this part of the post-Yotvingian lands. Before 1639 - thanks to divisions and family connections - the Dowspuda estate (named after the river) was taken over by the Pac family - a family that had a strong influence on the political and cultural life of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. https://suwalszczyzna.com.pl/info/miejsca/dowspuda---palac-paca

The Holy Place can be reached by bike better from the direction of Rączki than from the direction of Janówka (a steep, sandy descent).

founder of the church of Peter and Paul in Vilnius https://www.komoot.com/pl-pl/highlight/456468?ref=ahd The name of the sponsor PAC appears in the name 2x

The Holy Place is located on the banks of the Rospuda River next to the Jałówka River and Lake Jałowe. There is a chapel built in the fence from 1990 and several wooden and stone crosses, as well as a large wooden shrine. On one of the wooden crosses - which draws attention with its appearance - a copper plate is nailed with a text by Father Antoni Kochański, the deceased parish priest of Janówka. It informs that this cross was erected by the Yotvingians from the Skometa team after they were baptized in 1283, before going to Samland. The cross, supposedly burned and destroyed by pagans, miraculously survived and was re-erected by converted enemies. This place is surrounded by an aura of mystery and extraordinary. Miracles that have appeared here through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary have long been told. The first miracle is said to have occurred during the times of the Yotvingians, when a cross thrown into the water, instead of floating down, returned to the same place. The second miracle occurred when the Mother of God saved people surrounded by Tatars by covering them with an invisible cloak. Sometimes this extraordinary event is transferred to the times of the January Uprising. In fact, the sacred place is most likely located on the site of the former cemetery of the Orthodox church built by Bohdan Hrynkowicz Wołłowicz after receiving the grant of the forest - around 1514. It was patronized by St. John the Baptist - hence so many names related to the name of John in the area. Local people have been gathering in this place on June 24 for a long time. They prayed, ate a ritual meal, washed themselves in the nearby Jałówka river, made offerings under the crosses - money and food, and tied decorative towels on them. As ethnographers explain, these rites are characteristic of the Orthodox holiday of Jordan. Similar behaviors are seen in the Mińszczyzna region, where some of the population probably came from. Today, the holiday is officially sanctioned by the local parish priest. https://suwalszczyzna.com.pl/info/miejsca/uroczysko-swiete-miejsce