Piechcin

Piechcin is a dream-like spot on the map of the Province. It is a large village, located in the district of Żnin, on the North-East edge of the Gniezno Lake District.

The oldest mention of Piechcin is in documents dates back to 1298. Back then, Piechcin was the private property of Bartosz Przezdrzewic. In 1362, King Kazimierz Wielki donated the village to podczaszy brzeski (the Deputy Cup-Bearer) Hektor from Pakość. Later, the village changed its owners on a frequent basis. In the years 1815-1848, Piechcin was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Posen, and at the end of the 19th Century this property was a dominion on the district of Szubin, encompassing nearly 700 acres of land, and a brickyard. The last owner was Józef Korytowski, executed by the Germans during WWII. After the War, the property was taken over by the Treasury. There are two beautiful locations particularly worthy of attention while in Piechcin. One of these is the renovated eclectic Palace with Neo-Renaissance additions, rectangular in plan, the interesting architecture of which is further emphasised by the decorative window frames, ornamental rusticated plates, and a balustrade attic.

The other is the limestone quarries and a unique basin, which was created here, after the flooding of the limestone pit. The basin is surrounded by calcareous rocks contrasting with the clean azure water, the colour of which is similar to the Adriatic Sea.

Since the local landscape provides a perfectly beautiful film setting for filmmakers, the lake and limestone quarries in Piechcin have already played in a number of Polish films.

Krzysztof Łukaszewicz chose Piechcin to shoot a number of scenes for his Karbala, a film depicting true events that took place during the Houthi insurgency in Iraq, in 2004. It was a battle in Karbala of the title, which involved soldiers from the Polish Military Contingent operating as part of the Multinational Division Centre South. It was also the location where the first-ever Polish full-length film dedicated to Polish soldiers, i.e. Misji Afganistan/Mission Afghanistan, inspired by true events, was shot. The film featured such Polish actors as Paweł Małaszyński, Eryk Lubos, Tomasz Schuhardt, and Sebastian Fabijański, among others.

Today, Piechcin is an important centre of limestone extraction by strip mining, and a place frequented by diving enthusiasts. Thanks to the views stretching away from the top edge of the quarry and the beautiful basin, Piechcin is popular with tourists and people living in nearby towns. An all-year diving base has been established just next to the basin.

Disco Polo
Disco Polo 1

Disco Polo

Directed by Maciej Bochniak

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Disco Polo
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Disco Polo

Directed by Maciej Bochniak

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Karbala
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Karbala

Directed by Krzysztof Łukaszewicz

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Misja Afganistan
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Misja Afganistan

Directed by Grzegorz Kuczeriszka (episode 1),
Maciej Dejczer (episodes 2-13)

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