The text is part of the “Unusual Poland” campaign – a series carried out by the Lifestyle editorial team of the Interia portal, in which we present various places, phenomena and phenomena of our country.
An extraordinary forest calls for daredevils
Almost everyone in Nowa Sól and the surrounding area has heard about it. There are legends about it, only a few people reached it after many unsuccessful attempts that ended with them getting lost in the forest. . The reward is unique: seeing it with your own eyes and touching a rock shrouded in dark magic hidden deep in the middle of the forest. Its history is presented to Interia readers by Mr. Jan Wojtasik.
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Czocha Castle: Mysterious passages and inaccessible undergrounds
In order to learn as much as possible about all possible stories of its origin, everyone, including the director of the Municipal Museum in Nowa Sól, pointed me to one person who knows the most about the Tarnow Forest and the Red Monkey. They call him an expert. As he tells Interia, he still does not feel entitled to the title that has been given to him, even despite the author’s website “stuffed” with curiosities and photos, entirely devoted to the forest, or the development of maps and an encyclopedia about this place.
. This is probably the most mysterious place in the west of our country. Welcome to the Tarnow Forest.
First of all, a question arises: what can be so special about a piece of forest land? Well, more than one article can contain. Jan Wojtasik has been actively exploring this place both by bike and on foot for many years, and is also actively searching for historical sources.
What wasn’t happening in these 200 square kilometers! . Traces can still be found today, you just have to look closely.
However, the most mysterious and fearful, but also very interesting, trace of history is . Don’t be fooled by her kind appearance, curled tail and smile. The legends surrounding this thousands-year-old boulder are truly hair-raising.
The story of the Red Monkey is hair-raising
This unusual historical monument is located in the north-western part of forest section no. “119” in the part of Bory Tarnowskie administered by the Nowa Sól Forest District. . Because the Tarnow Forest can be terrifying. But more on that in a moment.
Jan Wojtasik remembers his first meeting with the Red Monkey as a disappointment. – Mainly because I had heard and read a lot about her before, I imagined her as huge. And the boulder is not that big at all – he laughs. However, it is not the image of the red monkey that is most impressive, but the legends about where it came from. – . It is no secret that such a murder weapon is associated with black magic, which only adds to the thrill of the legend – a forest enthusiast tells Interia.
The next story is related to the death of a dangerous robber. – – explains Jan Wojtasik.
Another theory also gives the lie to the idea that there was a monkey on the rock. – – points out the expert.
The very circumstances of the appearance of this mysterious “rock painting” are still unclear, although Jan willingly uses the story that several centuries ago, forest workers, while obtaining erratic rocks from the forest as building material, broke the boulder into two parts and saw a figure inside. – – describes a traveler and enthusiast.
Of course, the image of the red monkey that we see today did not look like this from the beginning. . Interestingly, even though decades have passed since this “facelift”, the paint still does not fade and, despite harsh weather conditions, the drawing looks perfect. Is this witchcraft? It is unknown.
A forest full of secrets and legends
But the mysterious atmosphere does not only concern the boulder with the monkey. This is only an introduction to places where history mixes with legends and folk tales. It is worth mentioning here the Hausmann well, the Stone Barrow, the Ghost Boulder and Wanda’s Grove.
This last place terrified even the forest expert himself. Jan remembers this blood-curdling adventure in all its details. – – he recalls.
From the stories of the inhabitants of the surrounding towns one could hear that in the past no one ventured into these forests further than the distance of the sound. That there are places there that were long ago considered haunted – ancient burial mounds, the Witch Mountains, that people who went there to pick berries or mushrooms never came back, and their bodies were difficult to find.
The Tarnow Forest has many faces and despite information boards and promotion of its corners in many articles and books, it can still surprise and make your hair stand on end. But also to delight. . You can admire chestnut trees blooming in May, but also old stands of Douglas fir, white pine and Lawson’s cypris. Many clusters of old native oaks and beeches have been preserved, and even a single stand of naturally growing yew.
Press notes from the mid-19th century mention killing for the sake of it.
One thing is certain: the locals know that the Tarnow Forest must be respected. And never, ever treat it like an “ordinary forest”.
If you want to explore more of the secrets of the forest, it is worth visiting the website of Jan Wojtasik, who meticulously enriches it with historical stories, legends and photographs of his own: www.janwojtasik.pl
Can you discover the country only during holidays? In no case! We invite you to “Unusual Poland”, a tourist series of the Lifestyle editorial team of the Interia portal. In the articles published every two weeks, we will show you places and attractions that few people have heard about, we will introduce you to enthusiasts and people with extraordinary skills, we will taste specialties from regional cuisines and we will see how small, local initiatives can cause big changes. See how extraordinary Poland can be.
