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Bienkowice

This municipality can pride on the oldest functional smithy and on a rich equip museum of black smith’s trade, and all of this thanks to family Socha. According to a tradition everything began with Janek Socha, who had come from Krakow and in 1683 went to Vienna in the army of King Sobieski. When the Polish army had raised a camp on a field by Ratiborz, he met a girl in Bienkowice and fell in love with her so much, that he promised her to return quickly. After the Viennese victory of Turks he kept his promise. He came upon Cyna, married his beloved girl, they had a son Andrzej and being a smith he founded a smithy in Bienkowice. It was 1702. Since this time the family Socha have been occupied with this smithy. After mentioned Janek his son Andrzej became a smith, then František, Urban, Antonín and also Jan. In 1910 Alois Socha was born, he was the smith in the seventh generation. His son Jan and also his grandson Robert keep the family tradition. They still have been hammering in their old smithy (the contemporary brick smithy was built in 1840 on the place of the original wooden smithy). Never in Poland you can find so many black-smith’s tools connected with
this profession.
Since long ago on the second day at Easter a traditional liturgical parade on horses has been organized, it is called “Osterreiten”. The hunt after a fox takes places on the holiday of St. Hubert.