Partners
The Town Council
of Łapy
18-100 Łapy
ul. Gen. Władysława Sikorskiego 24
Telefony: centrala - (085) 715 22 51
sekretariat i burmistrz - (085) 715-27-49
fax: (085) 715 22 56
www:
www.lapy.podlaskie.pl
mail:
umlapy@wp.pl
lub
sekretariat@lapy.podlaskie.pl
Area of
municipality: 128 km²
Population: 23 525 people
Number of transactors: 1283
The area of the
municipality of Łapy has an extremely varied lay of the land with
moraine mounts, hills and peat plains prevailing and with the broad
valley of the Narew River cutting far into them. The picturesque
river, which meanders through the territory, constitutes the eastern
border of the municipality. In the vicinity of Łapy the backwaters
of the river create a unique mainstay – a micro region where the
remains of the primeval nature survived. Due to this fact it has
been decided that the natural value of this exceptional landscape,
which in Poland is often called the Polish Amazon, deserves the best
forms of protection. In 1996 this area has become a part of a
74-kilometer section of the newly established Narwiański National
Park. The park protects the river network together with the
surrounding marsh territories, meadows and forests, where about 150
species of rare or endangered birds live. The thick plant cover at
the river’s banks and the marshes of that character make those areas
inaccessible for the man but at the same time decide about their
attractiveness. A low degree of the area’s environment
transformation of the municipality of Łapy as well as the cultural
value form a solid base for the development of the landscape
tourism. In Łapy there operates the Association of the
Municipalities of the Upper Narew which main responsibility is the
tourist promotion of the Narew area and the territories situated
next to it. The members of that association realise that one of the
chances for the development of this region is tourism. Łapy,
although its history goes back to the 15th century, originated as an
independent settlement nearby a railway junction in the 19th
century. During the I World War contemorary railway manufactories
were transformed into a huge Railway Repair Workshops. Additionally,
at the beginning of the interwar period two big housing estates,
‘Łapy Osse’ and ‘Wygwizdowo’, were built for the workers employed in
the workshops. The buildings that survived from that times are an
example of ‘the Polish style’ (“styl polski”) which was a symbol of
the search for the contemporary expression of Polishness in
architecture and which beautifully combined the forms characteristic
of baroque, renaissance and classicism. A considerable meaning for
the integration of the local community had the erection of a church
designed by Kazimierz Skórewicz in the years 1920-27. The church
silhouette was planned and built also according to the features
characteristic of the ‘Polish style’. The body of the building
consists of a few separated elements; inside there is one nave
accompanied by two rows of chapels. Other historic remembrances in
Łapy are wooden and brick dwelling houses from the end of the 19th
century – the examples of a provincial architecture of that times.
Canoeing on the Narew River is pure pleasure thanks to the vast
backwaters and numerous armlets hidden among the reed. One can take
roundabout routes or decide for a few-day canoeing rally. Fishing,
on the other hand, can be exercised all year round. The most popular
species of fish are roaches, pikes, tenches and perches. It is also
a great place for animal watching, especially birds in their natural
habitat. Apart from hatching species, throughout spring and autumn
the marshy backwaters of Narew provide a place for the rest and
feeding of huge flocks of migratory birds.
Hiking as well as
bicycle trips mark out routes through the territories the tourists
are most interested in. The section of the river in the vicinity of
Bokiny called ‘Wide’ (“Szerokie”) is an excellent fishing spot –
accessible best while the level of water is low. There is also a
plentiful species of lowland fish. Uhowo – a village, where the
valley of Narew is cut across by two bridges and dykes situated on a
communicational route, a road and railway one – is a perfect place
to start a rally with a canoe hired in the fitness centre. In Uhowo
one can also start a hiking trip to the marsh near Borowskie or
visit the Narwiańska Gallery, which is a permanent exhibition.
Płonka Kościelna, a village situated on the bypass of the Narwiński
National Park, is well-know for a sanctuary with a miraculous
painting of the
Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary,
which has been surrounded by religious worship since 17th century.
The present new gothic building dates back to the beginning of the
20th century; the only remaining element of the old wooden church is
the bell-tower from the year 1800. The church archives have gathered
historic records confirming almost a thousand of miraculous healings
between the years 1673 and 1785. In front of the sanctuary there is
a monument of king Jan III Sobieski, a ‘Distinguished Pilgrim of the
Płonka Lady’, erected in 1983 to commemorate the 300th anniversary
of the Vienna victory. About half of a kilometre from the church,
down the road with fifteen rosary chapels one can get to a mineral
spring with miraculous water called ‘na Łasku’. A cross dating back
to the 19th century is situated here as well as a chapel built in
1968 housing a copy of the painting of the Madonna of Płonka.
In recent years
the actions of the municipality have concentrated on the development
and modernisation of the city infrastructure. Those improvements
have been introduced in order to better the living conditions of the
inhabitants as well as prepare the municipality for the potential
investors. One more thing that has been updated is the sewage plant
which treatment capacity increased up to 10 .000 cubic meter of
sewage within twenty-four hours. This fact enabled the connection of
successive villages of Łapy and neighbouring municipalities to the
sewage system and at the same time it created reserves for the
future production plants. A consequence of this investment was the
extension of the sewage system. Simultaneously, the canalisation of
Uhowo, a village in the vicinity of Łapy, has been completed. The
intention of the local authorities is to transform Uhowo so that it
could perform the role of a resort of more than municipality
meaning. The sewage system was also provided for other villages – it
has been brought up to the border with the municipality of Suraż
(the length of about 5,5 km) and combined the sewage plant in Łapy
with the municipality of Poświętne thanks to the construction of a
sewage system of the total length of about 12 km. Presently, there
are also a few other sewerages in the city under construction. An
equally important investment is the modernization of the district
heating system in the city. In a very short period of time, less
than a year, a gas main was built around the city together with the
connections to all existing coal-fired boiler plants operated by the
Thermal Energy Plant. All of the old boiler plants were closed down
and replaced by modern gas boiler plants, heat distribution centres
and boiler plants with biomass possessing the power of 4 megawatts.
There was also an exchange of an about 6-kilometre heating network
into pre-insulated pipes. The residents were granted a stable
heating system and the project gained high estimations and
recognition of EcoFund Foundation and a grant of 3,4 million złotych.
The accomplishment of those activities was possible thanks to the
substantial financial means gained by the municipality from
foundations and founds supporting ecologic activities. The
completion of the project has also won the recognition of national
authorities. The municipality received an award and the title of the
Leader of Polish Ecology 2003 as well as a distinction in a
competition entitled ‘Our municipality in Europe’. In order to
continue the established course of development the financial means
gained from the prizes have been devoted to the construction of a
modern dumping ground; its building was finalised in June 2004. As
the main aim of the local authorities is to raise the tourist
attractiveness of the region and consequently attract investments,
there are still ecological expenditures being undertaken such as for
example the construction of the sewage system and thermal
modernization of the municipality’s buildings. Since June 2004 the
municipality in Łapy has been granted the right to use the
promotional trademark of ‘the Green Lungs of Poland’ (“Zielone Płuca
Polski”).
The cultural
festivals organised in the Łapy municipality:
-
Łapski Week of Theatre -
presentation of the work of teenage amateur theatres – March;
-
The International Festival of
Religious Songs ‘Łapskie Te Deum”; a festival of choir music –
April;
-
The Day of the Earth – a series
of celebrations of ecological and educational character for
example a review of school ecological theatres – April;
-
The Days of Łapy – June;
-
Sobieski near Płonka – an open
air celebrations in a village near Łapy, which was visited by king
Jan III Sobieski before the Vienna expedition – July;
-
Huge Summer Fair with Łapska
Newspaper – a festival of trading and entertaining character which
is a form of presentation for craftsmen and folk artists – August;
-
The Day of a Catfish – a leisure
outdoor festival in Bokiny – August;
-
Narwiańska Autumn – a series of
celebrations of ecological theme which propagate the cultural and
natural values of the Narew River Valley – September;
-
National Dancing Tournament
‘Tan-Tan’ – October;
-
Autumn Moods – encounters with
singing and poetry; a review of musical bands and soloists –
November;
-
The Review of Amateur Films –
December;
