Tucked away in a park on a gentle hill in the heart of Sokołowsko, the Orthodox Church of St. Michael the Archangel is the kind of place that stops you in your tracks. Built at the turn of the 20th century for Russian spa guests, it now welcomes hikers, travellers and anyone in search of a quiet, meaningful moment.

The church radiates a calm, almost mystical atmosphere — surrounded by old-growth trees, with its distinctive onion dome peeking through the canopy. It is a special place in every season: cool and shaded in summer, wrapped in golden leaves in autumn, and almost fairy-tale-like under a winter sky. Inside, the iconostasis and a small gallery of icons by artist Michał Bogucki — who has run an icon-painting studio here since 1999 — are well worth a look.

• From the centre of Sokołowsko — follow the path past the church and the 'Biały Orzeł' hospital, through the park. Pass the House of St. Elizabeth on your right; the church stands on a small rise just 100 metres further. A few minutes' easy walk, no special fitness required.

• The church is open to visitors from morning until dusk.
• If the door is locked, call at the House of St. Elizabeth nearby and ask someone to open it.
• The icon-painting studio and gallery on site are worth visiting.
• In 2018 a storm felled a spruce onto the roof, but the church remained in use.

For decades after World War II the building was abandoned and even used as a mortuary — and the Polish Orthodox Church authorities only learned of its existence in 1989, through a brief mention in a local newspaper. Few places can claim such a remarkable comeback from oblivion.