Region

MUSZYNA – A SOURCE OF IMPRESSIONS

The name Muszyna is probably derived from the streams, on which the town was located. The humidity makes the stream banks and the river stones mossing. The Latin word “muscus” gave the name among others to the town of Muszyna. Other hypotheses derive the name of this place from the nickname of the Cracow bishop Jan Muskata.

We come across the first mention of Muszyna in the grant deed from 1209, in which the Hungarian king Andrew II allows for collecting customs duty on the Poprad river near Muszyna to the parson Adolf from the Spisz chapter of Saint Martin. Formerly, one of important trade routes from Hungary passed through Muszyna, also along the Poprad river. This town many times hosted notable lay people and clergymen, arriving from Cracow or Sącz, mainly in the matters of defenses of the Muszyna key, but also in economic or administrative issues, due to the fact that Muszyna was owned by the Cracow bishops. These bishops also visited Muszyna. Jan Kochanowski was one of the outstanding guests, who appreciated Muszyna’s hospitality, recording it in the epigram entitled “To Muszyna Starost (“Do starosty muszyńskiego”)

”O the starost reigning on Muszyna,
You know a lot about wines,
You know and you have a lot to offer
Since only by communing with others, up to Uhry
You can show your ancient taste
O famous Muszyna starost,
Let me try it as well,
As I also feel the taste in the barrel,
I do not regret that I am a poet,
I know the meaning of things,
If you, Stanisław,
Want to be righteous towards your people,
You can achieve it not by giving them sapphires or rubies,
But by offering them good wine
And your profits will be of heavenly nature
With drunken from happiness rhymes
We will introduce you to Heaven.*