Szalay emblems

Saturday, July 29, 2023, saw the unveiling of the Szalay Emblems for three sites in Szczawnica.

The first is the Szczawnica Park Resort & Spa Hotel *****, which has been given the emblem "Pod Gackiem". It refers to the name of a species of bat that lives in the area. In the highest part of the Hotel, the tower, there is an unusual apartment prepared for special guests - traveling "gaceks".

Another building that received a plaque is the Hotel Batory ***, created nearly 150 years ago by Jozef Szalay himself (1802-1876), to whom local tradition attributes both the very idea of introducing the signboards and their original execution.

It was in this facility that Polish Nobel Prize winner Henryk Sienkiewicz wrote his novel "Wiry."

Hotel Batory *** received the Szalay emblem "Pod Batorym" referring to the name of the Polish king, Stefan Batory, and the name of the hotel - Hotel Batory ***.

The third building is the Eko Apartments, which were built according to a design by respected Szczawnica architect Dr. Wincenty Gacek, right by the promenade on the Grajcarek River.

The Szalay emblem "Pod Grajcarkiem", given to Eko Apartments, refers precisely to the name of the nearby Grajcarek stream.

The ceremonial unveiling, to the accompaniment of a highlander band, was accompanied by the Mayor of the Municipality and City of Szczawnica - Grzegorz Niezgoda, and the Director of the Pieniny Museum - Barbara Węglarz, who told the wonderful story of the creation of the Szalay emblems.

But what is actually the history of emblems?

A tradition in highlander homes in Szczawnica is wooden plaques, or more precisely a type of signboard, with a short name and a painting on it.

Local highlanders call them "Szalay emblems," since it is to Joseph Szalay (1802 - 1876) - the creator and owner of the Szczawnica health resort - that local tradition attributes the idea of introducing the signboards and their original making.

In the first half of the nineteenth century, Szczawnica spa was just being established, and the number of incoming guests was growing, incomparably faster than the construction of villas with guest rooms. So it was at the highlanders' place, in a peasant's chamber, that visitors were forced to look for accommodation. The villas were inhabited by wealthier guests, while the rest rented places in houses in the village of Szczawnica itself.

At the time, highlander cottages were very primitive: without floors, windows were often left without glass, lack of chimneys was common, and yards were drowned in mud and animal manure. This could not serve the good image of the resort.

Jozef Szalay, wanting to improve the quality of highlander huts, began demanding that windows be glazed, chimneys be brought out or floors be made. However, he encountered resistance from the local population. Plaques became the solution to the problem, as only those who brought homesteads to the required level could receive them. This resulted in the increasing popularity of the emblems, when it became apparent that without a hung plaque, guests could not be counted on.

The first information about emblems was given by Ivye painter Ksawery Perk, who was in Szczawnica in 1832, but it wasn't until 1841, during his re-visit, that he noted many positive changes, including noticing the painted boards over the doors: he found a new order in the village, as each cottage had its own emblem, such as Under the Crayfish, Under the Hare, etc. From then on, the highlanders began to improve their houses and farmyards. They whitewashed the trenched houses, the farmyards were cleaned up, and the cottages were clean and neat.

The hanging of the plaques itself had a very ceremonial form, with the participation of a highlander band and Pieniny chants. Each plaque was divided into two parts: a larger one with a painting and a smaller one in the form of a narrow strip, with the emblem's signature spread across its width, e.g. Under the dove, Under the fox.

Emblems played another very important role. As a result of their perpetuation in the village, a group of nicknames of the Szczawnica’s highlanders originated from the names of houses placed on signboards, in the form of "Węglarz spod Węża", "Węglarz spod smoka", or transforming into a seemingly independent nickname, e.g. "Bell", - that is, from the house " Under the bell".