Its creation should be associated with the outstanding in the Grodno economy activity of treasurer Antoni Tyzenhauz, who brought about the implementation of this project. The radial layout was the type of layout favored by Tyzenhauz, which he also used in Dąbrowa Białostocka, Kunsztów near Grodno or Żołudek belonging to the Tyzenhauz family. At least one of the elements of the spatial arrangement - the manor house and the park were designed by the famous Giuseppe de Sacco, the architect closest to Tyzenhauz. Probably he is the author of the spatial plan of the 18th-century Krynki. Three religious cemeteries located in the town - Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Jewish - are of great value. Especially the latter is exceptionally well-preserved and is containing one of the richest aggregates of Jewish tombstones in Poland. These cemeteries testify to the multicultural character of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth The church square is the place where was probably the first, oldest market square in the town. Only fragments of the park and foundations of old buildings that were part of the manor house complex remain (royal and economic court).

History of the object

The birthplace of the town of Krynki was the royal court certified as early as 1429. A town began to emerge around the manor house, where a church was being built as early as 1517. The church square was probably the first marketplace of the pre-charter settlement, situated along the route leading from the west to east. In the second half of the 16th century, Krynki had two markets, 14 streets, a Roman Catholic and an Orthodox church built after 1560, and 166 voloks of land with 5 suburbs. n 1569, Krynki were granted the Magdeburg rights. Fundamental changes in the layout of the town took place after the fire of 1775, when treasurer Antoni Tyzenhauz planned the town, giving it a new shape with a regular radiant market square. The author of the reconstruction project was probably the famous architect Giuseppe de Sacco.

Description of the object

The town centre is a hexagonal square with 12 streets leading out of it. One of those streets oriented in the south-western direction leads to the church, in front of which there is a square formerly known as the horse market. On the opposite side of the road, to the north from the church there was an economic court, after which there are still remains of the park and foundations of buildings. Further, is south-western direction from the church, a Catholic cemetery was lacated in the 19th century. North-east of the square there is one of the best-preserved Jewish cemeteries, and further behind it, in the same direction, an Orthodox cemetery founded in the 19th century with a wooden cemetery chapel, pulled down in 1989 and then rebuilt.

Visitor access: The monument is open to visitors.

Author of the note: Grzegorz Ryżewski, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Białystok, 6 October 2014

Bibliography

• Bach-Szczawińska Cecylia, Z dziejów Krynek w XVI w., “Studia Podlaskie”, vol. XX, Białystok 2012, pp. 9-24.
• Rimša Edmundas, Pieczęcie miast Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego, Warsaw 2007, pp. 574-575.
• Rimša Edmundas, Pieczęcie miast Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego, Warsaw 2007, pp. 574-575. Rimša Edmundas, Pieczęcie miast Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego, Warsaw 2007, pp. 574-575.