WHERE DID THE CZESTOCHOWA NAME COME FROM?

Once upon a time, when there was only a forest on Warta, came a man called Czenstoch. He built a hut near the river. He domesticated goats, bred cattle, gathered mushrooms and berries. He lived in piece and quite for a long time. Suddenly one day a prince who was hunting in the forest noticed Smoke coming from a hut. He told one of his knights to check whose this property was. Knight came back and told that this was Czenctoch's hut. After sime time this area started to be called Częstochowa which changed into Częstochowę.

Kamila Gęsiarz

WARCIANIE IN SPIDER FORCE OF THE CANNIBAL

Nearby to Częstochowa there is a town called Pajęczno. It boasts with the oldest certificate through its neighbors. In 1140 it was a tiny village but in 1276, thanks to Leszek the Black, Pajęczno has been rise to the town rank. Time was passing and the town was gaining on its meaning.
About its name a terrible event decided. Then in Warta's basin the horrible spider appeared.
Inhabitants of Pajęczno were terrified because they heard that this monster is very voracious. Nearby to spider's den a wood disappeared. Villagers wanted to get rid of monster but they couldn't find a good way to do this. Once, a horrible event happened. The greedy-guts spider encountered a woman on its way. But she, instead to run or hide, started to scream and than she run away. Unfortunately the beast was faster and it caught a woman. Than it wrapped her into web. Woman was calling for help but spider, proud of itself started to suck up her blood. It develops a taste of blood so it started to look out for other people.
Lots of ideas, how to get rid of huge spider, were crossing villagers minds but neither of them was good. They decided to set off to Cracow for help.
The king`s advisers must remeded this horrible event, because sovereign was absent. And the others, entrust a rescue village to the knights. However their bones shortly found on spider-web.
Villagers stopped hunt and abandon farm, because they foresaw our end.
And it was like that several years, but once upon a time poor widow son arrived. He had fair like linen hair and people called him White. The boy decided liberate inhabitants from beast, but people saied that they belived his brave, although he necessary his mother, because she can`t live without him. But White didn`t give up. He was ready to avange all victims.
The day after, on sunrise the boy went on battle. By the way he found and braced lost property knight`s two-handed swords and a very long sword was made from there. He caught it both hands and he went forward. In the middle of track he saw wrapped on the spider-web cavern. The boy break off cobweb and from the inside of the cavern a very large and ugly spider came. The spider started shoot poisonous venom and he flourish his very long, ten legs. White, standing in a safe distant from the beast, picked it accurantely and hard. Sun was hiding behind the wood, when the spider gave the last breath. When the adolescent stood next to spider, he raised its head up and ran to the village and their inhabitants hanged it on the churge`s door. From that moment the village near Warta has been called Pajęczno.

Joanna Wasilewska, Mielczarek Mateusz Chmielarz Przemysław

STONE FIGURE FROM GIDLE

Not far away between Wisła and Warta there is the village named Gigle. It's history is connected with Middle Ages and holly monuments. There is also a legendery connected wih this place. Which is know tor all generations. It was in 1516. The nature started to be in bloom. Peasents started their work in fields. Jan Czeszek joined to this work too. Those day, oxen worked very eagerly. Czeszek was sure that he would finish work early. He was confused when he noticed that animals were scared off and they didn't want to work any more. He ordered animals to work but they didn't want to listen. After a while Czeszek regarded whet was the reason tor this event. There was a stange light comining from the ground or from the magnificiant stone figure. The host decided to take the figure to the cottage and hide it in the box. Since that time Czeszka noticed the bad luck surrounded his house,assosiated with his house. All his family started to suffer trom strange eyes diseares. In spite of the fact that they used some , different herbs they becoming blind. The women from their neighourhoods was very intereted in their fate. Not only she looked after them but also she wanted to know the reason for their horibble bad luch. In order to achive the aim she was in the search of the reason in the cottage and she found the holly figure. She presumed that phonemon was incredidle and she took the figure to the priest,Piotr Wodka,who cleaned if from dirt and sand. He used water for this aim. Then the figure was taken to the church in the village.Later on the women took the water to Czeszek's cottage and asked his family to bathe the eyes . It was the miracle after it which returned the sight to everybody. To remember this event well there is a special habit called ,,kąpiołki'' , when people bath the figure , called ,, Matka Boska Gidelska'' was brought to the Dominikanie convent which is the place ofter visited by the pilgryms.
Magdalena Modestowicz, Mielczarek Mateusz Chmielarz Przemysław

THE SOURCE OF KNIGHT'S VIRTUE

Where cupola hills mark the western border of the jurasic mountain range, there is Kromołów - a city derived its origin from the XIInd century papal writings. Some day, the city was an important centre of weaving, thanks to forethought of powerful and wealthy families: the Boners, the Firleys and the Warszyckis.
In 1870 the agressive authorities of tsarist Russia deprived Kromołów of city rights because the people showed their aspirations for the independece. In the effect the village was attached to Zawiercie. It was the time of its great failure. Who would remember about the city, if there wasn't a little spring located in the basement of a stone wayside shrine of saint John Nepomucen? The shrine is situated on the crossroads leading to Kielce, Częstochowa and Siewierz.

Nobody knows when the spring gushed. One of the legends says that it was in the Middle Ages time, when knights started to wear thier iron armours. Once, during a hot summer, at the forest crossroads, a knight named John was on his sentry duty and he was wearing an iron aromour. The heat was very gnawing but the knight couldn't leave his post. So, he started to pray to his patron, saint John, for some drops of rain. Unfortunatelly, before he finished he had fainted. Some time passed and he recovered thanks to water oozing from a crack. He was so grateful for hearing his prayers that he built a wooden shrine which he placed near the misteriuos spring.

The other legend says that the water gushing from the spring comes from tears of a beautiful sheperdess from Kromołów. She is bemoaning her fate imprisoned in the basement of the shrine because she disobeyed the hell envoy. The water gushing from the spring formed a brook that with water form another spring and some other tributaires made a great river - Warta.

Zuzanna Kuczera

A FATAL ESCAPE FROM THE MONASTIC HABIT

There is a small village Olsztyn near Częstochowa. It is from an an antique fortress, which is situeted on the rocks. This castle from the l4h century was the bigest one in all upland areas. There was the starost office with the knights which provided safety for inhabitans and trademen (there was the commercial trial near Olsztyn).
There is one of the legends which is connected which a castle - It is history about the fatal escape from the monastic habit.
When the last king from dynasty Kazimierz Wielki died, Ludwig Wegierski assumed a power in Poland. He gave Władysław a castle in Olsztyn in order to provide himself faitful and loyality of powerful prince.
Władyław ( called Opolczyk ) was a person with high polical ambition. He was dreaming of the royal crown but he was interesed in hunting and skirmisches with knights. One of Władysław s companion was a young boy - a rich noble's son. When his father found out about his way of spending a spare time, he decided to do anything. But unfortunatly requests and threats ween't effective. Son didn't leave his disreputable life full of fun and pleasure. Desperate father told him "If you doesn't leave your present life I will make you go to the Monastry". He shouted "You will put in the Paulin habit and in this way you will redeem yourself".
He wasn't pleased with this thought about leaving his easy life and beeing in the Monastry. He decided to escape from his family house. He took some money, which he found at home. He left his house with his servant. He was traveling only at night because he didn't want to be caught by chase (which was sent by his father).
In spite of all precautions the chase caught him. The youth decided to fight and he told knights "I prefer dying to becoming a monk". He was shouting at the knights, who surrounded him.

Mateusz Mielczarek i Karolina Jaworska

THE DEVIL AND KOSMA

The girl called Kosma and her old father Maciej had a family tragedy, because their whole house with a kitchen burned at the night. Kitchen was their financial source. They are depressed and the devil want to use this fact to take their souls. He offered a bag of gold in exchange of souls. Devil gave Maciej a few days for a final decision. He is sure that he defeated a human. He is inviting the old blacksmith and his daughter to a party. The devil is asking the girl if she want to dance. She's refusing and explaining that she doesn't have a proper outfit. She doesn't have a dress and a pair of shoes. Devil is asking the spiders for a light dress made from rain drops, and owl for a pair of shoes made from rowan berries and brings the whole suit to the girl. He asked her one more time for a dance, but she's still refusing. She said that her face is dirty and she want him to bring her water. The Devil couldn't bring a water because she gave him a bolter.
Kosma was happy, because dance with the devil could be imiliating. But devil still remembered the promise that Maciej gave him. Blacksmith wanted as many gold as it's possible to put in a wheel nave. Maciej has moved the wheel on a basement enter when devil was going to bring a gold. He didn't saw the trick so he was filling the weel many, many times but gold was disappearing in the darkness of basement.
Devil was hardly punished by his superiors. Maciej and Kosma had outsmarted the young devil.

Karolina Krzypkowska, Joanna Wasilewska