Podkarpacie is one of the most beautiful parts of Poland, although still little known. It comprises areas located in the foothills of a 1300 kilometre mountain range, extending from the Czech Republic, through Poland, Ukraine, Hungary and Romania. In Poland, it is made up of Carpathian valleys, foothills and the Beskidy Mountains. In 1998 the area was established as the Podkarpacie voivodship, with a surface of 17,600 square kilometres, its capital in Rzeszow and a population of over 2.1 million. Many rivers cross this land, most of which (including closest to Podkarpacie San and Wislok), belong to the Vistula river basin, thus also to the Baltic Sea basin. Numerous forest clearings are decorated either by seemingly lost farms, or small cultivated fields that previous generations managed to tear away from the ancient wood. Today they either grow various types of grain, or serve as meadows on which, among grazing cattle, you can see storks strolling slowly and carefully. Wandering through this land marked by historical monuments is a travel through Polish history and places that had to withstand many attacks: of the Tartars, the Cossacks, Swedish or Russian armies, or other "trespassers" from neighboring countries. Numerous nationalities are mixed here as in a strange melting pot, in which centuries are mixed together.

Monumental Roman Catholic temples stand next to wooden Orthodox churches, synagogues with Jewish cemetaries and many small chapels. A trail of rich historical monuments tells the story of this land, whose beauty is enhanced by its nature and landscapes. 230 full color photographs with English language descriptions.