Roman Catholic Parish of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Spycimierz - flower carpets

Spycimierz is a small village in Uniejów municipality, known throughout Poland for its tradition of laying flower carpets for the Corpus Christi procession. They are created by the local Roman Catholic Parish of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross together with village residents, who each year cover the procession route with patterns made from flower petals and plants.

Where the tradition comes from

The custom of laying flower carpets in Spycimierz dates back around 200 years and has been passed down from generation to generation without interruption. This continuity was significant when applying for inclusion on the UNESCO list - the commission emphasised that this is a living, unbroken practice, not a recreation of an old custom from years past. Every year the entire parish is engaged in the preparations, and patterns for successive sections of the route are designed by individual families and groups of residents.

What goes into the carpet

Residents lay out patterns from the petals of roses, poppies, cornflowers, lilac, peonies and chamomile, and supplement them with pinecones, ferns, horse chestnut leaves, moss, earth, bark and grass. Materials are gathered by hand in the days before the procession, and the patterns themselves - geometric, plant-based or inspired by religious symbolism - are laid from early morning on Corpus Christi day, just before the procession passes through. The whole creation runs along the entire length of its route and can reach up to two kilometres in length, making it one of the longest flower carpets of this type in Poland.

UNESCO listing

In 2018 the tradition was inscribed on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and on 15 December 2021 it was included on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is one of only a few Polish folk customs with this distinction.

Spycimierz Corpus Christi Centre

In May 2024 the Spycimierz Corpus Christi Centre opened in Spycimierz, an educational and cultural centre dedicated to the flower carpet tradition. The venue presents the history of the custom and the process of preparing the compositions outside the time of the procession itself.

Practical information

• Address: Spycimierz 6, Uniejów municipality
• Getting there: via local roads in Uniejów municipality, by car or bicycle
• What to expect: the flower carpet itself is created only once a year, at Corpus Christi - outside this period the procession route looks like an ordinary country road
• Nearby, in Uniejów itself, stands the Koźlak windmill
• There is also a saline spring and pump room