Photo: P. Pierścińskis
The Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship offers not only magic and wizardry, myths and legends full of mysterious characters and fantastic events; it tempts not only with beautiful nature spots, picturesque ruins of castles or wooden huts and churches, ancient pagan cult places or the cities and towns which witnessed the birth and childhood of the most famous Polish artists. It is also the region in which wonderful and unique monuments of technology documenting a thousand-year long development of industry can be found.
If you wish to learn rich history of the region"s economy and industry, jump in the gears of time travel machine and follow the Świętokrzyski Route of Industrial Monuments. The journey begins thousand years ago when the primitive man made first tools – axes of striped flint obtained from the flint mine situated right here, in the Świętokrzyski land. This region proved to be rich in geological sources which contributed to the development of settlement and industry.
It is here where thousand years ago the biggest European iron-smelting centre with famous “dymarki” (primitive furnaces) was established. Even later, in the 3rd and 4th century AD, this terrain was famous for iron production. In the following years numerous industrial plants had been established, such as Great Smelting Furnace in Samsonów (16th century) or Smelting Plant in Maleniec which dates back to 1784. The Trail leads from the deep past to the contemporary times. It is a fine way to see the old production techniques and see the old machines. You can also see them work with the turbines spinning and hammers throbbing. In Stara Kuźnica, the last preserved forge plant in Poland, you can hear the Młynkowska river set the wheel in motion which in turn drives the mechanisms – the hummer and bellows – in motion. That is how other plants, such as smelting plant in Maleniec or rolling mill in Sielpia Wielka, functioned. But it is the ultimate place where during the annual festival “Kuźnice Koneckie” you can see how everything really worked.
Bicycles are suitable means of transport for the most part of the trail, as the bicycles routes lead us through the Valley of the Kamienna River as well as some other places, such as Bobrza, Samsonów and Kuźniaki. The Świętokrzyskie Route of Industrial Monuments combines leisure time pursuit with education on the industrial history of the region. Moreover, bicycle trip gives additional opportunity to take a closer look on the nature of Świętokrzyskie. On this time travel you will meet the ghosts of the past haunting the historic ruins of furnaces, machines form the turn of 17th and 18th centuries or in the 19th century tools. It is an amazing journey to the times without electricity and times when men learnt to use and process the natural wealth.
Practical information:
Apart from the regular exhibitions on the Route, various festivals and cultural events, such as “Żelazna Korzenie” (The Steel Roots) in Starachowice or “Kuźnice Koneckie” in Sielpia are organised. One can rent bikes in Sielpia (a town on the Trail) Accommodation and boarding facilities can be found in numerous resorts, hotels, boarding houses, private lodgings and agrotourism farms in the whole Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship.
The offer proposed by:
Regional Tourism Organisation of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
ul. Ściegiennego 2/32
25-033 Kielce
Phone: +48 41 361 80 57
E-mail: rot@swietokrzyskie.travel
www.rot.swietokrzyskie.travel
