Transwojewódzki Cycling Trail

Description

The trail is a proposal to explore historic cities, castles and churches, as well as admire the unique beauty of the Świętokrzyskie.

Lenght of the whole trail: 296,6 km

Part 1:
Sandomierz - Zawisełcze - Ostrołęka - Bogoria - Skotniki - Koprzywnica - Beszyce - Sulisławice - Szymanowice - Klimontów - Konary – Ujazd
Colour: green "Through the Koprzywianka Valley"

photo P. Pierściński

Sandomierz - occupying a few hills and a high escarpment from which enfolds a splendid view over the Vistula valley, the town has more than 120 monuments of architecture. Most of them date back to the Middle Ages and that"s why Sandomierz is considered a real gem of the Świętokrzyski region. The highlight of the town is its old town with the Renaissance town hall standing in the middle of the market square. The ground floor of the town hall is occupied by the exhibitions of the Regional Museum; they reveal to us the historical development of Sandomierz. Interesting are old burgher houses that line the market square. Worth a special attention is the Oleśnicki family house (16th c.), Mikołaj Gomółka house (16th c.), St Andrzej Bobola boarding school (17th c.), and the House Under Ciżemka (16th c.). Very beautiful view of the market square can be enjoyed by those who enter the town through Opatów Gate (Brama Opatowska), one of Poland"s best preserved medieval city gates. There were four such gates incorporated in the medieval defensive system of the town, but only Opatów Gate survived. Visitors can admire the panoramic view of the old town from its top (30 m). The Sandomierz market square can also be admired from the underground level. One of the town"s star attractions is the Underground Tourist Route (470 m in length, 12 m in depth), which leads through a chain of 30-odd cellars beneath the houses around the market square.

Skotniki – the pride of the village is 14th century church which has been survived almost unchanged during the time. One should notice starry barrel of the nave which is supported by central pillar. The equipment is mainly rococo but many of Middle Aged paintings have survived until now.

Koprzywnica - Situated in the River Koprzywnica valley, the town is known thanks to the Cistercians who built

photo M. Brach

here their abbey in 1185. Its characteristic Baroque tower is visible from far away. Mikołaj Bogoria of the nearby Skotniki founded a monastery for the Cistercian monks arriving from Burgundy in the 12th century. Their activities ended in 1819 when the Cistercian order in Poland was dissolved. The return of once lost relics of St Florian was an important moment in the history of the local St Florian"s Church and its parishioners. They arrived to Koprzywnica brought from St Florian"s Church in Cracow in 1995. The town"s historical monuments that remained preserved till our times are the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary and St Florian and the eastern wing of the monastery. Twice remodelled (17th- 18th cc.), the church was erected in the years 1207-1218. It"s a three-nave basilica with cross and ribbed vaulting and demi-columns ornamented with floral and geometric motifs. Its high alter (17th c.) founded by Zbigniew Oleśnicki contains a magnificent painting (1646) by Bartłomiej Strobel featuring the ascension of the Holy Virgin Mary. In the only preserved part of the monastery is a large capitulary of which cross and ribbed vaulting is supported by two columns.

Sulisławice  - There two churches built in Sulisławice. The first one was erected in the 13th century, and although much enlarged in 1600, it preserved a few original Romanesque and Gothic elements such as builders" marks and the southern portal. The former sacristy now contains a memory room devoted to the Jędrusie partisan grouping that recorded the longest operation period during World War II. Next to the old church, a new one was built in the years 1871-1888. Dedicated to the Birth of the Holy Virgin, the new church is home to the much venerated picture of Our Lady of Sorrows of Sulisławice transferred from the old church. The picture painted in distemper on a wooden plank was most probably made around 1450.The first coronation took place in 1913. The gold crowns were stolen in 1940, but the robbers dumped them in the cemetery, where they were found later. The new crowns were consecrated on 7 July 1991 by Pope John Paul II during his fourth pilgrimage to Poland.

photo K. Sajecki

Klimontów - Cracovian castellan Klemens founded Klimontów near Sandomierz around 1240. First records of the village"s existence date back to 1404. It passes into hands of the Ossoliński family in the 15th century. Castellan of Radom, Jan Ossoliński, a close companion of king Władysław II Jagiełło was the first owner of Klimontów. The town was set up by the voivode of Sandomierz Jan Zbigniew ossoliński in 1604. It was then that Klimontów received its municipal rights from the king. The town was located on the teritory of the former village Ramuntowice. Zbigniew Ossoliński brought Dominicans to the town in the early 17th century. Construction of a monastery was started in 1620. kept in the late-Renaissance style, St Hyacinth"s Church had a few Gorhic elements: it stands adjacent to the monastery buildings. Zbigniew Ossoliński died in 1623 and was buried in the porch of the local church. The Dominican monastery was completed by Jerzy Ossoliński who also started the construction of St Joseph collegiate church designed by Wawrzyniec Senes (Laurentius de Sent). In the most original 17th century sacral buildings in Poland. Built on an elliptical plan, its foundation were patterned on the early-Baroque architecture. The project was not completed during Jerzy Ossoliński"s lifetime - he died in Warsaw in 1650 at the age of 55 and was buried in the crypt of his church. The Morsztyn, Sanguszko, Denhoff and Leduchowski families were subsequent owners of Opatów.

Górki Klimontowskie – complex of park and place, inaccessible for the visitors.

Konary – the monument which commemorates struggles of the Legion of Marshall Józef Piłsudski in 1915

Ujazd – the town is famous for castle which is located in a little town of Ujazd situated near the south-eastern

photo K. Pęczalski

boundary of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. The castle of Krzyżtopór in Ujazd had a defensive character. Its construction that took 13 years was supervised by Italian architect Lawrence Senes, who also designed the project. Built inside massive stone walls with bastions at the five corners, this mannerist palace embodied the structure of the calendar. It had four towers symbolizing the four seasons and 12 big halls, one for each month. Exactly 52 rooms were built, one for each week in the year, and 356 windows. The building occupied an area of 3.2 acres, its walls were 600-meter-long and its cubature amounted to 70 thousand cubic meters. Marble and mirrors were used in the interiors of the underground stables, while the ball room had an aquarium in place of the ceiling. The water supply installations used water from the local spring, and rooms were heated with warm air coming to them through special air passages.

Part 2:
Course:  Iwaniska - Planta - Sobiekurów - Wymysłów - Józefów - Strzyżowice - Czerników Karski - Czerników Opatowski - Opatów - Lipowa - Podole - Małoszyce - Ćmielów - Ruda Kościelna - Magonie – Sudół
Colour: blue

Iwaniska -  a town located 13 km from Opatow, on the south-eastern edge of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains range. In the village one can see a neo-Gothic church of Saint Katarzyna from the early 20th century. Interestingly presents the old cemetery of the 15th century and the younger one from the early 19th with the Łempicki’s chapel from 1883.

 

Opatów - the original proto-Slav settlement was most probably located near the present-day Bernardinemonastery. Its name was Żmigród. In 1237, the Silesian prince Henryk Brodaty (Henry the Bearded) gave Opatów together with the neighboring villages to the Lebus (present-day Lubusz) bishop. In 1282, the rapidly developing community received its location privilege based on the German law from King Leszek Czarny. Burghers felt safe behind the town walls and merchants as well as craftsmen were coming in great numbers, some of them to stay for good. In 1502 the town suffered serious damage from Tartar invasions. But soon it was reconstructed thanks to the support of king Aleksander Jagiellończyk (Alexander the Jagiellon). Chancellor Krzysztof Szydłowiecki bought Opatów from the bishops at the beginning of the 16th century and had town walls built with four gates leading to Cracow, Sandomierz, Lublin and Warsaw. He also ordered the construction of the town hall and a water-supply system. After his death the town subsequently passed into hands of the Tarnowski, Wiśniowiecki, Lubomirski, and Potocki noble families. During centuries Opatów played an important role in the country"s public life, frequently visited by Polish royalties. Here queen Marysieńka Sobieska was waiting for her husband, king Jan III Sobieski, returning from Vienna after the victorious campaign during which Turks were defeated. The Partitions of Poland (19th c.) halted development of the town. Many battles were fought in the region during the January Uprising (1863-65). During one of the major battles near Opatów (21 February 1864), the Cracovian division was defeated, its wounded commander Ludwik Zwierzdowski captured and two days later executed on the Opatów market square. Many partisan units operated in the region of Opatów during World War II, including the famous Jędrusie detachment. Worth to see are Warsaw Gate, St Martin the Bishop"s Parish Church- One of the most spectacular examples of Romanesque architecture in Poland, Bernardine Monastery and Church and Underground Tourist Route.

Małoszyce – in 1887, the town passed into the hands of Jan Gombrowicz, who settled here after his marriage with Antonina Kotkowska. In Maloszyce, 4 August 1904, Witold Gombrowicz came into the world. Then the family moved to Warsaw, but he was staying in a small Maloszyce in the summer, which has been extensively described in the "Diary". After the death of his father, the property was sold and the mansion demolished. Today, one can see remaining assumptions of the two stone pillars and fragments of old fence of the park.

Ćmielów - The little town of is located some 10 km east from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, on the boundary of the

photo P. Pierściński

Iłżeckie Foothills and the Sandomierz Plateau. It sits on the Kamienna River with a tributary of River Przepaść. Ćmielów is famous for the production of the highest quality porcelain. The  Porcelain Factory AS Ćmielów produces porcelain ware with the use of original models and moulds that survived together with the worldwide known traditions of the Ćmielów porcelain products. A logo of Ćmielów Exclusive is now found on the newest products of the Ćmielów factory: porcelain jewelery items. They are all hand-made and hand-decorated. The Live Museum of Porcelain was established on the factory premises in 2005. This unique institution not only displays the factory products, but also let visitors participate in the process of production as well as offer them a chance of making a finished items themselves.Ruda Kościelna – the  village is located at Trail of Timber Architecture. One can see the parish church of the Marriage of the Virgin Mary from the late 18. century. Father Wisniewski"s own preferences, in the middle of the church was formerly the entrance to the tombs. Near stands the 20th-century belfry, built by the judge Czeslaw Tarnowski.

Part 3:
Course: Skarżysko Kamienna – Michałów – Marcinków (11 km) Wąchock (15 km) – Rataje (18,5 km) – Starachowice(24 km)  – Starachowice-Michałów (31,5 km) – Brody (42 km) – Kałków-Godów (45 km) – Nietulisko (63 km) – Kunów (66,5 km)  – Chmielów (71 km) – Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski (81,5 km)
Lenght: 81,5 km
Colour: blue
Dificulty: easy

photo A. Drzewiecka

Skarżyko-Kamienna – the town is situated at the edge of the territory occupied by the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, amidst woods of the former Jodłowa Forest and at the mouth of River Kamionka flowing into River Kamienna. Worth to see is the White Eagle Museum. For over 40 years the museum has been occupying the former building of the “Rejów” steelworks administration. It displays old documents and materials connected with the history and development of the city and the region. However, the major part of the exhibition is constituted by collections of various objects representing the Polish Army and its history: soldiers" uniforms, arms and equipment, documents, and photographs. A large part of the exhibition was placed outdoors and covers an area of nearly 5 acres. Here visitors can admire guns, armored vehicles, helicopters, aircrafts, and tanks. The museum owns one of Poland"s biggest collections of heavy armaments dating back to World War II and also manufactured during the postwar period. The highlight of the museum tour is undoubtedly the only one preserved cutter armed with torpedoes. Remains of the Big Furnace Next door to the White Eagle Museum are the remains of the big furnace constructed in 1770. Its foundations, retaining wall and runner are still preserved. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ostra Brama A religious sanctuary of Our Lady of Ostra Brama was built in the years 1986-93. It is the only Poland"s truly faithful copy of the famous shrine in Vilnius (Lithuania). The most precious among over two thousand votive offerings left by pilgrims in the sanctuary are items donated by Pope John Paul II (rosary and skullcap, or zuchetto) and Pope Benedict XVI (votive candle and chasuble).

Michałów – in the village the miller’s farmstead is perceived as a historical building. The “Piaska” mill was erected in the beginning of 20. century. At present, the building is adapted to the need of agrotourist farm. 

Wąchock - not only jokes about Wąchock are known all over the country, but also its history closely connected

photo G. Szczęsny

with the existence of the Cistercian abbey built in the years 1218-1239. Remodeled many times, the complex features a monastery and a late-Romanesque church built of two-colored stone blocks. Its Baroque interior contains a Romanesque chapter house with cross-ribbed vaults and an early-Gothic refectory. The legendary commander of the Świętokrzyskie Home Army Groups major Jan Piwnik alias Ponury buried in the crypt located in the monastery cloisters. The Museum of Cistercian Fathers is situated next to the monastery gate and contains a unique collections of mementos from the national uprisings gathered by colonel Father Walenty Ślusarczyk. These collections are grouped in a few departments displaying variety of mementos devoted to Father Walenty Ślusarczyk, Commonwealth of Poland before Partitions, November Uprising (1830), January Uprising (1863-64), Second Polish Republic, World War II, and to the operations of the Home Army. The last part of the exhibition informs visitors about the history of the Cistercian Order in Poland.

Starachowice - In the Middle Ages, the area of the present-day city was in the possession of the Cistercian Order. Burial grounds from the early medieval period were found here, and they bear witness to the existence of tribal settlements. Roman denarii, a Roman sward and graves from that period prove that the local inhabitants

 

maintained trade relations with the Roman Empire (2nd-3rd cc.). An Old Polish Industrial Center and an industrial agglomeration in its neighborhood were set up in the 19th century on the initiative of Stanisław Staszic. Soon, Starachowice became the biggest center of metallurgical industry in the Kingdom of Poland. Considered a unique facility, the Big Furnace from that time  was entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List of Industrial Monuments in 1992.  Experience and traditions of the local people helped much to manufacture first “Star” trucks as soon as in 1948; they were constructed in the Starachowice Factory of Heavy Trucks.

Kałków-Godów  - although the youngest center of the Marian cult in Poland, the sanctuary is  visited by a great number of tourists and pilgrims each year. This biggest regional pilgrimage center was created around the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows, Queen of Poland. It was started in 1967 thanks to the efforts of priest Czesław Wala and the support of the local people. In 1971 he bought an old stable in order to convert it first into a catechetic classroom, and later into a chapel. Today the area of 22 acres is dotted with different buildings, chapels, figures and the Way of the Cross stations. Behind the veil, in the high alter of the two-storied church is placed a miraculous picture of Our Lady, a copy of the famous picture of Our Lady of Licheń. The monumental building of the Świętokrzyska Golgotha, Pantheon of the Polish Nation Martyrology, is 33-meter-high and topped with a 15-meter-tall wooden cross. It was designed to imitate an old ruined castle.

Nietulisko Duże - the ruins of a rolling mill for fine rolled sections and steel sheets in Nietulisko Duże are the remains of a plant which was the last chain of the so-called “Starachowice industrial complex”. Built in the years 1834–46, the plant was a carefully laid out urban establishment with a factory settlement and a water system. It included a rolling mill, two dryers, a storehouse, a shed, a stable, an administrative building, some scales and 36 houses for the workers and management staff. Today, the rolling mill is an important monument of technology, with the completely preserved, historical water system as its greatest value.

Kunów – one of the oldest settlements on the Kamienna River, which was exploited by the ancient area steelworkers. Dymarskie furnances were here so characteristic that modern scholars call this type "kotlinki kunowskie”. In Kunów, worth to see is the church, built between 1625-1942. Reconstruction of the years 1850 and 1898 obliterated much of its original, late-Renaissance character. The 19th-century stone altar by stonework of local masters are worth to notice. In the main altar is a copy of Raphael"s Crucifixion, founded by Fr. Szymon Koch, largely repainted in later years. Next to the church a belfry from 1896 is situated. Designed by Wojciech Gerson, famous for paintings, mainly.

Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski - the town of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski ranks second in the Świętokrzyskie voivodeship.

 

It borders on a large expanse of the Iłżycka Forest in the north and on the uplandish territory of the Opatów region in the south. In its 400-year-old history tradition intermingles with modernity. The historical monuments in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski range from sacral buildings, sites connected with wartime dramatic events, to industrial heritage constructions and unique installations of the old ironworks. The Baroque church of St Stanisław the Bishop from the late 16th century is also worth a visit. Erected in the Denków quarter in 1581, it was founded by Stanisław and Kaliksta Michowski. The wooden church was dismantled  in 1691 and a new brick church in Baroque style was built on the Latin cross pattern. The late-Baroque high alter contains a picture of the Holy Virgin Mary with Child from the turn of the 17th century as well as pictures featuring St Barbara and St Stanisław. In the same quarter of Denków is located a cemetery with neoclassical chapel of the Kotkowski family. Noteworthy monuments of architecture include the building of the Polish Post from the 1920s, a bit neglected building of the railway station raised in the 1880s, and city residences from the turn of the 19th century (ul. Siennieńska 14 and 37, ul. Wardyńskiego 26). In the south-western quarter of the city Częstocice stands an interesting palace of the Wielopolski family (late 19th c.) surrounded by a old park. It now houses the Historical and Archaeological Museum. Worth a visit is also the post-industrial area of the Old Ironworks as well as  the former sugar factory of Częstocice, workers lodgings in the lower town, and the wooden factory church of the Holy Heart of Jesus erected in the Zakopane style in the years 1931-32. The church is located on the regional itinerary of the Timber Architecture Trail.

Part 4:
Course: Rejów - Rezerwat "Dalejów" - Bliżyn - Ubyszów - Majdów - Hucisko - Huta - Antoniów - Niekłań - Stąporków - Czarna - Czarniecka Góra - Końskie - Sielpia Wielka - Maleniec - Marcinków – Żarnów
Colour: blue

Dalejów Reserve - established in 1978, takes up an area of 88 hectares including the protection of multi-species tree stands  (mainly fir and larch) of a natural forest is very typical of Świętokrzyskie Forests. Some of  trees reached an age of more than 180 years.

photo A. Drzewiecka

Bliżyn – worth to see is the church of Saint Ludwik  - stony three- nave basilica in Gothic Revival architecture style. Not far from here, the small larch church of Saint Zofia was erected. Moreover, Plater’s Palace named “Little Castle” is perceived as a historical building.

Niekłań - The Skałki Piekło (Hell Rocks) pod Niekłaniem inanimate nature reserve is another example proving that the region abounds in names containing such word as hell or devil. Located in the Stęporków commune, the reserve was established in 1959 to protect curious sandstone formations caused by wind erosion. Scattered over a line one-kilometer-long, they resemble  mushrooms, ledges, chimneys, pulpits, and the like. Their height reaches 8 meter sin places. The rock formations are found close to the blue hiking tourist trail (Kuźniaki – Sielpia – Końskie – Pogorzałe) or to the black one  leading from Wólka Plebańska (7 km).

Stąporków – the name of the town derived from Stąpór – the owner, or special machines used to crumble the ore. Stąporków has become the capital of industrial complex at Czarna Konecka where the nail industry developed. The complex was destroyed during the Second World War. After renovation, the complex plant functioned until 50thies of 20. century. In the 70thies the local plant employed much more people than lived in the town. Stąporków has not historical monuments, instead of modern church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary.

Czarna – in this village the Sanctuary of Holy Virgin Mary the Tutor is situated. According to the stories, Mary was appeared to the steel workers. Thanks to Izabela Małachowska’s effort, the church was built on this place. As a result of pilgrims movement, the new and bigger church was erected. The painting placed in the altar is perceived as one of the most beautiful portraits of the Holy Virgin Mary.

Czarniecka Góra – the village is famous for Świetokrzyskie Rehabilitation Center originated from 1891 when doctor Michał Misiewicz appreciated values of the neighborhood and bought just over ten hectares wood.  In the early 20. century Czarniecka Góra acquired a spa status. “Stefan” pond enjoyed the most popularity among the visitors.

Końskie – miedieval town, extended during the 17th and 18th century by Małachowscy Family. One should notice Palace and Park Complex. It was raised in the 1740s for Jan Małachowski, who planned to erect a huge residence with two adjacent wings. The wings were built , but the main building was never started. The wings were reshaped in the 19th century. Today the main attraction of the complex is its park with a neoclassical glorietta, Greek temple, Egyptian orangery, and a garden arbor. In its southern part there is a neo-Gothic   Domek Wnuczętów (Grandkids" House), two round towers an a little chapel. Worth to see is church of Saints Mikołaj and Wojciech. The collegiate church in Końskie was erected in the years 1492-1520. It was remodelled in the early 20th century, when a new tower was built and the western part of the nave as well as the roof-top were added. The late-Renaissance tombstone of Hieronim Koniecki from 1564 was placed on the church wall. Its bas-relief features a  resting knight. There is a sundial (early 17th c.) in the presbytery and a late-Romanesque tympanum decorates its southern entrance.

Sielpia - situated on the Czarna Konecka River, near a lake of about 150 acres, is the biggest holiday resort in the Świętokrzyski Region. In the 19th century, however, the place was well known for the fact that one of the biggest industrial plants of Zagłębie Staropolskie operated there. Nowadays, the old buildings of the rolling mill and the puddling mill (a plant converting pig iron into malleable steel) house the Museum of Zagłębie Staropolskie. The most valuable exhibits include a huge, metal drive wheel of 8m diameter and some unique

photo M. Maciążek

machines and equipment such as lathes, planning machines, presses or one hundred and fifty-year-old machine tools. Also, a water intake (dykes, sluices, and channels), production halls, wood dryers, a gate-house and an old settlement have remained there.

Maleniec - 24 kilometres west of Końskie, in Maleniec, on the Czarna River, there is an over two hundred year-old complex of rolling mills and nail plants. This historical stock of machinery, set in the natural countryside landscape, dates back to 1836. At that time it included some rolling mills and 11 small and 4 big nailing machines for the production of nails cut from steel sheets. Due to the modernisation which took place at the end of the 19th century, the plant was equipped with other machines for procuction of spades and shovels. The most interesting items, perfectly preserved up to the present, are: the production cycle of rolling steel sheets and manufacturing household tools, the houses of the rolling mill, the nail plant and the spade manufacture plant dating back from 1839 as well as some unique machines. A special technological and tourist festival – Kuźnice Koneckie, where one can see all the historical machines and equipment running, is held there every July.

More information: www.sejmik.kielce.pl