Marking
Slope
Highest point
Lowest point
Sum of driveways
Sum of downhill
High slope sectionsThe bike trail around Zagnańsk is one of two bike trails marked out in this Municipality. It is signposted in red, and is less than 13 kilometres long. It starts and ends in the village of Zagnańsk, running past two of the three major points of interest in the area; the Bartek oak tree and the quarry in Zachełmie, in which fossilized traces of tetrapods, the first land animals, have been discovered. The trail is quite chaotically signposted and quite hilly, but it is picturesque, interesting and runs on good roads, making it suitable for a recreational trip.
The general route of the trail: Zagnańsk, municipal offices (0.0 km) - Bartek historic oak tree (1.3 km) - Jasiów (2.3 km) - Goleniawy (3.5 km) - Zagnańsk train station (7.9 km) - Zachełmie quarry (9.1 km) - Zachełmie (10.1 km) - Zagnańsk, municipal offices (12.5 km).
The trail starts in the centre of Zagnańsk. This village was founded in the Middle Ages by the Cracow bishops. Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has become an important centre of the wood industry, due to the availability of wood from the vast Jodłowa Forest. The village has a Baroque church and a lot of old wooden houses.
However, the major tourist attraction is the Bartek, a historic oak tree, also found in Zagnańsk’s coat of arms. The trail runs in the direction of the Bartek oak tree, on a fairly busy provincial road. It is probably the best known tree in Poland; it is over 650 years old and its trunk circumference is almost 10 meters. The oak has been sick for years; its branches are supported by special pillars.
From here the trail runs a bit further towards the village of Samsonowo, however, it soon turns south. It is worthwhile to extend the trip to see the monumental ruins of the "Józef" steelworks. This large plant was built and destroyed in the 19th century and was one of the largest factories of the Kingdom of Poland, existing on the site of works which had been smelting iron since the Middle Ages. The ruins of a blast furnace, foundry and coal plant, as well as better-preserved houses of workers, have survived to our times. It is also worth seeing a stone signpost dating back to the 17th century and two places of remembrance connected with the history of World War II.
From the village of Samsonowo, you can cycle back to the village of Goleniawy on an asphalt road, which runs along the route, crossing the railway line. It runs to the east, passing the railway station Zagnańsk, and then runs to the foothills of Mount Chełmowa.
On this site there is a nature reserve, protecting the former dolomite quarry. The local sedimentary rocks are 300 to 400 million years old. It was on this site where a sensational archaeological discovery took place that provided evidence to shift back the date of marine animals making it to land by millions of years. The rocks found in the quarry bear traces of tetrapods, the first primitive, terrestrial animals moving on four legs, turned to stone. Thus, the local quarry became a world-famous geological attraction, and the image of the tetrapod can be seen on the information boards set in a quarry.
The trail from the quarry leads north to the edge of Jodłowa Forest to return to the centre of Zagnańsk, thus closing the loop.
Points of interest along the trail:
- Zagnańsk - old wooden houses
- Bartków – Bartek historic oak tree
- Zachełmie - a quarry, a church
The entire trail is suitable for bicycles with panniers/bike trailers. The trail runs only on roads without road traffic or on local roads with a low and very low volume of traffic; no dangerous intersections. A recreational trail. Trail with outstanding natural beauty.
Starting point:
Zagnańsk, the Municipality office
Finishing point:
Zagnańsk, the Municipality office
