Green Velo

The trail is signposted in red, running from Górowo Iławeckie to the Górowo Hills and almost to the very border with Russia. It is quite a difficult trail, due to the hills and route pavement, a little over 30 km long. Good signposting, nice views, numerous monuments and natural attractions make it an interesting route for more experienced cyclists. Due to the proximity of the border, you should expect a meeting with border guards and you should carry your identity card on you.

The general course of the trail is as follows: Górowo Iławeckie (0.0 km) - Worławki (3.7 km) - Kandyty (10.2 km) - Dzikowo Iławeckie (14.0 km) - Góra Zamkowa (16.0 km) - the Jezioro Martwe Reserve (20.5 km) – Dęby (27.8 km) - Górowo Iławeckie (32.6 km).

The trail starts and ends in the town of Górowo Iławeckie. This town, having a long history and numerous monuments, was founded in the 14^th century by the Teutonic Knights after the extermination of the Nattangians - the original population settled in these lands. After World War II, as a result of “Operation Vistula”, the Ukrainian population was moved to Górowo Iławieckie and the surrounding area. This had decisive impact on today's character of the city. The former Protestant church, built in the 14^th century, now plays the role of a Greek Catholic church. The richly decorated interior of this Gothic temple is noteworthy. Another valuable monument is the town hall, erected in the middle of the market square. The urban layout of Górowo, typical of small, Medieval towns, has perfectly survived. There are two interesting museums here; the City Museum and the unique Gas Engineering Museum, housed in the surviving complex of the historic municipal gasworks.

The first section of the trail runs along asphalt roads through farmlands and meadows to the village of Kandyty, located at the foot of the highest part of the Górowo Hills. In the past, the village belonged to the extensive estates of the Prussian noble family von Schwerin, having their ancestral seat in the palace in the nearby village of Dzików Iławecki. The local church from the second half of 16th century is worth seeing. Built as an Evangelical temple, it was destroyed in 1945, and then rebuilt by the Catholics in the 1980s. In the village of Kandyty the route meets the Green Velo trail, and further they jointly run through the village.

The red route continues further north, near the highest point of the Górowo Hills – Góra Zamkowa (Castle Hill), rising to 216 m above sea level. At its foot there are springs of the Wałsza river. There are stairs on this hill covered with deciduous forest, and on the steep slopes one can find traces of ancient buildings, including an astronomical observatory. At the foot of Castle Hill, there is an ecological site managed by the Dzikowo Iławeckie Forest District and a nature trail. Right next to the village of Pareżki, the so called Mysterious Mountain rises 210 m above sea level. In the Mysterious Mountain numerous horizontal adits are said to have been hollowed out. This is one of the potential hiding places of the famous Amber Room back in 1945.

The trail from Castle Hill runs along dirt roads still through the forests northwards, close to the border with Russia. The "Jezioro Martwe" Reserve is here, protecting a dystrophic, forest lake and numerous species of protected plants, including the cloudberry, which is very rare in Poland. The rest of the route runs on very poor roads through wild forests, approaching the border for less than 500 meters.

Then the route turns back to the south and after a few kilometres it returns to more open areas. The nearby Kamińsk is a place where before the Second World War military barracks and the extensive testing grounds of the German Wehrmacht were located. During the war, in the neighbouring village of Stabławki, the largest military prisoner-of-war camp in East Prussia, called Stalag IA Stablack, was established, in which, among others, the Polish Westerplatte defence commanders were detained. Currently, it is a prison. The asphalt road runs back to the locality of Górowo Iławeckie.

Points of interest along the trail:

1. Górowo Iławeckie - Gas Engineering Museum, religious monuments, an old railway station
2. Kandyty - church
3. Góra Zamkowa (Castle Hill), Jezioro Martwe - nature trails, nature reserves
4. Views of the Górowo Hills
5. Dzikowo - a former palace

The entire trail is suitable for bicycles with panniers/bike trailers. The trail uses solely roads with no motor vehicle traffic allowed, or local roads with a low and very low vehicle traffic; no dangerous intersections. A trail for lovers of mountain biking and off-road cycling.

Starting point:

Górowo Iławeckie, corner of Słowackiego and Wyszyński streets

Finishing point:

Górowo Iławeckie, the corner of Bema and Podleśna streets