Green Velo

The trip presents the unique multi-cultural aspect of the Bug River Valley areas of the Lubelszczyzna region. Terespol is where it starts – a border town situated on the Bug River. During the cycling trip you can see, among others the Orthodox church of St Apostle John the Theologian in Terespol, a fragment of the Brest (Brześć) Fortress fortifications and the Orthodox church of the Virgin Mary of Pokrów in Kobylany, a Tatar cemetery in Zastawek and the historic Orthodox church of St Nikita the Martyr in Kostomłoty, with the seat of the world’s only Neo-Unite parish of the Byzantine-Slavic rite.

While exploring the history of the Bug River Valley areas of Lubelszczyzna, you will find it hard to believe that so many cultures and denominations coexisted and in many cases still coexist, in such a small area. The place to start out on your a 39-kilometre cycling tour is Terespol. Leaving the city via a bike path heading west, you can reach Kobylany. Farther on, the route leads southward. In Kobylany, pass the Orthodox church and after a few kilometres you will reach Zastawek. The next and most important destination of the trip is Kostomłoty, and after leaving the village, head for Terespol along the Green Velo markers. On the way to Terespol, the route also passes through Dobratycze.

Route:

• Terespol (0 km)
• Kobylany (5 km)
• Zastawek (10 km)
• Kostomłoty (22 km)
• Dobratycze (31 km)
• Terespol (39 km)

Route options:
From Kostomłoty go in the direction of Michałki (loop no. 56 of the network of the Southern Podlasie Cycling Routes); there turn left and follow the regional Road No. 816. Then head towards Terespol, where the trip ends.

Surface:

• Asphalt roads: 87%
• Dirt roads: 13%

The route is partly marked:

• Terespol – Kobylany, Kostomłoty – Terespol: Green Velo
• Kobylany – near Zastawek, Kopytów – Kostomłoty:
• The network of the Southern Podlasie Cycling Routes

Tourist attractions on the route:

• Terespol – a border town located on the Bug River. Its most valuable monument is the 18th century Neoclassical Orthodox church of St Apostle John the Theologian. The city is dominated by a tower, visible from a long distance, of the 1863 parish Church of the Holy Trinity. Among the monuments documenting the history of the city is an 1825 iron obelisk, commemorating the completion of the route from Warszawa to Brześć.
• Kobylany – the local gunpowder tower is one of many buildings of the Brześć Fortress preserved near Terespol. The interior houses an interesting historical and military exhibition. In the vicinity there is a beautiful greenery and a swimming area. There is also the late-19th century Orthodox church of Our Lady of Pokrów.
• Zastawek – the mizar is a unique remnant of a Tatar settlement in the Lublin region. The old stone tombstones are decorated with inscriptions in Arabic, Polish and Russian.
• Kostomłoty – the seat of the world’s only Neo-Unite parish of the Byzantine-Slavic rite. The historic Orthodox church of St Nikita the Martyr is the Sanctuary of the Podlasie Uniates.
• Dobratycze – located here is an Orthodox church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and a historic cemetery with 19th century tombstones.