Green Velo

This tour is a very good option for cyclists who want to combine history learning with visiting quaint corners of the Lasy Janowskie forests. By taking this option, you can learn the war history of this area. There is an information board in Momoty Górne, which relates the story of Colonel Zieleniewski of the Polish Army. In the same village, you can also see an extraordinary temple.

The trip begins in Jarocin at the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows and St Antony. You go left from the car park, and upon reaching the intersection, you need to turn right. Nearby, there is a reservoir on the Gilówka River. Further on, the road leads through woods to a unique place: Momoty Górne. At the end of the village, you turn right onto a dirt road, which runs through the forest. Further destinations on this route are Deputaty and Majdan Gorczański. The route ends at the starting point.

Route:

• Jarocin - 0,0 km
• Bukowa - 7,0 km
• Momoty Górne -11,0 km
• Deputaty -17,5 km
• Maziarnia -20,5 km
• Majdan Górczański - 25,5 km
• Jarocin - 29,5 km

Route options:

In Momoty Górne, it is worthwhile somewhat lengthening the trip and riding to the village of Szklarnia to see the Biłgoraj horse refuge. From here, you are close to another place connected with the tragic history of the region: Porytowe Hill. World War II’s biggest partisan battle in Polish lands took place there.

Surface:

• Asphalt roads: approximately 85%
• Gravel roads and dirt roads: 15%

The route is partly marked:

• The itinerary coincides for a short stretch with the trail of the Niżański county and bike route Wyprawa do Leśnego Skarbca (Expedition to the Forest Treasury)
• The remainder is not marked

Tourist attractions on the route:

• Jarocin – the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows and St Anthony and the Father Martin Kędzier monument commemorating the martyrdom of the priest at the hands of the Nazis. Nearby is the charming reservoir built on the Gilówka River, attracting residents and tourists. An outdoor stage has been built here, along with gazebos and a wooden pier. The reservoir has become increasingly popular.
• Momoty Górne – a village earlier called Grójec or Gruje, founded in the 18th century in the entail of the Zamojski family.
• Zieleniewski Group – the surrounding area evokes the figure of Colonel Zieleniewski and his soldiers. In the nearby forests, they fought both the Wehrmacht and the Red Army. Due to its difficult location, the Zieleniewski Group was compelled to surrender. The captured officers were murdered at Katyń forests, and most of the soldiers were sent to Soviet labour camps in the USSR.
• Wooden church – this is bound up with a unique history. The temple was originally too small to accommodate all the believers, but the communist authorities would not allow its expansion. However, an exceptional pastor, Father Kazimierz Pińciurek, appeared, who decided that he would build a real church. Without permits, plans, funds and professionals, he set out to work, in ignorance of the art of construction. With great diligence and determination, he managed to put up an inconspicuous church, inside which there are ornaments, decorations and sculptures made by this extraordinary pastor.