Green Velo

The trip among the Vistula landscapes will allow you to discover the most beautiful historical places on both banks of the Queen of Polish Rivers. You will learn more about Sandomierz – a city with 120 historic objects, the history of the Tarnowski family hidden in the architecture of the Dzików Palace, monumental castle interiors in Baranów Sandomierski and the turbulent history of the Cistercian abbey in Koprzywnica. If you like water sports and sunbathing, you will certainly appreciate the excellent condition of the Tarnobrzeg Lake and the reservoir in Koprzywnica.
The journey starts as described in the trip “Sandomierz and Tarnobrzeg – Pearls on the Both Sides of the Vistula River.” In Tarnobrzeg, after visiting the Dzików Castle, follow the marks of the green cycling trail. The trail turns right near the stadium, and you ride straight. On the other side of the crossroads past the bus station, you will come across a cycling path along the national road no. 871, which will lead you to Lake Tarnobrzeg. The water reservoir was formed as a result of the rehabilitation of the mining pit remaining after the open-pit sulphur mine in Tarnobrzeg. Today it serves as a favourite place to rest for inhabitants and tourists. The water table area exceeds 450 ha. You can plan a longer stay here – a guarded bathing beach, a water sports rental point and small catering outlets are open here during the season. The cycling path ends on the level of buildings of the Tarnobrzeg Economic Zone. To avoid car traffic, turn left and move along industrial areas. After crossing the road no. 9 (watch out for traffic!), you will come across the marks of the green hiking trail again; they will guide you to the premises of a castle & park complex in Baranów Sandomierski. Called “little Wawel,” this imposing 16^th-century mansion is a real paradise for tourists – a museum, a hotel, a restaurant and a golf course are available here. The green trail will lead you to the road no. 872. Past the ferry crossing, ride along the national road no. 9; in Świniary, turn right; in Gągolin, turn left beside the shrine and then go across the national road no. 9 and railway tracks. Through Przewłoka and Krzcin, you will reach Koprzywnica. The dominant part of the local view is the shape of the former 12^th-century Cistercian abbey crowned with a characteristic ave-bell shaped like a reversed cup. After a short rest at the Koprzywnica reservoir, follow the marks of the green cycling trail that will lead you through Skotniki to Ostrołęka. Here you will come across the Green Velo Trail, which will lead you to the Sandomierz castle.

Course of the trail:

• Sandomierz – at the castle – 0 km
• Wielowieś – 5 km
• Sielec – 5 km
• Zakrzów – 14 km
• Tarnobrzeg – 18 km
• Lake Tarnobrzeg – 5 km
• Nagnajów – 28 km
• Baranów Sandomierski – 5 km
• Ferry crossing – 37 km
• Otoka – 5 km
• Świniary – 5 km
• Bogoria – 5 km
• Krzcin – 50 km
• Koprzywnica – 5 km
• Skotniki – 60 km
• Bogoria Skotnicka – 62 km
• Ostrołęka – 65 km
• Koćmierzów – 69 km
• Sandomierz – 1 km

Trip options:

It is possible to ride from Tarnobrzeg to Lake Tarnobrzeg along the marks of the green hiking trail (instead of the cycling path). The trail leads through embankments along the Vistula, but you must remember that the trail is not fully adapted to bicycle traffic.

Marking and infrastructure:

Marking:

The trip is a prolongation of the trip “Sandomierz and Tarnobrzeg – Pearls on the Both Sides of the Vistula River.” Riding towards Tarnobrzeg, follow the marks described in this trip.  You can also start your trip from Tarnobrzeg; along the provincial road no. 871, a comfortable asphalt cycling path leads from the city to Lake Tarnobrzeg. The green hiking trail marked according to the PTTK trail marking instruction leads from Lake Tarnobrzeg (Machów Reservoir) to Baranów Sandomierski. A fragment of the trail from Baranów Sandomierski to Koprzywnica runs through unmarked roads. In Koprzywnica, you will come across the marks of the green cycling trail that will lead you back to Skotniki. Then the trail runs as described in the trip “Sandomierz and Tarnobrzeg – Pearls on the Both Sides of Vistula River.”

Infrastructure:

• Near the start and end point of the trip, beside the approach to the Marshal Piłsudski Boulevard in Sandomierz, you can rest in the Cyclists Resting Place. If you would like to visit the Historical Museum of the City of Tarnobrzeg, you can park your bike in one of the stands in front of the Castle.
• Bike stands and a recreation shed are also situated on Lake Tarnobrzeg.
• Another good place to rest is the recreational reservoir in Koprzywnica with a rich recreational infrastructure: a beach, a pier, a viewing tower, and a playground.
• Less experienced cyclists who want to complete this trail within two days can find accommodation, e.g., in Baranów Sandomierski, Tarnobrzeg and Sandomierz.

Surface:

84.6% of the trail runs on an asphalt surface. A gravel road section (1.7 km) followed by an unsurfaced road section (around 2.1 km) occurs along the green hiking trail past Wielowieś. You will also ride an unsurfaced road past Zakrzów (around 1.6 km). In the Tarnobrzeg park in the Dzików district, you will come across a few dozen metres of a cobblestone road and an unsurfaced road. The trail includes a concrete surface (a total of 1 km) on a small section near the ferry crossing across the Vistula and in front of the railway crossing past the national road no. 9.

List of attractions on the trail:

• Old Town in Sandomierz (Tourist Information Centre, ul. Rynek 20, 27-600 Sandomierz, phone 15 644 61 05, informacja@sandomierz.travel, sandomierz.travel)
• Monastery of the Dominican Nuns in Tarnobrzeg-Wielowieś (ul. K. Białeckiej 1, 15 822 05 19, dominikanki.wielowies@gmail.com, dominikanki.pl)
• Church of Gertrude and St. Michael the Archangel in Tarnobrzeg (ul. Piętaka 46, 39-400 Tarnobrzeg, phone 720 330 330, www.parafiawielowies.pl)
• Natura 2000 Tarnobrzeg Valley of the Vistula Area
• Museum of Polish Sulphur Industry – Division of the Historical Museum of the City of Tarnobrzeg (ul. Stanisława Pawłowskiego 14, 39-400 Tarnobrzeg, phone 15 823 79 99, mhmt.pl)
• Historical Museum of the City of Tarnobrzeg – Castle in Dzików (ul. Sandomierska 27, 39-400 Tarnobrzeg, phone 15 823 32 32, mhmt.pl)
• Monastery of the Dominican Fathers in Tarnobrzeg (ul. Kościuszki 2, 39-400 Tarnobrzeg, phone 15 823 42 53, tarnobrzeg.dominikanie.pl)
• Lake Tarnobrzeg
• Castle & park complex in Baranów Sandomierski (ul. Zamkowa 22, 39-450 Baranów Sandomierski, phone 15 811 80 40 int. 421, muzeum@baranow.com.pl, baranow.com.pl)
• Ferry crossing on the Vistula
• Former Cistercian complex in Koprzywnica (ul. Krakowska 78, 27-660 Koprzywnica, phone 15 847 62 02, cystersi-koprzywnica.pl)
• Recreational reservoir in Koprzywnica
• Skotniki: Church of John the Baptist in Skotniki (Skotniki Sandomierskie 49, 27-650 Samborzec, phone 15 831 43 05)
• Historic manor house in Skotniki Sandomierskie