Green Velo

Succumb to the charm of the Sandomierz Land – start your adventure in the historic village of Klimontów and then, among fertile fields and thick forests, move to the Połaniec Basin area, where the glacier has left a few dozen clean lakes surrounded by the unique fauna and flora. Find out why Wiśniowa is called a “village with a heart,” and then take a rest in the Golden Forest Hermitage, where, listening to the silence of nature, you will find peace and relaxation far from the hustle and bustle of the civilisation. You will begin your adventure in the parking area in front of the Collegiate Church of St. Joseph in Klimontów. Look at the imposing shape of the 17th-century Baroque building founded by the governor of Sandomierz Jerzy Ossoliński. Ride towards the market square; before you enter ul. Osiecka that will lead you out of the town, have a look at a 19^th-century synagogue on the left. Following the marks of the St. James Małopolska Trail, you pass the bridge on the Koprzywianka river. You can rest on the bathing beach in Szymanowice, because you have a long way to go among the hills and fields to Rybnica; from there, you ride a charming road stretching out among forests in Natura 2000 Ostoja Żyznów Areas. Riding from Smerdyna to Łukawica, take a look at elevations appearing on the right – these are sandstone and limestone quarries. During World War II, Soviet troops concentrated near Łukawica – the traces of stationing troops, i.e., sites of trenches and tank positions, can be found here even today. It is worth noting the monument to the fallen during the war. From Łukawica, follow the marks to Wiśniowa. Your attention will focus on the 18^th-century palace of the Kołłątaj family and the 17^th-century Church of the Transfiguration, where Hugo Kołłątaj’s heart is kept in the vault. Leaving Wiśniowa, you will enter the charming forest areas that will bring you closer to the Golejów lakes. Beside the national road, stop by the monument devoted to the inhabitants and guerrillas operating in the Staszów Land during World War II. Riding through the forest, you enter the Natura 2000 Kras Staszowski Area and then the Golejów Forests – here you can find over 50 postglacial lakes surrounded by the unique fauna and flora within a small area. Beside the lakes, you will ride onto the marks of the green hiking trail that will lead you to Rytwiany. In the park, there are ruins of a Gothic fortified castle. You will also pass by alcohol and brick factories from the turn of the 20^th century. Riding beside the monument to the January Uprising insurgents, you will finish your trip beside the Golden Forest Hermitage – an ideal place to rest.

Course of the trail:

• Klimontów – 0 km
• Szymanowice Reservoir parking area – 3 km
• Rybnica – 8 km
• Smerdyna – 15 km
• Łukawica – 18 km
• Wiśniowa – 22 km
• Golejów Reservoir – 31 km
• Rytwiany – 35 km
• Hermitage – 2 km

Marking and infrastructure:

Marking:

• The linear trail that can be entered directly from the Green Velo Cycling Trail and the Cyclists’ Resting Place in Klimontów.
• 60% of the trail overlaps with the marking of the James Małopolska Road running on the Klimontów – Wiśniowa section on a length of 23 km. The marking consists of blue marks with a yellow seashell, direction arrows in yellow and information boards.
• Wiśniowa – Golejów Lakes: the trail is not marked on a section of 8 km.
• In the Golejów Lakes – Golden Forest Hermitage section (2 km), the trail is marked sufficiently according to the marking standard for PTTK tourist trails – direction marks are painted on trees and in visible spots: the hiking trail is green, and the cycling trail is yellow.

Infrastructure:

• Cyclists’ Resting Place on the Green Velo Trail in Klimontów.
• The bathing beach with a parking area and benches in Szymanowice.
• The forester’s house in Smerdyn.
• The Strzelcówka ranger’s house behind Wiśniowa.
• The infrastructure in areas adjacent to the Golejów Lakes: the accommodation and catering base and sports infrastructure.
• The parking area beside the Golden Forest Hermitage in Rytwiany.

Surface:

• Asphalt roads – 70%, unsurfaced roads – 26%, gravel roads – 4%.
• The most part of the road is covered with asphalt and leads on trails with minimum car traffic.
• Unsurfaced and gravel roads prevail in forest areas – after 7 km on a 4 km section and after 26 km also on a 4 km section to the passage across the provincial road no. 765.
• Passages across provincial roads: The 1^st passage across the road no. 765 in front of the Golejów Lakes, the 2^nd passage across the road no. 764 in the area of Rytwiany.
• There are two railway crossings in the area of Rytwiany on the trail.
• Height differences from Rybnica in forest areas.

List of attractions on the trail:

• Tourist Information Point in Klimontów, ul. Krakowska 19, 27-640 Klimontów, phone 15 865 53 90, e-mail: gbp.klimontow@interia.pl, klimontow.pl
• Collegiate Church of Joseph, ul. Krakowska 4, 27-640 Klimontów, phone 15 866 15 38, e-mail: parafia@parafia.klimontow.pl, www.parafia.klimontow.pl
• Church of Hyacinth and the former Dominican monastery, the extension of ul. Brunona Jasieńskiego.

Tourist Information Point in Staszów, ul. Parkowa 6, 28-303 Staszów, phone 508 497 133. e-mail: informacja@staszow.travel, www.staszow.travel

Tourist Information Point in Rytwiany at the Golden Forest Hermitage, ul. Klasztorna 25, 28-236 Rytwiany, phone +48 15 864 77 95, e-mail: infturystyczna@pustelnia.com.pl, www.pustelnia.com.pl