Green Velo

This town situated at the confluence of the Tanew and the San is famous for its timber rafting tradition. There was once a river harbour here, where goods were loaded onto ships sailing down the Vistula River, which is why Ulanów was called “the little Gdańsk”.

In addition, there was a school for rafters and a boatbuilding yard. The principal, and quite dangerous, occupation was the flotation of wooden rafts. Ulanów raftsmen were floating with the timber right up to Gdańsk. A decline in profitability in rafting set in with the distribution of rail freight. The last recorded timber floating controlled by Ulanów raftsmen took place in the 1960s. You can still see rafts, which are run down the Tanew and the San by the members of the St Barbara Brotherhood of Raftsmen. In 2009, Ulanów held the International Conference of Raftsmen. In 2014, the Brotherhood was added to the list of intangible cultural heritage. The organised rallies have a unique charm, and admiring the beauty of nature is accompanied by tasting of traditional rafting cuisine. In the city, there is the Church of the Holy Trinity, called the Raftsmen’s, which dates back to the 17th century and was founded by the Zamojski family.