Green Velo

The blue bike trail around Raków is one of the routes marked out around this locality. It is 30 kilometres long and runs from this town, with interesting monuments and history, around the Chańcza artificial lake and through the Łagownica valley forests. Raków and its surroundings are located in the sparsely populated and heavily forested, southern part of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. This area is protected as the Cisowsko-Orłowiński Landscape Park. The trail runs mainly along side asphalt roads and through forests. The area is strongly undulating, so the trail runs through numerous ascents and descents. A lot of forest roads with hard to cycle pavement and terrain profile make mountain bikes highly recommended. The cyclist also has to be in good shape.

The general route of the trail is as follows: Raków, centre (0.0 km) - Pułaczów, old mill (6.2 km) - Niedźwiedź (8.7 km) - Arkuszów (10.4 km) - Rakówka (12.5 km) - Mocha (16.4 km) - Chańcza (18.7 km) - Korytnica (21.6 km) - Raków (30.6 km).

The trail starts at the market square in Raków. This is one of the most interesting places in the Świętokrzyskie Province. From the beginning of its existence, the city was associated with Arianism, i.e. a doctrine created in the 16^th century and existing until the end of 17^th century, believed in by a radical faction of Calvinists, also called "the Polish Brethren". An Arian church functioned here, and its building has survived to date. There was also an Arian printing house, and in 1602-1638 the famous Rakowska Academy was in the town. Currently, in addition to the church, it is worth seeing a late-Baroque Holy Trinity parish church in Raków.

One of the rest areas of the Green Velo trail is at the market square. This route runs through Raków and runs along the blue route to the east, to the village of Niedźwiedź. At the recently renovated market square, you can see an old well and a fountain with sculptures of crustaceans referring to the name of the city.

The trail runs to the east; in its first part please follow the signs of the Green Velo trail. Behind the Raków ring road the trail goes deeply into the forest. In the village of Jamno, the Green Velo route turns south, and the blue trail runs along a forest road into the Łagownica valley, where an old wooden watermill can be seen in the hamlet of Pułacz. From here the trail loops through the fields, in the village of Niedźwiedź again encountering the Green Velo signposting. After a few kilometres the trail turns south to the village of Chańcza.

The village gave its name to the nearby artificial lake, the Chańcza Artificial Lake. This name should not be confused with the Hańcza Lake in the Suwałki region, also lying on a Green Velo trail. The Chańcza Artificial Lake is the largest water reservoir in the entire Świętokrzyskie Province, with an area of ​​340 hectares, and is the perfect base for water sports and recreation.

The route runs through the Chańcza holiday resort, bypasses the crown of the artificial lake and runs through the locality of Korytnica, to bring the cyclist back to Raków on the western shore of the artificial lake.

Points of interest along the trail:

1. Raków - Arian monuments, market
2. Chańcza artificial lake
3. Forests of the Cisowsko-Orłowiński Landscape Park

The trail runs only on roads without road traffic or on local roads with a low and very low volume of road traffic; no dangerous intersections. Not all fragments of the trail are suitable for bicycles with panniers/bike trailers.

Starting point:

Raków, centre

Finishing point:

Raków, centre