Green Velo

“Among forests near the Bug river, in the deep sunken land of Podlasie, between the former estates of Sapieha and Radziwiłł families, Kodeń, Sławatycze, Włodawa...” – a trip to the homeland of Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, one of the most famous Polish writers.  The trail starts in Sławatycze. For many centuries, the village was inhabited by a multireligious community of Catholics, members of the Orthodox Church, Jews and Protestants. In Sławatycze, there are two imposing temples situated opposite each other – the Orthodox Church of Our Lady’s Protection and the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary. On the local market square, you can see over three metres tall figures of local masqueraders with beards; according to the tradition, they parade on the village streets on the last three days of December. The first point of the trip is Hanna – a village located south of Sławatycze. It can be reached by bicycle on the road forming a part of the Green Velo Trail. According to legends, the village owes its name to Queen Anna Jagiellon, who spent the night there during one of her trips. In the centre of the village, there is a wooden church built as a Uniate church in the 1^st half of the 18^th century. The main attraction of the trail is Romanów. The writer Józef Ignacy Kraszewski spent his childhood in the local manor house owned by his grandparents. Today it is the seat of the museum devoted to the writer’s biography and literary output. The manor house is situated in a romantic park, where you can also see the mausoleum of Malski and Kraszewski families. From Romanów, through Wygnanka and Janówka, the trail leads to Krzywowólka. In the local forest, there is the Mucharyniec Nature Reserve – a mysterious circle occupying an area of 5 ha on which trees have not grown for centuries. According to local legends, it was the site of an Orthodox church that dropped off the face of the earth. The trip ends in Sławatycze, from where you can go kayaking on the Bug.

Trail option (43 km):

You can prolong the trail on the Hanna – Romanów section by heading south for Dołhobrody. There you must turn right to Zaświatycze and then head for Nowy Holeszów and Dańce.

Course of the trail:

• Sławatycze – 0 km
• Hanna – 6 km
• Romanów – 16 km
• Sławatycze – 34 km

Surface and marking of the trail:

Flat terrain, prevalence of asphalt roads (94% of the trail) of very low traffic intensity and the convenient distance, make it an ideal proposal for a family trip. At the beginning, the trail runs on a cycling path along the road no. 698 between Sławatycze and Hanna. On the last section, from the area of Krzywowólka to Sławatycze, the trail overlaps with a fragment of the network of Cycling Trails of Southern Podlasie. The remaining part runs beyond marked cycling trails. Unsurfaced roads account for 6% of the length of the trail.

List of attractions on the trail:

• Orthodox Parish of Our Lady’s Protection in Sławatycze
• Church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Sławatycze
• Market square in Sławatycze
• Church of Peter and St. Paul – the former Uniate church in Hanna
• Museum of Józef Ignacy Kraszewski in Romanów, Romanów 25, 21-518 Sosnówka, phone 83 379 30 14, e-mail: muzeum_kraszewskiego@op.pl, muzeumkraszewskiego.pl
• Mucharyniec Nature Reserve near Krzywowólka

Tourist and Cultural Information Centre, ul. Warszawska 11, 21-500 Biała Podlaska,  phone/fax 83 342 62 89, e-mail: citbialapodlaska@o2.pl, www.cit.bialapodlaska.pl