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MarkingThe bicycle trail around the locality of Zagnańsk is one of two bike trails marked out in this Municipality. It is signposted in blue, and is less than 14 kilometres long.
It starts and ends in the locality of Zagnańsk, leading to the ruins of the smelter in Samsonów and the edge of the Jodłowa Forest. The trail is suitable for a recreational trip; there are no large ascents or sections with difficult road pavement.
The general route of the trail is as follows: Zagnańsk, municipal offices (0.0 km) - Samsonów, ruins of the smelting plant (4.0 km) - Samsonów Piechotne (6.8 km) - Zagnańsk, train station (13.4 km) - Zagnańsk, municipal offices (13.7 km).
The trail starts in the centre of Zagnańsk. This village was founded in the Middle Ages by the Cracow bishops. Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has become an important centre of the wood industry, due to the availability of wood from the vast Jodłowa Forest. The village has a Baroque church and a lot of old wooden houses, and in nearby Zachełmie - a quarry where fossilized traces of primordial animals were found.
However, the largest tourist attraction is the Bartek oak tree, also found in Zagnańsk’s coat of arms. Probably the most well-known tree in Poland, it is over 650 years old and has a trunk circumference of nearly 10 metres. The oak has been sick for years; its branches are supported by special pillars. It is located about 1.5 kilometres from Zagnańsk in the direction of Samsonów.
The trail runs west, to the village of Bartków. From here, you can get to the Bartek oak tree through the Bartek Hill. Thanks to this, you can save a ride on a busy road, but you have to go back to the trail; the distance in both ways is two kilometres.
The next route runs to the village of Samsonów, the top of an unforested hill which offers you a panorama of the area. The monumental ruins of the Józef steelworks in the town is a must-see on your sightseeing list. This large plant was created and destroyed in the 19th century and was one of the largest factories of the Kingdom of Poland, existing on the site of works which had been smelting iron since the Middle Ages. The ruins of a blast furnace, foundry and coal plant, as well as better-preserved houses of workers, have survived to our times. It is also worth seeing a stone signpost dating back to the 17th century and two places of remembrance connected with the history of World War II.
From the village of Samsonów, the trail runs through the fields and hamlets to the edge of the Jodłowa Forest, going past the rural cemetery. From here the trail goes deeply into the backwoods of the Jodłowa Forest, which accompanies the cyclist until the end of the trail, returning to the village of Zagnańsk at the place next to the railway station. The forest stretches over a dozen or so kilometres northwards to the town of Skarżysko-Kamienna.
Points of interest along the trail:
- Samsonów - ruins of a metallurgical blast furnace
- Bartków - "Bartek" oak tree (1 km from the trail)
- The Jodłowa Forest
The entire trail is suitable for bicycles with panniers/bike trailers. The trail runs only on roads without road traffic or on local roads with a low and very low volume of traffic; no dangerous intersections. A recreational trail.
Starting point:
Zagnańsk, near the Municipality Office
Finishing point:
Zagnańsk, near the Municipality Office
