Green Velo

The red bike trail around the town of Końskie is a 42.5 km bike trail in the form of a loop around the city. It runs through several interesting localities such as Sielpia Wielka, Stara Kuźnica, Modliszewice and Stary Kazanów, where you can see interesting and diverse monuments. More than half of the route runs through vast forests, surrounding the town of Końskie from the south and west. The trail is devoid of major ascents and descents, running mainly on asphalt roads and good dirt roads; it is suitable for recreational cycling.

The general route of the trail: Sielpia Wielka (0.0 km) – Piekło (5.0 km) - Piła (13.8 km) - Stara Kuźnica (19.1 km) - Młynek Nieświński (23.3 km) - Barycz (26.6 km) - Modliszewice (32.0 km) - Sielpia Wielka (42.5 km).

The route starts and ends in the locality of Sielpia Wielka. It is the largest holiday resort in the Świętokrzyskie Province, located in the middle of vast pine forests on the Czarna River. The amenities include a 60-hectare artificial lake with a sandy beach, numerous tourist centres, water equipment rentals and many hiking and bike trails. In the 19^th century, one of the largest industrial plants in the Old Polish Industrial Region was operated here. Currently, it houses a museum of metallurgical technology, the Museum of the Old Polish Industrial Region. To this day, a huge metal drive wheel with a diameter of 8 metres and many unique machines and devices used for iron smelting and processing have been preserved. Sielpia is a local hub of tourist and bike trails, an excellent starting point for local trips.

The trail from Sielpia runs to the east, through forests upstream along the Krasna River. It reaches ... Hell (the village of Piekło). This is the name of this place hidden among the forests. In the neighbourhood, less than 2 kilometres away (but not on the trail) lies the village of ... Heaven (Niebo). But the route continues into the forests, seven kilometres perfectly straight on to national road no. 42, where it turns to the town of Końskie. After just over a kilometre, it reaches the village of Piła, where it goes deeply into the Końskie forests again.

It reaches Stara Kuźnica, another village hidden in the forests, where an extraordinary technical monument has been preserved, an old water-powered blacksmith’s shop dating back to the 19^th century. Adam Niewęgłowski, a blacksmith who worked at this blacksmith’s shop, saved the lives of many Jews, members of the Polish resistance movement, and escaped Soviet prisoners of war. The forge can be visited, and during WWII it was a hiding place of one of the most heroic members of the Polish resistance movement during the occupation, Dr. Jacek Wilczur. Next to the blacksmith’s shop, there is a small artificial lake used for recreational purposes.

The trail turns, circling the town Końskie from the north, but does not enter the town. It runs westwards through suburban villages, reaching the village of Modliszewice. Here there is another interesting sight. These are the ruins of a defensive manor house dating back to the end of the 16^th century, located on an island surrounded by a beautiful park. This was the seat of the noble Modliszewski family, designed by the Italian architect Gucci.

From the village of Modliszewice the trail runs south, in this part going through farmlands and meadows. It reaches the village of Stary Kazanów, which existed already in the Middle Ages. At the southern end of the village there is an elevation that hides the ruins of the palace, built by the Kazanowski family in the 16^th century. It was surrounded by a moat and had a defensive nature. The route from this place continues through the fields, heading for the starting point of the trip in Sielpia.

Points of interest along the trail:

1. Sielpia Wielka - Museum of the Old Polish Industrial Region, artificial lake
2. The Końskie Woods
3. Stara Kuźnica – water-powered blacksmith’s shop (historical)
4. Modliszewice - ruins of a defensive manor house
5. Stary Kazanów - remains of a castle

Not all fragments of the trail are suitable for bicycles with panniers/bike trailers. The trail runs in full or in part on roads where traffic intensity is medium. There is at least one dangerous intersection (without cycle crossings or traffic lights); probably not recommended for families with children.

Starting point:

Sielpia Wielka (access road to the promenade along the beach on shore of the lake)

Finishing point:

Sielpia Wielka (access road to the promenade along the beach on shore of the lake)