Green Velo

Architecture inscribed into picturesque landscapes – in addition to the beauty of the Roztocze National Park, the Echo Ponds and Florianka, known for its Polish konik horses, the only breed of primitive horses in Poland, you can also see here the church “Na wyspie” (“on the island”), the chapel “Na wodzie” (“on the water”), the chapel “Pod dębem” (“under the oak”) and the historic mill.

This is an excellent excursion for lovers of gorgeous vistas and photography. If you wish to capture the attractiveness of wild nature and the numerous historical monuments built into it, you should definitely take this 33-kilometre trip. You should start out from the beautiful Zwierzyniec, a city not without reason called the pearl of Roztocze. The route starts at the border of the Roztocze National Park and the road leading towards Echo ponds. Head deeper into the park and in a short while, you will reach the series of artificial water reservoirs.

Riding along an asphalt road shoulder, separated from the road with posts, you can reach the wooden observation tower. Next, you will reach Florianka. It is worth noting that because of the Park rules, you cannot reach this location by car. The next town on the route – Górecko Kościelne – will provide numerous aesthetic experiences. Next, the trail turns back to Roztocze National Park, on the way passing by an old water mill from the 19th century and a roadside chapel in Majdan Kasztelański. A wooded asphalt road leads back to Zwierzyniec along railway tracks. Just a few more looks at Zwierzyniec and the pond with a Baroque church on the water, and the trip ends at the border of the park, at a historical brewery, where you can stay for a while.

Route:

• Zwierzyniec (0 km)
• Echo Ponds (1 km)
• Florianka (6 km)
• Górecko Kościelne (14 km)
• Majdan Kasztelański (19 km)
• Zwierzyniec (33 km)

Surface:

• Packed surface Green Velo cycling trail: almost 50%
• Asphalt: over 50%
• Józefów Roztoczański – Zwierzyniec: potholes in asphalt
• Unsealed roads: 2 km

Partially marked route

• Markings according to PTTK standards in various colours
• Half of the route: Green Velo
• Short section to Górecko Kościelne: green bike trail
• Zwierzyniec: red bike trail

Tourist attractions on the route:

• Zwierzyniec – a beautiful town, known as the “Pearl of Roztocze”. The wonderful historical monuments of the old Zamoyski Family Fee Tail Estate harmonise with the green surroundings of the Roztocze forests, protected by the Roztocze National Park.
• Echo Ponds – a complex of four artificial water reservoirs in the Roztocze National Park. At the largest pond, there is a sandy beach and a swimming area with clear shallow water. This is an ideal place to take a break and stay for a longer time, during which you can recharge with the positive energy for the further trip.
• Wooden observation platform – you can see a wonderful panorama of the ponds and the forest from here. It is worth taking an extra lens, since the ponds are a frequent feeding place for the Polish konik horses that live in the forest refuge.
• Florianka – during the November and January Uprisings, numerous units of insurgents operated in the village. Currently located here are the Forest House forestry museum and a horse farm of the Polish Konik horses of the Roztocze National Park.
• Górecko Kościelne – the beautiful summer resort village in the Solska Forest, famous for the St Stanislaus sanctuary. In addition to the larch-wood parish church from the 18th century, you will find here an alley of oak monuments with a wooden chapel of St Stanislaus (inside the chapel is the pine tree stump where the saint is said to have appeared once). Farther down, at the Szum stream, is a second chapel on stilts standing in the water, which is an excellent subject for photographs.