In the Rospuda Valley

Voivodeship

Podlaskie

Kingdom

Suwałki Region and Augustów Forest

Start:

Augustów, Market Square

End:

Augustów, Market Square

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The Rospuda Valley is an excellent place to learn more about the nature and culture of the region. In the Holy Place, there is a shrine and a few wooden and stone crosses. One of them was placed by the Yotvingians after they had been baptised in the 13^th century. The former excellence of the region is reflected by the remains of the Pac Palace in Dowspuda. The wetland Rospuda Valley is a paradise for beavers and storks. You can meet a beaver when you ride off the trail towards the river, and storks can be seen in successive villages situated on the trail. The trail starts in the centre of Augustów near the Column of Sigismund II Augustus – the founder of the town. It runs farther through ul. Mostowa and then it turns left towards the parish cemetery. It is worth stopping here to see the wooden tomb chapel of the Truszkowski family and the oldest tombstones, particularly made of cast iron, from Huta Sztabińska. Past the cemetery, the trail turns onto a hiking & cycling path, passes the monument in memory of the Jews living in Augustów before World War I and then runs beside the first water ski lift established in Poland and the former Tourist House on Biała Góra (White Mountain) designed by Maciej Nowicki. Then the trail crosses the Klonownica – the shortest navigable river in Poland, turns left and runs on the green cycling trail through the Szczebra village to the Święte Miejsce (Holy Place) Nature Reserve. Its history dates back to pagan times. Today it contains a chapel with an information board about the history of this place and a few wooden and stone crosses. One of them was made in the 13^th century; it commemorates the baptism of the Yotvingians. The next place on the trail is Dowspuda, where it is worth seeing the remains of the only magnate mansion in this area – the palace & park complex of Ludwik Michał Pac built at the beginning of the 19^th century. The arcade portico of the façade, the corner tower (called the stork’s tower) and the landscape park have survived here till today. Near the entrance gate, there is the recently renovated building of the former guardhouse. From Dowspuda the trail leads farther through forest paths through Jaśki and Topiłówka to the Mazurki village. Here it connects with the national road towards Augustów. On the city premises, there is a historic shrine at the intersection of Rajgrodzka and Zygmuntowska streets. Legend has it that Jesus Christ carrying the cross appeared there on a large stone many years ago. The last section of the trail runs on ul. Zygmuntowska to the Zygmunta Augusta Market Square.

Trail option (51.8 km):

You can prolong the trail and ride from Dowspuda to Raczki to visit the 16^th-century town with the historic market square.

Course of the trail:

Augustów – 0 km
Szczebra – 9 km
Święte Miejsce (Holy Place) Nature Reserve – 17 km
Dowspuda – 5 km
Jaśki – 29 km
Topiłówka – 36 km
Augustów-Ślepsk – 43 km
Augustów – 8 km

Surface and marking of the trail:

The trail is partly marked. Unsurfaced roads account for 75% of the length of the trail; the remaining sections include asphalt roads and cycling paths. The trail is partly marked. From Klonownica to Szczebra, it runs along the green cycling trail and the blue hiking trail, with which it overlaps almost along the entire section to the Święte Miejsce (Holy Place) Nature Reserve. In the farther part, the red cycling trail leads to Dowspuda and Jaśki.

Attractions on the trail: