Approximate driving time with sightseeingA short route that doesn’t require a lot of physical effort. Departing from Święta Katarzyna, you will go first to Wilków Reservoir and then on to Ciekoty, where you can visit the “Szklany Dom” Centre for Education and Culture and the Stefan Żeromski Manor House. There is a bike path currently being built (as of 2021) that will make it possible to ride most of this route away from traffic.
Święta Katarzyna (0.0 km) → Wilków (3.1 km) → Wilków (6.4 km) → Ciekoty (10.0 km) → Wilków (12.6 km) → Święta Katarzyna (15.6 km)
- Lenght: 15.6 km
- Time: 1 hour (3-4 hours with sightseeing)
- Type: Touring, cross
- Elevation: 85 m
- 82% asphalt roads
- 18% roads covered with concrete paving blocks
- Easy route
- Marking on most of the route, red and green bike trails
Getting there and starting out
The trail starts in Święta Katarzyna. There is a large car park on the main street (ul. Kielecka), with a tourist information point and public toilets located nearby. If you turn right out of the car park, you will reach the Bernardine Convent after about 200 metres.
Technical description
From the car park in Święta Katarzyna, turn left onto ul. Żeromskiego. The Museum of Minerals and Fossils – “Secrets of Gemstones” Gallery is located at the intersection. Ride along ul. Żeromskiego and you’ll pass a ceramics studio that organises workshops and sells local handicraft products. After that, you’ll come to Wilków. Turn to the right, towards the reservoir and the shared pedestrian/bike path with block paving that runs around the shoreline. Once you have circled the reservoir, return to the intersection in Wilków and continue on the main road to Ciekoty, where you can visit the “Szklany Dom” Centre for Education and Culture and the Stefan Żeromski Manor House. There is a small lake nearby which you can walk around on a paved path. Return to Święta Katarzyna by retracing your steps.
Attractions along the way:
Bernardine Convent in Święta Katarzyna (photo on p. 15)
The convent’s history dates back to the 15th century when it was initially the site of a hermitage for an order of Benedictine monks from Święty Krzyż. The building has been remodelled many times throughout the centuries, although the Renaissance garth from 1633, surrounded by cloisters, has been preserved to this day.
Kielecka 2, Święta Katarzyna, tel. +48 41 311 22 19
Near the convent in Święta Katarzyna is the entrance to Świętokrzyski National Park, which is the starting point for the trail leading to the highest peak of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains – Łysica.
Museum of Minerals and Fossils – “Secrets of Gemstones” Gallery in Święta Katarzyna
The museum has five exhibition rooms containing more than a thousand specimens of minerals, precious stones and fossils that have been collected over the years as a result of the passion of the owners, Ewa and Dariusz Siemoński. There are pieces from all over the world here, including a 100 kg crystal conglomerate from Arkansas, as well as native specimens from the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. The museum has its own guides available, and also a gift shop where souvenirs can be purchased.
ul Kielecka 20, tel. +48 501 282 691, www.swkatarzyna-muzeum.pl
Wilków Reservoir
This reservoir stands out from the others in the region thanks to its attractive location close to Święta Katarzyna and the view it offers of Łysica. It has a shared pedestrian/bike path of just over 2 km running all around the shoreline. There is also a large sandy beach, a water sports equipment rental point, a playground and a shelter.
“Szklany Dom” Centre for Education and Culture and the Stefan Żeromski Manor House in Ciekoty (Cyclist-Friendly Place)
The Nobel Prize-nominated Polish novelist Stefan Żeromski spent his childhood and teenage years in Ciekoty. The exhibition devoted to his life and work, which was set up in the reconstructed manor house as the original one burned down in the early 20th century, features 19th century furniture and equipment, as well as a portrait gallery of members of the writer’s family and a collection of his works and associated publications. Outside is a bench with figures of different members of the Żeromski family. Nearby is the “Szklany Dom” (“Glass House”) Centre for Education and Culture, with an exhibition of contemporary art, tourist information and meeting rooms for educational programmes. There is an amphitheatre beside a small pond, which is also part of the centre.
Ciekoty 76, tel. +48 41 311 21 28, www.szklanydom.maslow.pl
