Green Velo

Spanning almost 60 km, this red bike trail leads through hilly terrain at the border between the Świętokrzyskie Mountains and Ponidzie. There are a number of interesting sights along the route, such as the synagogue in Chmielnik, the sanctuary in Piotrkowice, Leśne Zacisze Zoo and the church in Lisów, as well as the root cellars in Pierzchnica.

Chmielnik (0.0 km) → Suchowola (2.6 km) → Maleszowa (7.9 km) → Piotrkowice (12.6 km) → Lisów (19.2 km) → Zaborze (21.4 km) → Radomice I (25.6 km) → Radomice II (27.4 km) → Komórki (30.7 km) → Szczecno (32.2 km) → Ujny (37.3 km) → Pierzchnica (42.2 km) → Drugnia (50.4 km) → Chmielnik (58.4 km)

• Lenght: 58.4 km
• Time: 6 hours (9 hours with sightseeing)
• Type: Touring, cross
• Elevation: 427 m
• 91% asphalt roads, 5% unpaved roads, 4% gravel roads
• Moderately difficult
• Marking good; red bike trail

Getting there and starting out

We suggest you start your trip in Chmielnik. You can park your car by the market square in the centre of the town, and there is also a synagogue nearby which you can access from ul. Sienkiewicza. You can reach Chmielnik from Kielce and Busko-Zdrój via national road no. 73 and from Jędrzejów via road no. 78. The nearest train station that you can reach via rail is located in Kije (13 km from Chmielnik).

Technical description

Leave the market square on ul. 1 Maja. Then take ul. Kielecka and ul. Pierzchnicka, and go under the Chmielnik ring road overpass. The villages you will pass next are Suchowola, Ługi and Maleszowa. The road to Piotrkowice is rocky and therefore not very comfortable to ride on. Once you reach the village, you’ll see a park surrounding Tarnowski Palace, although the building itself is gradually falling into ruin and not open to visitors. After you pass the national road, you will then arrive at the sanctuary. Past Grabowiec, the road becomes a dirt path between fields and meadows that will take you to one of the biggest attractions of the Świętokrzyskie region – Leśne Zacisze Zoo. In Lisów, cross the national road once again and go past the local church. At the intersection, where you should turn left, there is an interesting cross made from a tank barrel. The rest of the route follows an asphalt road through picturesque hilly terrain. In Zaborze, you will pass near the so-called Indian village, where camps for children and young people are organised every year. Continue on, through the villages of Radomice, Komórki and Szczecno. As you head into the forest, the narrow asphalt road will go near a monument to the insurgents and the shelter of a hunters’ association. Go through Ujny and enter the village of Pierzchnica, where it’s worth taking a moment to look at the cellars for storing root vegetables built into the slope of a hill. You are now just 15 km away from Chmielnik. The rest of the route will take you through the villages of Osiny, Drugnia, Wierzbie and Lubania, before concluding back in the market square in Chmielnik.

Attractions along the way:

Synagogue in Chmielnik – “Świętokrzyski Shtetl”

The former synagogue is now home to a modern museum dedicated to the memory of the Chmielnik Jews. Originally built in the mid-18^th century, it was once one of the most beautiful synagogues in the region, but it was severely damaged during the Second World War. After major renovation work, the “Świętokrzyski Shtetl” Education and Museum Centre was opened there in 2014, which presents and pays homage to the culture of Jewish communities in the towns of the pre-war Kieleckie Voivodeship.

ul. Wspólna 14, tel. +48 734 158 969, www.swietokrzyskisztetl.pl

 Sanctuary in Piotrkowice

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Loreto is one of the oldest sanctuaries in Poland, with a history of pilgrimages there dating back to the 17^th century, which is when locals first reported witnessing apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The construction of the church and monastery was completed in 1652, with a late-Baroque chapel and a Santa Casa (holy house) being added in the following century. Inside, there is a figure of the Madonna and Child from 1400, which is believed to be miraculous. At present, the sanctuary is under the charge of the Discalced Carmelites.

ul. Kościelna 1, tel. +48 41 354 90 09, www.loreto.pl

Leśne Zacisze Zoo in Lisów

More than 90 animal species from six continents live in the 15-hectare area of the zoo – mainly mammals, including zebras, lions, camels and lemurs, as well as birds and impressive reptiles. There is also a playground and covered BBQ areas that visitors can use.

Lisów, ul. Wygwizdów 6, tel. +48 607 627 271, www.lesne-zacisze.net

Pierzchnica – church, root cellars

This village has a Classicist church from 1798-1800 with a beautiful stately belfry. On a nearby hill – later named Góra Piwniczna (Cellar Mountain) – is a unique complex of 83 root cellars built outside the town by the former inhabitants of Pierzchnica due to the soil conditions there. Vegetables and fruit used to be stored in these stone vaults, which are 3-4 m deep. The oldest of them are over 200 years old.