Discover Zawada

• Zawada lies in the southern part of the Wyżyna Olkuska, the Olkusz Upland.
• The village is in the Dolinki Krakowskie Landscape Park.
• A green hiking trail through the Racławka Valley passes through Zawada on the section from Racławice to Zimnodół.
• The red Eagles’ Nests cycling trail also passes through the village.

For hikers, the green trail through the Racławka Valley provides a specific point of reference: it passes through Zawada on the section between Racławice and Zimnodół. The section described places the village on a longer route; the named endpoints can help you identify the right part for planning your trip.

The red Eagles’ Nests cycling trail is another cycling route designated through Zawada. Those interested in travelling on horseback can follow a different route: the PTTK Transjurajski Horse Trail runs from Zawada via Zederman and Przeginia towards the ruins of the 14th-century Rabsztyn Castle. These three details concern different ways of travelling and different routes. They can therefore help you decide whether you want to associate Zawada primarily with hiking, cycling, or a horse-riding route, without treating the routes as one and the same.

Zawada’s location in the Dolinki Krakowskie Landscape Park and the southern part of the Wyżyna Olkuska provides its landscape setting. The surrounding area also has specific natural features. Mining remains lie between Gorenice and Zawada, including a sinkhole formed before the First World War. The area thus brings together landforms and traces of earlier mining.

About 200 metres from the junction towards Gorenice is a group of five trees designated as natural monuments. The group includes lime trees, a beech and a horse chestnut. It is characterised by both its designated protection status and the named tree species. A hill with a limestone rock outcrop also rises between Zawada and the Kolonia Podlesie settlement to the east. It offers a broad view of the Ojców Upland. The hill and the group of trees are distinct features of the surrounding area; their location details help distinguish between them.

Among the named places in the village is the imposing Chapel of Matki Boskiej Różańcowej. Zawada is also home to an old wooden house at number 40. Both buildings offer different points of interest if you are interested in the village’s built heritage.

A local legend connects the Karczmiskiem part of the village with a former inn. Travellers are said to have stopped there or stayed for a meal while travelling the historic route from Silesia via Sławków and Olkusz to Kraków. The story places this part of the village on a long-distance travel route, but remains explicitly a local legend. Another memorial commemorates the Polish non-commissioned officer Winkler: the residents of Zawada funded a plaque in his memory. Winkler fell during a battle in the September Campaign of 1939.

For comparisons with other destinations, you can also visit the pages for Zabagnie, Bukowno, Dłużec, Małyszyce, Małobądz, Olkusz, Klucze and Golczowice.

What landscape is Zawada located in?

Zawada lies in the Dolinki Krakowskie Landscape Park and the southern part of the Wyżyna Olkuska, the Olkusz Upland.

Which of the listed routes pass through Zawada?

The green hiking trail through the Racławka Valley passes through the village on the Racławice–Zimnodół section, as does the red Eagles’ Nests cycling trail. The PTTK Transjurajski Horse Trail continues from Zawada.

What is included in the group of trees near the junction towards Gorenice?

The group consists of five trees designated as natural monuments: lime trees, a beech and a horse chestnut. It is located about 200 metres from the junction towards Gorenice.

What does the local legend say about Karczmiskiem?

It connects this part of the village with a former inn where travellers are said to have stopped or stayed for a meal on the historic route from Silesia via Sławków and Olkusz to Kraków.

For the main travel overview: Olkusz.