Oleśnicki: Nature, Widawa and culture

The southern Widawa Valley offers opportunities for hiking, cycling and kayaking. The green-marked “Trasa Doliny Widawy” cycling route is about 30 km long and starts at Bierutów PKP railway station on Kolejowa Street. A water route on the Widawa runs for more than 40 kilometres from Bierutów in the direction of Wrocław. Further cycling and hiking routes start in Twardogóra; Oleśnica is known for its castle and the Minor Basilica of St John the Apostle.

For a cycling trip with a designated starting point, consider the green “Trasa Doliny Widawy”: it starts at Bierutów PKP railway station and is about 30 km long. The distance describes the route’s length, not a specific travel time. If you are interested in a water route, the Widawa has one that runs for more than 40 kilometres from Bierutów in the direction of Wrocław. Bierutów also has a designated spot for launching kayaks onto the Widawa kayaking route. This lets you consider cycling and kayaking as different focuses for your trip.

Another specific cycling option is the red “Duża pętla twardogórska”. It is 46.5 km long and starts at the Gminny Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji in Twardogóra. Bicycles and equipment such as helmets, air pumps and child seats can be rented at the starting point; overnight accommodation is also available there. This is particularly relevant if you want to keep an explicitly stated overnight option in mind when choosing accommodation. The municipality of Twardogóra also has hiking, cycling, leisure, walking and educational trails, as well as an equestrian trail.

Zalew Stradomia has a 300-metre-long sandy beach and a supervised swimming area. Kayaks and pedal boats are available for seasonal hire. For sports and play, there is also a beach volleyball court, a basketball court, boules courts and a children’s playground with a sandpit. You can choose between swimming, seasonal boat hire and activities on land, without limiting your stay to just one kind of leisure activity.

The recreation trail along the Skorynia also offers a range of activities: it lies in two areas adjoining the river and includes walking and jogging paths on both riverbanks, a children’s playground and a boules area. If you are planning walks or jogging, you will find different designated options here than on the longer cycling routes. The listed facilities vary by activity and location; they should not be understood as a single route.

Areas belonging to the Natura 2000 programme, a European nature conservation network, lie within the municipality of Twardogóra. The “Torfowisko koło Grabowna” nature reserve is located between Grabowno Wielkie and Twardogóra and was designated a nature reserve in 1980. Alongside hiking and walking routes, the municipality offers cycling, leisure and educational trails, as well as an equestrian trail.

The Castle of the Dukes of Oleśnica, also known as Oleśnica Castle or the castle in Oleśnica, is considered the city’s most valuable historic building and one of the largest and best-preserved castles in Lower Silesia. Over the course of its history, it existed as a medieval castle complex, a Gothic castle and a Renaissance residence of the dukes, and was modernised several times. Its different building phases make the castle a distinctive subject for travellers interested in architectural history.

The Minor Basilica of St John the Apostle in Oleśnica is considered one of the oldest churches in Silesia. A chained library, founded by Charles II in 1594, still exists in the same church interior. The town hall is also part of the city’s history: according to J. Sinapius, the new brick town hall was built in 1410. The attribution of this date remains explicitly tied to that account.

The fortification walls in Bierutów were probably built in the first half of the 14th century; much of their original course has been preserved. Today, only the tower without its spire remains of the town hall; it probably dates from the first half of the 15th century. Twardogóra is also home to a private collection of 30 fragments of the Berlin Wall, assembled and made accessible by Ludwik Wasecki.

For a closer look at individual places in Powiat oleśnicki, find pages here for Sosnowka, Domasławice, Oleśnica, Twardogóra, Dobroszyce, Międzybórz, Jenkowice, Bierutów, Dobrzeń, Olszówka and Zawidowice.

Where does the Trasa Doliny Widawy start?

The green-marked cycling route, about 30 km long, starts at Bierutów PKP railway station on Kolejowa Street.

What leisure activities are available at Zalew Stradomia?

There is a 300-metre-long sandy beach, a supervised swimming area and seasonal kayak and pedal boat hire. Other facilities include ball-game and boules areas, as well as a playground with a sandpit.

What is special about the chained library in Oleśnica?

It was founded by Charles II in 1594 and still exists in the same church interior of the Minor Basilica of St John the Apostle.

For the broader travel overview: Lower Silesia.