Starogard County: Nature, Trails and Culture

• The Bory Tucholskie in Starogard County have numerous hiking, cycling and kayaking trails.
• In Starogard Gdański, you can find fragments of the old town fortifications, a Gothic parish church and a 19th-century synagogue.
• Skarszewy has marked hiking and cycling routes; the red Kociewie Lakes tourist trail also starts there.
• Protected landscapes range from the Wierzyca and Wietcisa valleys to the Brzęczek forest area.

In the Skarszewy municipality, the Wierzyca and Wietcisa valleys are protected landscape areas. The meandering Wietcisa is the Wierzyca’s largest tributary in this area. If you want to distinguish river landscapes from forest areas when planning your trip, the information about other locations highlights different features: the Osiek municipality lies entirely within the protected Bory Tucholskie area. The Brzęczek Nature Reserve covers 26 hectares of forest and includes Lake Brzęczek.

Another nature destination is the Wirty Arboretum in Zblewo, one of Poland’s oldest forest dendrological gardens. You can admire its distinctive plant life along the walking paths. These paths can therefore be a specific point of reference when choosing destinations with plants and landscapes in mind.

The trail information varies by activity and route. The Bory Tucholskie has numerous hiking, cycling and kayaking trails. Skarszewy has the marked green Skarszewy tourist trail, as well as marked hiking and cycling routes. The red Kociewie Lakes tourist trail starts in Skarszewy and ends in Szpęgawsk. This lets you compare the options by mode of travel or by the expressly named endpoints.

Activities are also available in Rokocin: tourists can learn horse riding and carriage driving there. If you would also like to factor a transport route into your plans, National Road 22, known as the “Berlinka,” and the Tczew–Chojnice railway line run through the Kaliska municipality.

Fragments of the old town walls have survived in Starogard Gdański. The Gothic parish church of St. Matthew dates from the 14th century and has richly decorated Baroque and Rococo interiors. The combination of these distinct styles makes the church a notable architectural landmark. The Bożnica is a Jewish synagogue dating from the 19th century and the only Jewish synagogue in Kociewie.

Starogard Gdański’s historic attractions also include the Stado Ogierów, founded in 1897, with its collection of horse tack. The Gothic Church of St. Barbara in Kokoszkowy was built of stone and brick and has survived in its original form since the 14th century. In Rokocin, the manor house is part of a manor-and-park complex whose history as a country estate dates back to the 16th century.

Grodzisko Owidz includes reconstructed huts belonging to an herb gatherer and a fisherman. Events with a historical theme are held there. The manor house park in Sumin has educational trails; the grounds are used for recreation and leisure. These sites offer different points of interest, from architectural history and reconstructed huts to educational trails in the park.

Start your hotel search by focusing on the themes that matter to your trip: marked trails, natural areas or cultural sites. If you would like to focus your search on specific destinations, you can find the location pages here for Lubichowo, Linowiec, Rynkówka, Pinczyn and Smętówko.

Discover more destinations: Nowe Miasto, Malbork and Kwidzyn.

Where does the red Kociewie Lakes tourist trail start?

The trail starts in Skarszewy and ends in Szpęgawsk.

What historic sites are there in Starogard Gdański?

Fragments of the old town fortification walls have survived. Other buildings mentioned include the 14th-century parish church of St. Matthew and the Bożnica, a Jewish synagogue dating from the 19th century.

Which institution is now based in the Knights Hospitaller castle?

The Knights Hospitaller castle in Skarszewy dates from 1305 and is now home to the Gminny Ośrodek Kultury in Skarszewy.

To the general travel overview: Pomerania.