Zawiercie – Rail Connections, River Sources and Culture

The Szlak 3 Rzek leads to the sources of the Warta, Czarna Przemsza and Blanówka rivers in Zawiercie. Variant 1 starts at the railway station and passes through Blanowice, Kromołów and Bzów. Hiking and cycling routes intersect in the town, including the red-marked Szlak Orlich Gniazd and the Szlak Warowni Jurajskich. The Małe Centrum Nauki SOWA is located in the railway station building at ul. 3 Maja 4.

The river names in the Szlak 3 Rzek indicate the route’s different destinations. One of the main sources of the Warta in the Kromołów district lies beneath the chapel of St John of Nepomuk. The Czarna Przemsza rises in the Bzów district. Variant 1 therefore passes through two of the districts mentioned, while Blanowice is also along the route. Those interested in how rivers form and flow will find a specific theme for a hike here.

Hiking and cycling routes intersect in Zawiercie. The routes mentioned include the red-marked Szlak Orlich Gniazd and the Szlak Warowni Jurajskich. If you would like to include different routes in your trip, you can use these names as a starting point for making your own selection. Variant 1 of the Szlak 3 Rzek starts at the railway station and passes through Blanowice, Kromołów and Bzów; this specific sequence helps you find your way along the route.

Another destination along two named routes is the ruins of Bąkowiec Castle in Skarżyce. They lie beside the red-marked Szlak Orlich Gniazd and the blue-marked Szlak Warowni Jurajskich. The castle ruins’ connection with these routes is a useful point of reference for travellers interested in both hiking trails and historic sites.

At the Małe Centrum Nauki SOWA, visitors can explore, discover and experiment independently. Research stations invite them to trigger phenomena, change parameters, make observations and check results. Hands-on experimentation is the focus: visitors may touch the exhibits. The Majsternia also offers construction challenges.

Its location in the railway station building makes SOWA a clearly identifiable destination at the station. Variant 1 of the Szlak 3 Rzek also starts there. If you would like to consider science and hiking as separate interests during a stay in Zawiercie, these offer two specific themes to include in your travel plans. The stations and activities described here give a clearer impression of what is on offer than simply calling it a science centre.

The Miejska Izba Muzealna collects, preserves and displays memorabilia from the Zawiercie region. At Galeria MOK, the two-storey exhibition space is divided into a white and a black area. This layout differs from the Miejska Izba Muzealna’s focus on regional history and offers another cultural perspective on the town.

Paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and industrial design have been presented in the rooms of Galeria Stara Łaźnia im. Leszka Dutki. The TAZ workers’ housing estate is also part of Zawiercie’s history: it is entered in the register of monuments. The plans for its construction included public buildings alongside apartment blocks for workers, including a school, a hospital, a doctor’s house with a consulting room, a laundry, bathhouses and a bakery.

The Kromołów district is also home to a medieval market square, recommended as a point of interest along the local route. Zawiercie and its named districts bring together regional memorabilia, exhibition spaces, a historic urban area and a workers’ housing estate with its documented planning. When choosing what to see, you can consider whether you would prefer to focus on exhibitions, regional history or specific places in the townscape.

Zawiercie has direct rail connections northwards, including to Warsaw and Gdynia, and southwards, including to Kraków, Zakopane, Prague, Budapest and Vienna. There are also connections to Upper and Lower Silesia, as well as eastwards, including to Ełk and Suwałki. If you are considering a hotel in Zawiercie, you can take these connections into account when planning your journey and combine your stay with the hiking, science or cultural themes that suit you.

For comparison with other destinations, you can also explore Goleniowy, Podzamcze, Irządze, Piaseczno, Morsko, Gulzów, Ogrodzieniec and Podleśna.

Which rivers are included in the Szlak 3 Rzek?

The hiking route leads to the sources of the Warta, Czarna Przemsza and Blanówka rivers in Zawiercie.

Where does Variant 1 of the Szlak 3 Rzek start?

It starts at Zawiercie railway station and passes through Blanowice, Kromołów and Bzów.

What can visitors do at the Małe Centrum Nauki SOWA?

At the research stations, they can trigger phenomena, change parameters, observe and check results. Visitors may touch the exhibits; the Majsternia offers construction challenges.

For the main travel overview: Zawiercie.