Easy hikes and walks around gmina Opatów

you can conquer the 1st peak out of 28 Świętokrzyskie Mountains

summit 1 of 28 as the sign says :)

A gazebo, benches, and a fountain. A monument, a miniature Market Square, an ice cream parlor, a pizzeria, and a restaurant.

This palace residence was built between 1621 and 1644 and was the largest palace in Europe at the time. (Versailles was built later.) This palace was built in the Italian style of a fortezza-type palazzo, meaning it was protected by a mighty pentagonal bulwark. This palace type is common in Poland, but here in Krzyżtopór, the bastion fortifications were not dismantled and leveled because this castle was destroyed by Russian troops in 1770. 90% of the walls and 10% of the vaults are still preserved. Therefore, reconstruction plans have existed for over 100 years, which have been repeatedly amended but never realized. Between 2010 and 2013, extensive security measures and new roofs were installed with co-financing from the European Union, and the entire area, including parking spaces, was upgraded for tourism. This project was obviously successful because there were thousands of visitors on the Sunday I was there.

A forested peak, but there is a bench and a fire pit, but watch out for "flying ticks", as deer shearers are sometimes called. They are not really ticks, but they feed on blood, so if there are a lot of them, I recommend running away. But before you run away, take note of the beautiful rocky terrain here at the top.

In the same place, a commemorative plaque was placed to commemorate the death of President Lech Kaczyński and other participants of the flight to commemorate the anniversary of the Katyn massacre.

Next to the Parish Church in Ćmielów there is a place of remembrance of the inhabitants of Ćmielów murdered by the Russians in Katyn in 1940.

The parish cemetery is located 270 meters from the church on Zaciszna Street. It was established on the initiative of the parish priest, Father Szymon Czerwiński, and the Grand Chancellor of the Crown, Jacek Małachowski, in 1807. The reason for this decision was sanitary considerations, because until the end of the 18th century, the deceased were buried according to custom in the square around the church[8]. A noteworthy object is the chapel located there, funded by Magdalena and Józef Długoszewski, as well as citizens of Ćmielów in 1835. Half a century later, Tekla and Piotr Starzomscy added a porch and renovated the chapel. However, fate was not kind to this object. In 1899, the roof burned down as a result of a lightning strike. A general renovation took place six years later, i.e. in 1905. At that time, the windows and floor were replaced, and the walls were decorated with paintings. The chapel also received an organ, as well as a stone altar with a cross. On the western wall of the chapel there is a Cross of National Remembrance, at the feet of which there are porcelain plaques with the names of fallen soldiers of the Home Army, as well as Marian Raciborski and Father Kacper Kotkowski[3]. This religious building practically from the very beginning received the privilege to hold services thanks to the efforts of the then parish priest, Father Szymon Czerwiński[8]. Currently, services are held on All Saints' Day on November 1. In addition to the chapel, the parish cemetery contains historic tombstones from the end and the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.