The best traffic-free bike rides around Małomice

Wiechlice: signpost TO ZAUCHE/GLOGAU

Unfortunately, this cycle path is not completely finished. The final layer of asphalt over the concrete slabs is missing. The cycle path is apparently rarely cleared and cleaned, which means that you have to cycle very slowly in some sections. The connection to the cycle path at the former Stypułów train station leads along an unpaved gravel road.

new sol

VELO SPROTAVIA is a strategic cycling path in the southern Lubusz Voivodeship. It runs vertically through the Szprotawa commune, from the town of Szprotawa to the village of Stypułów. At the former railway station in Stypułów, it connects with the regional RAILWAY TO BIKE path, which runs to Kożuchów, Nowa Sól, Otyń, Konotop, and the border with the Wielkopolska Voivodeship. The total length of VELO SPROTAVIA is 16 km. The route follows the former Szprotawa-Zielona Góra railway line (1911-1955), along the Szprotawa-Kartowice-Witków-Siecieborzyce-Stypułów section. Initially, the path runs parallel to the district road towards Kartowice, a short distance away. We ascend a gentle hill (141 m above sea level), offering a panoramic view of the surrounding area. Under favorable conditions, we can see the Karkonosze and Jizera Mountains from here. The agricultural landscape is only interrupted by a strip of trees growing along the path, with a significant proportion of fruit trees. According to legend, former passengers of the Zielona Góra railway, by throwing fruit pits out of the train windows, contributed to the creation of a linear orchard of plums, apples, pears, and cherries. From the hill, we descend pleasantly all the way to Kartowice itself, where, near the ruins of the village railway station, a cyclist service area (MOR) has been built, complete with a shelter, table, benches, parking spaces, and a bicycle repair module. No one will likely object if we pitch a tent near the shelter if necessary. It's a very atmospheric place. Near the shelter, we'll see a monument to the residents of Kartowice (Kortnitz in German) who died on the front lines of World War I. After a rest in Kartowice, we head further north, towards Witków. Soon, the agricultural landscape will transform into forest. This preservation owes its historical preservation to the fact that since the Middle Ages, this has been an inviolable border between the duchies of Głogów and Żagań. The forest preserves fragments of the famous Silesian Ramparts, built in the 15th/16th centuries, a kind of border barrier. All the preserved sections of the Silesian Ramparts constitute the longest archaeological site in Poland. The Szprotawa Land Museum holds a unique boundary marker from this forest. Nearby, by the district road, we come across a 19th-century stone signpost pointing the way towards Borowina (orig. "nach Hartau"). Old maps show peculiar enclaves in this area, such as Wilczy zaułek (Wilczy Lane), Krowie Bagno (Ciche Hill).

The Silesian Ramparts are the longest archaeological site in Poland. This medieval structure is considered the equivalent of the famous Great Wall of China. These are the until-recently-mysterious Silesian Ramparts, built in the 14th and 15th centuries on the border of the former Duchy of Głogów. The medieval Szprotawa District (districtus sprotaviensis) bordered the Duchy of Żagań to the west and the Duchy of Jawor to the south. The structure was enormous considering the local conditions. A system of ramparts and ditches was painstakingly constructed over several dozen kilometers, terminating at rivers or marshes. Sometimes the fortifications were so strong that they consisted of up to four adjacent ramparts. Hedges were planted and maintained on their crests to prevent sudden intrusions into the duchy. To give you an idea, at some sites the fortification system was over 40 meters wide with the height of the ramparts being about 2.5 meters!

The church was built in the 14th century. In the first half of the 16th century it was rebuilt. The main body was raised and widened towards the south and east, vaults were built and a sacristy with a gallery was added to the north. It represents a transitional style between Gothic and Renaissance. There is a small lapidarium next to the church, created from the remains of tombstones from the old cemetery.

A camping site on the Kwisa River created mainly for kayakers, who have to portage their kayaks over two rapids. It is a very large clearing with shelters, benches and places for bonfires. There is plenty of space for tents. Due to easy access, the clearing is also used by locals who come here by car.

The palace was built in the 17th century by the von Knobelsdorff family, then rebuilt and enlarged with a southern wing around 1750 during the time of Countess von Reuss und Plauen. In the mid-19th century, the northern projection was added. After World War II, the palace was taken over by the State Agricultural Farm. It is currently unused and slowly falling into ruin.