Discover Szamotuły: the Warta, culture and nature

The Warta flows through Szamotuły County for 45 kilometres. Szamotuły brings together riverside scenery, protected nature and a diverse cultural heritage: museums and historic buildings take centre stage in Szamotuły, while hiking, cycling and kayaking routes offer other focal points. Lake Bytyńskie and a forest reserve add to the nature theme. When planning your trip, it is therefore helpful to start by deciding whether you would rather focus on sightseeing, a particular hike or activities on the water.

Water, nature and trails

At 309 hectares, Lake Bytyńskie is the largest lake in Szamotuły County. Szlakiem Kani Rudej, a hiking trail in the Pniewy municipality, is 2.2 kilometres long; the approximate walking time is 45 minutes. It runs along the edge of the “Las grądowy nad Mogilnicą” nature reserve. The Duszniczki forest reserve protects more than a dozen Polish larch trees over 100 years old.

There are other marked routes for hiking and cycling. The E-11 long-distance hiking trail runs through Szamotuły County via Szamotuły, Szczuczyn, Grabówiec, Kobylniki, Słopanowo, Obrzycko and Klempicz. The 200-kilometre Transwielkopolska Trasa Rowerowa runs via Pamiątkowo, Szamotuły, Kobylniki and Obrzycko. The differences in route type and length help with planning: a hike taking around 45 minutes contrasts with a 200-kilometre cycling route; the E-11 long-distance hiking trail also passes through the places listed above.

Marked kayaking routes are also available. The Warta kayaking route heads towards the Oder and is designated along the entire stretch of the river. The Wełna kayaking route leads to the Warta. Route details, trail conditions and water conditions can change; check the latest conditions before setting out.

Museums, religious buildings and historic sites

The Zamek Górków Museum in Szamotuły has permanent exhibitions on the region and ethnography, and owns the largest collection of icons in western Poland. Within the castle complex, Halszka Tower is its best-preserved part. The museum and the tower offer different focal points: regional and ethnographic themes on the one hand, and the surviving castle complex on the other.

The Minor Basilica, the Collegiate Church of Our Lady of Consolation and Saint Stanislaus the Bishop, is the oldest monument in Szamotuły and one of the significant examples of sacred architecture in Greater Poland. The Gothic Church of Saint Martin in Duszniki has Rococo furnishings, including a high altar, two side altars and a pulpit dating from the second half of the 18th century. The two churches thus offer different architectural highlights: an important sacred site in Szamotuły and Rococo furnishings in Duszniki.

Other historic buildings and townscapes round out this selection. The palace in Kaźmierz-Nowa Wieś is a Neo-Renaissance palace built in the 19th century. Ostroróg’s historic town layout developed between the 14th and 19th centuries; its rectangular market square has a statue of Saint John of Nepomuk at its centre. The manor house of Felicjan Niegolewski in Bytyń dates from the 18th century and is surrounded by an 11.1-hectare landscaped park.

Pniewy is home to the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus and is where Saint Ursula Ledóchowska is buried. Religious history, architecture and nature trails therefore offer different possible focuses for your trip through Szamotuły County.

Discover more destinations: Nojewo, Wronki, Szamotuły, Zajączkowo, Sokolniki Wielkie, Obrzycko, Podrzewie, Niewierz, Chojno-Młyn, Grzebienisko, Chojno-Wieś.

For the wider travel overview: Greater Poland.