Milicz: Palace history and routes through the Barycz landscape

Milicz can be explored through its architectural history and routes of clearly defined lengths. The neoclassical Pałac Maltzanów, the Church of St. Andrew Bobola and the former narrow-gauge railway offer points of interest for a range of interests. The Pałac park is home to 80 species of shrubs and trees, and the Młynówka Milicka flows through it. For planning purposes, it is helpful to distinguish the sights in the town from information about nature and routes in the Gmina Milicz: the sections below make clear the geographical scale of each destination.

Architectural history in Milicz

The Pałac Maltzanów was built from 1790 to 1798 to a design by the architect Karol G. Geissler. Its neoclassical style links the building’s name with a clearly defined construction period. The Church of St. Andrew Bobola represents a different era: its construction lasted from 1709 to 1714. These dates make the time difference between the two buildings tangible and provide a concrete starting point for discovering Milicz through its architectural history.

The former narrow-gauge railway is also part of the town’s history. A 23 km cycling route follows its former track from Gruszeczka via Sułów and Milicz to Grabownica. The railway began operating in 1894; its last train ran on 14 September 1991. The route description thus connects a present-day cycling route with the railway’s historical dates without confusing the two uses.

Sights and orientation

The Stara Rzeźnia building houses a tourist information office, a conference and event hall, and workshop rooms. These facilities also make it an interesting place to visit for information and events. Before your trip, check locally what conditions currently apply to visiting.

The access situation at the ruins of Milicz should be taken into account: they are currently not open to visitors. If you are planning a visit, check the situation locally in advance, as access conditions may change. The ruins therefore cannot be assumed to be an accessible stop on your itinerary.

Nature and birdwatching in the Gmina Milicz

The “Dolina Baryczy” Landscape Park covers about 90% of the area of the Gmina Milicz. A total of 277 bird species have been recorded in the park, including 169 breeding species.

More than 100 great egrets regularly gather at Grabownica Pond. It is the largest body of water in the Stawno complex; the observation tower stands on its southern shore. The 13-metre-high tower allows ornithologists and tourists to observe birds and the surrounding landscape. This gives visitors both a specifically named waterside location and an observation point of stated height to help them find their way around.

Cycling and educational trails in the municipality

The routes differ in both length and the landscapes described. The 5 km “Ruda Sułowska” educational trail runs between ponds over embankments lined with old oaks. It offers a way to explore the southern part of the Ruda Sułowska pond complex, which belongs to the “Stawy Milickie” nature reserve. The 8 km “Milicz – Ostoja Konika Polskiego – Barycz” educational trail passes through a mosaic of ponds, meadows and forests typical of the Barycz Valley. The two routes thus offer different lengths and landscapes, with neither route’s distance replacing the other’s.

The 7 km “Wokół Stawu Grabownica” route starts in the village of Grabownica and ends near the observation tower at Grabownica Pond. It runs entirely through the “Stawy Milickie” nature reserve. The 9 km “W krainie ptaków” nature trail passes through the Stawno complex. For those choosing routes by their named destinations, these descriptions provide information about embankments, ponds, an observation point and a nature reserve.

Further distances are provided for cyclists: the 28.7 km blue “Szlak Stawów Milickich” cycling route runs from Grabówka via Milicz and Grabownica to Czatkowice. A 10.1 km section of the black “W Dolinę Baryczy” cycling route lies within the Gmina Milicz, from south of Niesułowice to east of Nowy Zamek. In total, there are more than 100 km of marked cycling routes in the Gmina Milicz. The route lengths therefore range from individual sections to longer connections; their names, endpoints and distances help distinguish the options described.

Discover more destinations: Milicz, Łazy Wielkie, Jawor, Złotoryjski, Oława, Powiat Lubiński, Legnicki, Górowski.

For the broader travel overview: Lower Silesia.