Hiking is even more interesting!

Nearly 30,000 km of marked hiking trails await those who are not in a hurry and like to take a closer look at the natural attractions and cultural treasures of Poland. The trails include Polish sections of trans-European hiking routes; E-9 – starting in France and leading along the Atlantic coast via Belgium and Holland to Germany, and then along the Baltic coast to Poland, joining Świnoujście with Braniewo; and E-11 – leading from Holland, across central Germany and Polish proglacial stream valleys and lakelands to the Baltic states. The E- 11 begins at Słubice on the Polish-German border and ends at Ogrodniki on the Polish-Lithuanian border. On this route one crosses vast expanses of forests and fields. Rest and relaxation come in the shape of camp fires by a lake or a river, which give you an opportunity to meet interesting people.

Encounters with wild nature

There are trails on which you will not come across another human being for hours. On the trails of northeastern Poland you will be able to see treasures to be found nowhere else. These include the magnificent Białowieża National Park with the only remaining natural habitat of bison in Europe and remnants of the former primeval forest – home to approx. eleven thousand species, – and that’s just counting the insects! Tourists can also enter the Wigry Lake National Park and roam across the country to reach the point where West meets East, where Catholicism meets Orthodoxy. Here you can see the remains of Tartar settlements, as your itinerary will lead you through gently rolling landscape with many thick forests.

Shifting dunes

It is not easy to believe but the 300m high dunes found in northern Poland do move, covering settlements and churches with sand. The wind makes them “walk”, at a speed of up to 10 metres a year. While hiking through the Słowiński National Park located on the Baltic coast, visitors can observe how dead nature fights against living nature. Additionally, one can see the launching and test sites of V-1 rockets which were sent over London during World War II. Continuing our trip, we arrive to Kluki – a tiny hamlet with original fishermen’s cottages, populated by descendants of the Slovincians. From there, the itinerary brings us to the beautiful region of Kashubia, hilly, well forested and dotted with countless post-glacial lakes. After visiting the skansen at the village of Wdzydze Kiszewskie, the trail continues to a thousand years old Gdańsk, and the busy port city of Gdynia, which was built within a period of a few years after WWI.

On the history trail

From Poznań, the cradle of the Wielkopolska region known for its musical traditions, a historical trail leads you to Gniezno, the first capital of Poland and the seat of the Piasts, the first Polish royal dynasty. The Piast Route has an interesting tourist itinerary, which is enjoyed by those who want to learn about Poland’s origins and the beginnings of Polish Christianity. Hikers can see miniatures (1:20 scale) of all the historical monuments of the Piast Route at the small town of Pobiedziska. In Gniezno stands the imposing St Adalbert’s Cathedral. Bishop Adalbert could be considered a precursor of contemporary European integration. On Lake Lednica near Gniezno, there is an island on which stood an important defensive and administrative outpost of the early Polish state (10th c). Leading on through forests and amidst lakes, our journey brings us to Biskupin, where a fortified lake village (from around 550 BC) was reconstructed. Every year in September a special performance is staged here to show the audience how our Iron Age ancestors manufactures pots, weaved clothes, built houses, reared animals, and made adornments.

Wenecja, a small village across the lake from Biskupin, is famous for its narrow-gauge railway museum and medieval castle ruins.