General Dezydery Chłapowski Landscape Park was established in 1992 and covers 17,323.21 hectares; part of the park lies in Kościan County. As you explore the destination of Kościan, you can discover its landscape trails and historic buildings as distinct facets of the area. The trails are particularly easy to compare by length and number of stops.
Trails in the Landscape Park
The “Trees with a Past, Birds of the Present” educational cycling trail is 28.5 km long and has seven stops. Its route passes through Racot, Darnowo, Wyskoć, Rogaczewo Małe and Wielkie, Rąbiń, Turew, Stary Gołębin and Spytkówki, before returning to Racot. This makes it possible to plan a longer loop using specific places as reference points.
The ecological educational trail is shorter: it runs for 12 km from Rogaczewo Małe via Rogaczewo Wielkie and Rąbiń to Turew, and also has seven stops. Both trails therefore have the same number of stops, but differ considerably in length. You can take the different distances into account when planning your outings.
Two long-distance hiking routes also pass through this landscape: a section of the Greater Poland Way of St James runs through the Landscape Park. The park is also on the route of the “Travels with Mr Tadeusz” hiking trail. The two names refer to different routes and can be considered separately from the loop and educational trails described above.
History in Racot, Turew and the churches
The palace, park and manor complex in Racot was established in the late 18th century and during the second half of the 19th century. Another historic milestone in the village’s history came in 1921, when the palace became the summer residence of the Presidents of the Republic of Poland. These two details place the palace’s construction history and its later use at different points in time.
The religious buildings also represent different periods. The historic wooden Church of the Assumption of Mary in Stary Gołębin dates from the second half of the 17th century. The also historic wooden Church of St Michael the Archangel in Błociszewo dates from 1736. Anyone interested in timber construction and architectural history can compare the two churches by their recorded dates of construction.
The Church of St Leonard in Lubiń was built at the beginning of the 13th century as a small Romanesque church and was remodelled in the Gothic style in 1549–1556. In Turew, meanwhile, the Baroque residence was remodelled in the Neo-Gothic style in the first half of the 19th century. These buildings show that historic discoveries in Kościan are not limited to a single period or architectural style.
A distinctive type of building can be found in Rąbiński Forest: a larch chapel in the Zakopane style. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century in memory of a fatal hunting accident. Its materials, style and commemorative purpose give this building a story of its own, distinct from those of the residences and churches.
Experiences in Kościan and Cichowo
In Kościan, the water tower now serves as a climbing wall and astronomical observatory. The town also has a 15-hectare park with numerous walking paths. Kościan thus offers two different kinds of leisure activities: climbing and astronomy in the tower, and walks through a spacious park.
There are several kayak landing places along the Kościan Canal. This provides a practical point of reference for exploring the area by water. Cichowo has a supervised bathing beach with a designated bathing area for children. It operates seasonally and may be subject to change, so check the latest information before your visit.
Planning your outings
The Kościan branch of PTTK maintains a map of the hiking trails it manages. Kościan County also has marked trails maintained by other organisations, including the Ziemiański Cycling Trail. As conditions and trail markings can change, check the latest maps and trail markers before setting out. This will help you choose among the trails and activities described according to your interests.
Discover more destinations: Gryżyna, Gorzyczki, Cichowo, Racot, Czempiń, Śmigiel, Kościan, Jarogniewice, Lubiń.
Return to the main travel overview: Greater Poland.
