Środa can be explored through two very different traces: the early history of the Piasts and the landscape of the Dolina Średzkiej Strugi. A small fortified settlement was built in Giecz in the 860s, before the formation of the Polish state. Giecz was one of the major central centres of the Piast dynasty; Gallus Anonymus included it alongside Gniezno, Poznań and Włocławek on his list of the great strongholds of Bolesław Chrobry. The Giecz Archaeological Reserve is a branch of the Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica. This gives Piast history in Środa a tangible place.
The history of the town in Środa Wielkopolska
In Środa Wielkopolska, history can be read in its organically developed townscape: the Old Town has preserved its original street network within the former fortifications. Stary Rynek is a remnant of the medieval market square. The late-Gothic Collegiate Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was built of brick between 1423 and 1428. The street network, square and religious building thus represent different aspects of the town’s history.
Manor houses, museums and places of remembrance
The manor house in Koszuty was probably built around 1760 by Józef Zabłocki on the foundations of an earlier 17th-century manor house. The half-timbered building is surrounded by a landscaped park. In its attic, the exhibition “Ku niepodległości” presents the history of the Środa region, from the Partitions of Poland through the Greater Poland Uprising to the restoration of Polish independence. Check before your visit whether the exhibition is currently on display. The manor house also exhibits an authentic town plan of Środa Wielkopolska from 1793. While the exhibition explores political upheavals, the plan focuses on a specific historical moment.
A different architectural accent can be found on Wyspa Edwarda: the romantic wooden house in the Swiss style was built for Edward Raczyński between 1817 and 1819. Alongside the half-timbered building in Koszuty, probably built around 1760, its dates and style reveal a contrast in both period and design.
Winna Góra also brings architecture and remembrance together. A representative neoclassical building houses a museum dedicated to the memory of General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski. The parish cemetery in Winna Góra is the burial place of Wojciech Przysiuda, an artilleryman who fell at Kołaczkowo. In Nietrzanowo, a monument commemorates the members of the local community who fell in the 1914–1918 war.
Protected area and habitats
The Dolina Średzkiej Strugi stands in clear contrast to the historic buildings. The area covers 557.04 hectares and is designated as a Natura 2000 site. It is an important breeding refuge for the fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina) and an ecological corridor for beavers and otters. It also provides refuge for birds of reedbeds and meadows. Here, habitats and their ecological functions take centre stage.
Railway and cycle route as different ways to find your bearings
The Średzka Kolej Wąskotorowa narrow-gauge railway connects Środa Wielkopolska with Zaniemyśl. The Środa narrow-gauge railway is one of the last railways in Europe operated exclusively by steam power. The Średzka Ciuchcia Museum is located in the Środa Wielkopolska Miasto station building. If you are planning a trip, it is a good idea to check the timetable in advance.
The Transwielkopolska Trasa Rowerowa offers another way to explore the area, passing through Środa Wielkopolska. It is marked with a black bicycle symbol and a green stripe or direction arrow on a white background. The railway and cycle route can be distinguished by different features: the railway connects two named endpoints, while the cycle route passes through Środa and can be identified by its markings.
Discover more destinations: Jeziory Wielkie, Pierzchno, Solec, Środa Wielkopolska, Zaniemysl, Czarne Piątkowo, Kopaszyce, Teresa, Murzynowo Kościelne, Koszuty, Chocicza, Brodowo, Chłapowo.
Go to the broader travel overview: Greater Poland.
