Chocianow brings together several churches and buildings with traceable histories, a park landscape and two cycling routes with distinct character. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can first decide what you want to focus on: should historic buildings shape your stay, or would you rather plan a cycling route? The places and routes offer different answers to this question.
Churches and their distinct historical layers
The Church of St Joseph the Worker stands in the middle of Chocianow’s market square and dates from the 16th century. After a fire in 1746, it underwent extensive Baroque remodelling; a renovation followed in 1865–1866. This allows the building’s early origins, its remodelling after the fire and a later renovation to be distinguished chronologically.
The church preserves a Renaissance baptismal font dating from 1585 and the tombstone of Aleksander von Stosch from 1616. These two dated objects add specific details about the furnishings to the building’s history; their dates precede the remodelling after the fire. Together, the building and its furnishings offer different chronological reference points for the local history of the church.
The Parish Church of the Assumption of Mary presents a different historical context. It was built between 1864 and 1866 together with a denominational school, on the initiative of local Catholics. While St Joseph’s is defined by older furnishings and remodelling after a fire, the focus here is on the joint construction of the church and school and the local initiative behind it.
Palace history and parkland
A medieval castle originally stood on the site of the palace and park complex. Bolko I of Świdnica-Jawor had it built in 1297–1299; it was expanded in the first half of the 14th century. The castle belongs to the site’s earlier history. Specific architectural elements also survive in the present-day building: the lower part of a tower and a Gothic tracery window in the attic. The Gothic window provides a different architectural accent from the extensive Baroque remodelling of St Joseph’s.
The park surrounding the palace covers around 20 ha. It is bordered by wet meadows and marshes to the south and urban development to the north. Its size and distinct boundaries convey two aspects of the townscape: the extent of the park and its landscape setting between wetlands and urban development.
Two different cycling perspectives
An approximately 30 km cycling loop runs around Chocianow via Uroczysko “Czarne Stawy”, Jakubowo Lubińskie and Pogorzeliska, returning to Chocianow. The approximate distance and return to the starting point help you gauge the length of tour you want. Check local conditions before setting off.
The blue route runs through forests and dunes in PrzemkĂłw Landscape Park and connects PrzemkĂłw, Gromadka and Chocianow. The cycling loop is described by its approximate length and return to the starting point; the blue route is defined by its landforms and the places it connects. This makes it possible to weigh up the two options for your stay according to different criteria.
Discover more destinations: Stara Rzeka, Polkowice, Radwanice, Buczyna, Czerńczyce
Return to the main travel overview: Polkowice.
