Złotokłos combines the history of a purpose-built holiday settlement with a convenient starting point for hikes: the green main hiking trail through the Chojnów Forests begins here, passes through Szczaki and other places, and continues to Konstancin-Jeziorna. It is 34 kilometres long in total. Those who want to shape their stay around local history and landscape will find both here—the development of the holiday settlement and a long route through the forests.
From Holiday Settlement to Church and Memorial Site
In 1924, Jan Orsetti began developing the Letnisko Złotokłos holiday settlement, which covered more than 105 hectares. The following year, a further 79 hectares were designated as Letnisko Złotokłos A; the plots there each measured 3,600 square metres. These two steps show how the area developed over time: the initial development was followed by the designation of an additional section.
The Church of Our Lady of Grace in Złotokłos was built in stone in its present form between 1935 and 1937. It has a single nave and three altars. Its construction period and floor plan mark another, later period in the area’s history, distinct from the planning of the holiday settlement in the 1920s.
The First World War military cemetery is officially located within the Sołectwo Runów, in the Runów Forest, and borders Złotokłos. For this reason, residents often associate it with Złotokłos. Both details are useful when navigating by place names: its formal location in Runów and its immediate proximity to Złotokłos. The cemetery was restored in 2016.
Hiking Trails and Local Events
The green main hiking trail through the Chojnów Forests starts in Złotokłos and runs through Szczaki and other places to Konstancin-Jeziorna. The total distance is 34 kilometres. Check the current trail markings before setting out. A picnic with numerous attractions is also held annually in the Sołectwo Złotokłos.
The wider Piaseczyński destination has additional routes of varying lengths and itineraries. The yellow-marked, 28-kilometre Szlak Południkowy runs from Piaseczno railway station via Zalesie Dolne, Górki Szymona, Zimne Doły, Zalesie Górne, the Łoś Nature Reserve and Nowy Prażmów to Prażmów. The 30-kilometre Szlak rezerwatów przyrody connects Zalesie Górne and Zimne Doły with the Uroczysko Stephana, Chojnów, Obory, Skarpa Oborska, Olszyna Łyczyńska and Łęgi Oborskie nature reserves, as well as Konstancin-Jeziorna, and continues on to Ursynów. The shorter, ten-kilometre Chojnowski szlak zabytków przyrody passes through the Chojnów, Pilawski Grąd and Uroczysko Stephana nature reserves. The route lengths therefore range from ten to 28 and 30 kilometres, up to 34 kilometres for the trail starting in Złotokłos.
Chojnów Landscape Park has seven marked hiking trails, as well as a network of educational trails for pedestrians and cyclists. In its eleven nature reserves, visitors may use only existing paths and marked hiking trails. When navigating the protected areas, the trail layout is therefore part of choosing a route.
Culture and Landscape in the Wider Piaseczyński Area
Those interested in architectural and regional history will find other distinct points of interest in the wider Piaseczyński destination. The medieval Gothic Castle of Czersk was built by Duke Janusz the Elder around the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, on the site of an earlier fortification. At the eastern foot of the castle lies Jezioro Czerskie, a former oxbow lake of the Vistula that is fully protected as a natural monument. Here, architectural history and the history of the river landscape meet.
Other examples offer a different perspective: Piaseczno Town Hall was built in the Neoclassical style in 1823 and now houses the offices of the Muzeum Piaseczna. Dom Zośki in Zalesie Dolne, now part of Piaseczno, is the Zawadzki family’s wooden summer house. It is associated with the memoirs of Tadeusz Zawadzki, “Zośka,” which were used in “Kamienie na szaniec.” Thus, in the wider Piaseczyński area, literary history sits alongside historic buildings.
Discover more destinations: Bielawa, Góra Kalwaria, Nowa Wola, Mysiadło, Zalesie Górne, Biały Ług, Jabłonowo, Baniocha.
View the wider travel overview: Piaseczyński.
