Cycling routes, a marked hiking trail and several memorial sites shape Giełczyn. When planning your trip, it is worth considering the routes separately and treating the area’s history as a distinct focus.
Cycling: two different routes
The 40.15 km C-1 cycling loop runs via Czaplice, Osobne, Wierzbowo, Śniadowo, Jemielite Stare and Giełczyn, before returning to the PKS bus station. The description of this route dates from 2012. The 46.8 km C-9 cycling route also passes through Giełczyn and then follows the blue trail via Wygoda, Puchały and Zawady. Its 2012 route description mentions gravel on the section from Giełczyn to the edge of the forest. The key difference for navigation is the route each one takes: C-1 is described as a loop that returns to the PKS bus station, while C-9 continues beyond Giełczyn through other places. Since the cycling route descriptions date from 2012, it is worth checking current trail conditions before setting off.
The red hiking trail to Szumowo
The red Giełczyn–Szumowo hiking trail (PL-2555-c) starts in Giełczyn, passes through Głębocz Wielki and ends in Szumowo. It is 28 km long. Its starting point, intermediate stop and destination identify it as a distinct hiking route. Alongside the two cycling routes, it offers another clearly defined option for planning a trip. If you are weighing up hiking and cycling, the route type, distance and endpoint provide an initial guide: the hiking trail ends in Szumowo, while C-1 returns to the PKS bus station and C-9 runs via Wygoda, Puchały and Zawady. This makes it easy to distinguish the routes by their respective itineraries.
Memorial sites in Giełczyn
There is a monument in Giełczyn next to the community hall. The village is also home to a cemetery for people murdered during the Second World War, listed in the register of monuments under number A-422. Nearby, a monument in the Giełczyn forest commemorates several thousand Jews and Poles murdered there by Germans between 1941 and 1944. These sites have different significance: the monument by the community hall is a local landmark, while the cemetery and forest monument commemorate the victims of the Second World War. The dates 1941 to 1944 make the historical dedication of the forest monument especially specific.
More to explore in the wider Łomżyński destination
The wider Łomżyński destination includes two neighboring archaeological sites. On Góra Królowej Bony, clear traces of a large fortified settlement and its earthen ramparts are visible. Wzgórze Św. Wawrzyńca is home to a fortified settlement dating from around the 9th to 10th century, with remains of a settlement and a church. Comparing these two places offers different perspectives on early history: one has visible rampart and earthworks, while the other also has remains of a settlement and a church building.
Nature experiences are also part of the wider Łomżyński destination. Tourist trails pass through protected areas, including the Łomżyński Park Krajobrazowy Doliny Narwi, bringing visitors into direct contact with nature. From the observation point in Siemień Nadrzeczny, visitors can watch many of the birds that live in the landscape park; sightings are seasonal and may vary. Wielki Dział is a permanent refuge for cranes, black storks, lesser spotted eagles, white-tailed eagles, moose, wolves and deer. The region thus offers nature watching and archaeological remains as distinct themes.
Another historic site in the wider Łomżyński destination is the monument to Stach Konwa. It stands in a forest clearing in Jednaczewski Forest, on the edge of the Rycerski Kierz reserve, at the presumed site of his burial, and was erected in 1922. Since 2022, the Łomża Municipality has organized patriotic commemorations in the Stach-Konwa clearing around the name day of Stach or Stanisław on 8 May. They are accompanied by the family festival “Kurpiowska Majówka u Stacha,” featuring historical and educational activities. If you are planning a trip for this occasion, check current announcements for event dates.
Discover more destinations: Nowogród, Drozdowo, Łomża, Nowosiedliny, Kisielnica, Koziki, Piątnica Poduchowna, Wizna.
Go to the wider travel overview: Łomżyński.
