Rzeszów and its surroundings
Along the Wisłok River Valley and through the Strzyżów Foothills
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About this route
The route is simple at its core, but you have to concentrate to complete it. The designated terrain points are not at all obvious and you must have a good orientation in space. However, it will give you a lot of satisfaction. A trip through the Strzyżów Foothills and numerous villages southwest of the capital of Podkarpackie is not only a rally close to nature, but also a walk hand in hand with history, architecture and art, and even urban planning. You will reach viewpoints, visit beautiful churches and look into the ruins of castles or shelters, while also enjoying the scenery of the hills and valleys along the Wisłok. The route is mostly asphalted, but you must also prepare yourself for a bit of off-road
Practical advices
When preparing for a route, be sure to check the weather forecast. This will allow you to take appropriate clothing and limit your luggage as much as possible. However, it is well known that the weather can be unpredictable, so be prepared if it gets worse. It is good practice to pack a thin rain jacket that does not take up much space.
Before starting the route, carefully analyse it on a map. Consider whether your skills and equipment are adequate for the level of difficulty of the route.
Download the accompanying .gpx file so that you always have your navigation at hand. To make sure your device doesn't fail you, also bring a power bank, charger or spare batteries. If the weather changes, you may find it useful to have a waterproof case for your electronic equipment.
Be sure to take drinks and food with you on long journeys; you never know when you will get hungry. Remember that a shop or restaurant may be located a long way away. We recommend that you stock up on water, isotonic drinks, energy bars and snacks. This will make sure you don't lose the motivation to continue riding.
The absolute basis for safety is, of course, a helmet. Also, prepare yourself technically. Make sure you have adequate lighting on your bike. Pack a repair kit. Spare inner tubes, a pump, a multitool, all of these things can come in handy in the event of a breakdown, which of course you don't want!
Rzeszów and its surroundings
Audiodeskrypcja tekstowa
Route details
Start
- 1Rzeszów0 kmRzeszów
The starting point will be the boulevards between the Karpacki Bridge, the stadium of Stal Rzeszów and the Wisłok River. Move south towards the Lisia Góra Nature Reserve. This is a sanctuary of wildlife and old-growth forest within Rzeszów's borders. You can stop there for a moment. When you pass Ptasia Wyspa (Bird Island) on the river, turn in the direction of the path. You will enter Jarowa Street, leading among single-family houses. Turn off onto Saletyńska Street. This will lead you along a copse of trees. Turn right onto Zwięczyckacka Street and continue southwest. At the bend in the road, take Cicha Street. After 200 m, leave this busy road and turn sharply right into ks. Przybyły Street. Carefully cross the railway tracks and turn left. At the end of the road, cross the tracks again to enter Przemysłowa Street and then Kolejowa Street, leading alongside the insulator production plant in Boguchwała. After the railway station, housed in a storied art nouveau building, turn right into Angermana Street. At the fire station, turn right into Kasztanowa Street, cross the
railway tracks and continue in the general direction south on Partyzantów Street. When you reach Polna Street, turn west. In the village, note the post-modern church with its terrace and unusual belfry resembling a ship’s mast. Ride through the village and turn right at the end. You will pass through a small forest. Take a sharp left at a junction near the edge of the next woodland. After a few kilometres, you will reach Czudec.
- 2Czudec22 kmCzudec
When you see the market square in Czudec, you will easily be transported to the not-so-distant past, when the small Galician town was bustling with life and commerce. This is particularly evidenced by the residential and commercial buildings in the frontage. The urban layout of today’s village has been preserved since the village was founded in the 15th century; it may even be older, dating back to the 12th century. Behind the square is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Czudec with its miraculous image of the Madonna. The large Baroque temple with a wide facade and a prominent tower in the middle is simply intimidating. Brightly painted walls, white-gold altars and beautiful stucco are the best you can expect from the Baroque decor. Leave the village along the main road to the southwest. After 2.5 km, turn slightly right and after another 200 m turn left. This will take you to the outskirts of Nowa Wieś. Then turn right, onto the main road. Take a sharp left after 1.5 km past the former fire station and continue ahead along the woods. Turn right after a wide curve to the left between the first buildings. The road will lead you along the edge of another forest complex. At the end of the road, turn right and go around the forest. Turn left onto a road running through the valley floor.
- 3Grodzisko34.5 kmGrodzisko
Drive through Grodzisko in a westerly direction. Go uphill in front of the church in Różanka. There you will reach the windmill and the viewpoint next to it. The 3-storey tower offers a sweeping panorama of the surrounding hills and ruins. The windmill operated for half a century, only closing in the 1990s. Visits can be arranged by calling the telephone number on the board. Descending the hill, go straight ahead through the intersection. At the next crossroads, take the left exit and after a moment turn right. You will pass a cemetery and turn left 400 m further on. Keep right at the end of the road and then turn again, this time left. You will go straight on, passing a small forest on your left. At the next one, turn to go south along its edge. This takes you to Tułkowice. In the village, turn east and stop at the Neo-Gothic church. It bears all the hallmarks of this style; it is soaring, has windows ending in pointed arches, and rosettes, and the interior is richly decorated. Mighty columns
support the arcades between the nave and side aisles, the beautiful black-and-gold main altar is an eye-catcher, and everything is crowned with ribbed cloture.
- 4Strzyżów51 kmStrzyżów
Further along the route, you will reach Strzyżów. Turn off the bypass along regional road no. 988 towards the centre. In addition to the urban layout of the small Galician town, in the centre of which is the market square, do not miss the Neo-Romanesque church. Other places of interest include the tunnel under Żarnowska Mountain, built in 1941 as a shelter for Adolf Hitler's train. You can reach it by turning from Słowackiego Street into Dr. Patryna Street and then into Witosa and Żarnowska Streets. Leaving the town on Rzeszowska Street, turn left, before the bridge over the Wisłok River. You will ride for a long stretch along the river, enjoying the scenery of its valley. If you wish, you can still visit the spur of the old bridge, it is located next to the new one. Keep moving in a general direction to the north. Only 5 km further on you will cross the bridge to continue your journey on the other side of the river.
- 5Czudec64 kmCzudec
This time do not enter the village, taking the side roads along the bypass on the regional road no. 988. Cross the river again. Here you will find the ruins of Czudec Castle, the first forms of which probably existed here as early as the 13th century. Follow the main road southeast. Reaching Wyżne, turn past the fire station and after 400 m turn left. Along the village asphalt road, you will go alongside the Wisłok and come out by the cemetery in Lubenia. Take a moment to see the Neo-Gothic church, then follow the main road through Siedliska towards the Budziwój housing estate. You will turn into Porąbki Street and drive along it to Senatorska Street. Take this in turn, through the single-family housing estates to Jana Pawła II Street. Go left. Turn left from its extension into Kwiatkowskiego Street to the cycle path by the Żwirownia Reservoir. Rest a while before the last section, which along the right bank of the Wisłok River will lead you to Karpacki Bridge and the Stal Rzeszów stadium. You have covered the entire route, congratulations!
- 6Rzeszów86 kmRzeszów
Your journey ends near the starting point.
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