Bicycle routes

The blue route called "Milicz Ponds Route" runs from Czatkowice through Ruda Milicka, Milicz and Sułów to Ruda Sułowska, connecting the two largest Milicz Ponds complexes: Stawno and Ruda Sułowska. We recommend it for its exceptional scenic and natural qualities. There are also quite a few attractions and refreshment points along this route. The blue trail labeled "Milicz Ponds Trail" runs from Czatkowice through Ruda Milicka, Milicz and Sułów to Ruda Sułowska, connecting the two largest Milicz Ponds complexes: Stawno and Ruda Sułowska. We recommend it for its exceptional scenic and natural qualities. There are also quite a few attractions and refreshment points along this route. 

Characteristic view of ponds with a fishing boat for feeding the fish.

White-tailed eagles and cranes are not an uncommon sight at Milicz ponds, photo Agnieszka Floryczyk

The trail leads mainly along low-traffic roads, with the exception of the section from Sławoszowice to Sułów, where extreme caution is required. The route is a linear one; those who reach the route by car, have to return either along the same route, or use the orange route. A proposal for such a trip is included as a separate route (OVERVIEW OF THE ORANGE - BLUE ROUTE).

INTERESTING PLACES ON THE ROUTE:

Czatkowice | the beginning of the route; at Rzeczna Street, on the other side of the Struga Czatkowicka, there are preserved wooden cottages with a timber-frame construction from the end of the 18th century. On the Struga, one can notice numerous hydro-technical devices used to regulate the water levels in the ponds (this is related to fisheries management).

Grabownica | village by the Grabownica pond, the largest in the Stawno complex (283 ha). Above the pond is the 'Bluebird Tower', a 13 m high, 3-level tower for bird and forest animal observation. Just before the exit to the tower there is an original wooden weir damming up the water. Behind Grabownica, towards Ruda Milicka, an Evangelical cemetery from the 2nd half of the 19th century with graves of German and Polish inhabitants. In Grabownica, the famous cycle path along the route of the former narrow-gauge railway starts.

Ruda Milicka | one of the most beautiful villages in the Barycz Valley, located at the gateway to an ornithological reserve. On the initiative of its inhabitants it has been named the "Bird Village". An element integrating the inhabitants and referring to the bird character of the village are, among others, unique plaques with house numbers and images of birds. Each house has a different bird patron. In Ruda, there is also another unique building in the whole region - a cottage from 1812 built in a half-timbered construction (the so-called Fachwerk/Prussian wall) "Gajówka", the only one of its kind in the Barycz Valley. It was built by Count Andrzej Maltzan for the forest manager, and after the war it was used as housing for forestry workers and their families. Currently, its technical condition is deteriorating, and a struggle is underway to renovate it and open a small museum.

The historic 'Gajówka' of 1812 - the oldest building of its kind in the Barycz Valley.

Milicz | the seat of the commune and the heart of the Barycz Valley; St. Andrew Bobola Church, the ruins of the medieval castle of the Wrocław bishops, the classicist Maltzan Palace (18th century), now the Forestry Technical Secondary School; a recreational lagoon, Karłów swimming pool, the Creative Multifunctional Facility with the Museum of Milicz Christmas Balls and Druh Bolko's Room, the tomb of Joachim von Maltzan from the 1930s, the penultimate owner of Milicz.

Koruszka | village in the middle of the forest, just before the village to the right - Polish Konik  Reserve (one of 5 reserve horse farms of this primitive horse breed); Brick House and alpaca farm (the offer includes walks with these cute animals and learning how to feed them, tel.: + 48 697 987 326)

Sułów weir on the Barycz River, behind which lies a complex of recreation centres of the Wrocław MPK (so-called camping sites)

Sułów | a holiday village, until 1945 a town, on the route Milicz - Żmigród. Beautiful small-town market buildings; Juliusz Słowacki stayed in one of the tenement houses during his journey in 1831. Inside the house is the Regional Chamber with an archaeological exhibition. Next to the market square is the baroque Burghaus Palace from the 17th century (can only be viewed from behind a fence). Until recently, the impressive half-timbered granary from the 1st half of the 18th century could also be admired, but the building burned down. The former Protestant Church of Our Lady of Czestochowa, also half-timbered, octagonal in plan, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. Inside the church is a painting of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception brought by resettlers from Bar near Lviv. A wooden bell tower stands next to the church.

Ruda Sułowska | the end of the route. A village among the ponds of Milicz. Originally a fishing settlement, today it is the seat of the Stawy Milickie SA company. Ruda S. is called "a stork village", as it has the largest concentration of white stork nests in Silesia. There are 10-12 pairs nesting here permanently. In the village there is the CET Naturum Educational and Tourist Centre with a hotel, restaurant, museum of fishing in the Barycz Valley, game park and a sensory trail. CET also organises photosafari excursions to the ornithological reserve. Entrance only with a guide - by bicycle or melex (tel.: 71/ 759 08 88).

 Small Zoo in the CET Naturum in Ruda Sułowska, photo: Paweł Kucharski Travart

WHERE CAN YOU EAT OUT? WE RECOMMEND FISH DISHES!

1. Grabownica - Grabownica Restaurant

2. Ruda Milicka - Smakowita Wieś stall and Przystanek Kawa (coffee rickshaw) - seasonal offer

3. Milicz - recreational pond - Restaurant nad Zalewem, in the summer food trucks

4. Milicz - Parkowa restaurant (cyclist friendly place)

5. Ostoja near Milicz - Fish Fry in Ostoja (Milicz fish farm) - seasonal offer

6. Sułów - Fish Fry Karpik pod Strzechą (camping site) - seasonal offer

7. Ruda Sułowska - Gospoda 8 Ryb & Zajazd Głowaczówka (cyclist-friendly place)

Terrace of Gospoda 8 Ryb in Ruda Sułowska, photo: P. Kucharski Travart

Photos of nature and objects (except the Gajowka) courtesy of Milicz Ponds - photo by Agnieszka Florczyk and Paweł Kucharski. 

 ELEVATION PROFILE OF THE ROUTE:

Would you like a GPX file of the route? Download it under the map at or write to:  biuro@dkr.travel.pl

Need help organising a group holiday? Contact us: biuro@dkr.travel.pl   

If you are interested in helping us plan and prepare your group's stay and in being accompanied by a local guide who will tell you about the region's assets and take you to the most interesting places, please contact us. (Paid offer, we will provide an offer after a no-obligation e-mail contact). We provide certified guides, available during the week and at weekends, who also speak English or German.