Discover Zduńska: Nature, trails and culture

The Międzyrzecza Warty i Widawki Landscape Park is Zduńskowolski County’s main nature and tourism attraction and covers its southern part. Spanning 25,330 ha, the park protects the valleys of the Warta, Widawka, Grabia, Oleśnica, Nieciecz and Wierznica rivers. Its high banks reach up to 45 m and offer sweeping views across the landscape, as well as glimpses of ancient limestone formations. Wetlands also shape the natural environment, providing breeding habitats for waterbirds. If you want to make nature and longer routes the focus of your trip, you’ll find practical starting points here to help plan it.

Choose hiking trails by length and route

There are three PTTK-marked trails in the county: two hiking trails and one cycling route. The red “Uroczyska i rezerwaty” hiking trail runs from Zduńska Wola railway station via the “Wojsławice” and “Jabłecznik” nature reserves to Męcka Wola railway station. It is 16 km long and passes through dense woodland and both nature reserves. The endpoint is also useful for planning your day: you can return to Zduńska Wola from Męcka Wola by train with Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna.

The green “Wokół Zduńskiej Woli” trail is 22 km long and connects Zduńska Wola, Zapolice, Strońsko, Beleń and Poręby. This gives you a choice of two hiking trails with different stated lengths and routes. If you prefer the shorter of the two, consider the red trail; if you’re planning a longer route, consider the green one. Another hiking trail runs for several kilometres through the Strońsko area, along the edge of the deep Warta Valley.

For a cycling trip, the blue “W środku Polski – ziemia znana i nieznana” trail, at 61 km long, is a practical option. Horse riding is another activity described as available here: the Łódzki Szlak Konny runs through the county. Options include individual or group recreational rides, carriage rides and trips in Western wagons, horse-drawn carriages or sleighs. Also mentioned are more challenging rides in suitable landscapes, historical reenactments and hippotherapy.

Nature and history at specific locations

The Wojsławice nature reserve is one of the county’s forest nature reserves. Wojsławice is also home to a palace and manor complex described as a valuable historic monument. It includes an eclectic palace built by the Siemiątkowski family at the turn of the 20th century, a brick manor house in the neoclassical style dating from the first half of the 19th century, and the remains of a brick fortified manor house from the 16th century. On an island in a small pond are also the remains of a brick knights’ castle built by the Wężyk family around the middle of the 16th century. The surviving remains include sections of the walls of two rooms in the southern part and remnants of a tower.

In Strońsko, the Church of St Ursula stands on the high bank of the Warta. This 13th-century Romanesque building is considered one of central Poland’s oldest religious buildings; it was remodelled several times in later years. A striking feature is the semicircular stone tympanum of unknown origin in the porch. It depicts a basilisk devouring a grasshopper, framed by interlaced ornament.

Local history can also be explored through various collections. The Izba Regionalna in Wojsławice holds more than 5,000 exhibits on folklore and folk traditions from Zduńskowolski County and the Sieradz region. By prior arrangement, the Muzeum Historii Miasta Zduńska Wola offers access to a regional library, museum lessons and guided tours of the city and its surroundings. The exhibition at the Muzeum – Dom Urodzenia św. Maksymiliana Marii Kolbego presents the life and work of Father Kolbe: his journey from Zduńska Wola through Poland and the world to sainthood, and his martyrdom in the starvation bunker at KL Auschwitz.

In Zduńska Wola Karsznice, the Skansen Lokomotyw includes an Izba Historii with documents on the activities of Zakład Taboru Kolejowego and a model of the Karsznice railway settlement. The over-62-km-long Szlak św. Maksymiliana Kolbego also passes through Zduńska Wola; the city is described as the saint’s birthplace and place of baptism.

When looking for a holiday apartment, you could start by considering which of these places and themes you want to shape your trip: the nature park and hiking trails, the history of Strońsko and Wojsławice, or the museums and railway history of Zduńska Wola and Karsznice. The city of Zduńska Wola is a point of reference for several of the trails and cultural themes mentioned here.

More destinations in the same wider area: Kutno, Bełchatowski, Rawski, Radomsko, Opoczno, Łęczycki and Łask.

See the wider travel overview: Lodz.