Discover Iłowa: Gardens, palace history and cycling routes

Garden design and palace history

Park Dworski in Iłowa is a tourist attraction where you can see examples of Japanese, English and French garden design. The different garden styles give your visit a clear focus without requiring you to choose just one garden theme. If you are interested in landscaped grounds, you can make the park a starting point for exploring Iłowa’s garden culture.

The Pałac w Iłowej palace was built in 1626 by Christoph von Schellendorf. It combines Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau elements. Preserved details include stucco decorations and a wooden staircase with a balustrade. Alongside its architectural history, the palace therefore offers specific features to look out for as you explore the building. At the park and palace, garden design and architecture take centre stage as two distinct interests.

Discover places and stories in Iłowa

The quest “W poszukiwaniu skarbów Iłowej” (In Search of Iłowa’s Treasures) introduces the palace and gardens redesigned by Count Friedrich von Hochberg. Their design was inspired by his travels and his love of beauty, especially flowers. Another quest, “Spacer z Winklerem po Iłowej” (A Walk through Iłowa with Winkler), takes you through the town and shows places associated with the work of Wilhelm Winkler and his family. These two offerings highlight different aspects of history: the first focuses on the palace and gardens, the second on a family’s traces in the town.

The Church of Christ the King (kościół pw. Chrystusa Króla) also has a specific musical feature: it houses a 28-stop organ built in the 1930s by the firm “E. Kempper & Sohn”. If you are interested in instruments and their history, this organ offers another way to explore local culture.

Cycling routes with different features

All the routes in “Rowerem wokół Iłowej” (Cycling around Iłowa) start and end at the town hall building at ul. Żeromskiego 27 in Iłowa. Most of the routes run along forest tracks. Further details are provided for the yellow cycling route: it is about 25 km long, classified as easy, and runs mostly along firm, well-maintained forest tracks. Its length, difficulty rating and surface conditions give you concrete criteria to consider when choosing this route.

The red cycling route passes the ruins of the Nowoszów cemetery and a shelter by Cichy Staw. These named landmarks distinguish its described course from the more fully detailed yellow route. When deciding which route to take, you can therefore consider the information given for the yellow route and the places mentioned along the red one.

Flowers and activities nearby

In Iłowa, the Pudełek ornamental plant nursery has a show garden with collections of rhododendrons and azaleas. An exhibition in 1939 illustrates Iłowa’s historic connection with dahlia cultivation: 1,000 dahlia varieties were presented there that year. Nearby, the Święto Parku Dworskiego takes place every May, showcasing interesting flower varieties grown in the surrounding area. The third Park Beats Festival in 2026 featured music, dance and entertainment.

The Bory Dolnośląskie near Iłowa also offer opportunities for horse riding, cycling, hiking and canoeing. When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home, you can therefore first weigh up which themes matter to your trip: the park, palace and town history in Iłowa, cycling routes, or activities in the surrounding area. This way, you can choose a search location based on the experiences you want to focus on.

If you would like to discover more places, you can also find Żagań and Gmina Szprotawa here.

For the broader travel overview: Sagan.