Wollstein: Kayak Route, Churches and Museums

Wollstein combines a landscape shaped by the Ice Age with water-based activities and a rich cultural heritage. The most recent glaciation, the Weichselian or Baltic glaciation, ended in the Powiat Wolsztyński around 15,000 years ago. It left behind a varied and striking landscape. When planning your trip, you can therefore alternate between nature experiences and visits to historic sites.

Lakes and trails in Przemęt Landscape Park

If you would like to experience the landscape from the water, the 37-kilometre Konwaliowy Kayak Trail in Przemęt Landscape Park is an option. The circular route runs across lakes in the park, can be travelled in either direction, and starts and ends in Wieleń. You can rent kayaks there and get information about organising your trip. The route length is a useful guide when considering whether a kayak trip should be the main focus of your day.

Established in 1991 to protect the post-glacial landscape and local nature, Przemęt Landscape Park covers 21,450 hectares in the municipalities of Przemęt, Włoszakowice, Wijewo and Wschowa. 42 percent of its area lies in Powiat Wolsztyński. Another way to get your bearings is the trail in Olejnica: it starts and ends at a car park, with arrows pointing the way between stops. At the trailhead, an information board provides general guidance and a route map.

Churches, monastic heritage and museums

Kaszczor is home to the late Baroque Church of St. Wojciech. The Cistercian Order built it between 1764 and 1777, replacing a wooden church dating from the late 16th century. Its furnishings are Baroque-Classical and date from the second half of the 18th century. Also in Kaszczor, a former Protestant church, restored in 2011, now serves as a gallery and concert hall. The tower, which has been rebuilt, offers views of Kaszczor and the surrounding area.

Another historic church is in Wieleń: the late Baroque Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built by the Cistercians of Przemęt between 1731 and 1742, on a Latin-cross plan. The high altar houses a Gothic sculpture of the Madonna and Child, “Ucieczka Grzeszników” (“Refuge of Sinners”), from the second half of the 15th century; it is a destination for numerous pilgrimages. In Przemęt, the Baroque Church of St. John the Baptist was built between 1651 and 1690. After being partly destroyed by a fire in 1742, it was rebuilt in 1758–1759. The high altar dates from 1755. South of the church, fragments of former 17th-century monastery buildings survive; they were remodelled around 1767 and in the 19th century.

The Wielkopolska Loop of the Cistercian Trail includes former Cistercian monasteries in Paradyż, Zemsko-Bledzewo, Łekno-Wągrowiec, Ląd, Wieleń-Przemęt and Obra, as well as convents in Owińska and Ołobok. In Wolsztyn (Wollstein), two museums focus on individual lives and works: the Robert Koch Museum displays memorabilia from Koch’s time as district physician in Wolsztyn from 1872 to 1880, as well as from other places where he lived and conducted research. The exhibits are arranged in two rooms on the ground floor of a building constructed between 1842 and 1846. The Marcin Rożek Museum is housed in a villa built to the artist’s specifications at 34 5 Stycznia Street, where he lived from 1934.

More discoveries and getting around

The Marcin Rożek Museum includes a garden that extends down to the lake and features numerous works by the artist. The open-air museum of folk architecture in western Greater Poland offers a different perspective on regional building styles: on a 3.5-hectare site on the western shore of Jezioro Wolsztyńskie, it reconstructs the layout and buildings of a street village. Wroniawy Castle is a palace built for Stanisław Plater in the 19th century and remodelled in the Neo-Baroque style in the early 20th century. It is surrounded by a 12-hectare landscape park.

Local food culture can also play a part in planning your trip: agritourism providers in the Gmina Siedlec offer home-style cooking and healthy rural produce. Transport links in Wolsztyn are a practical guide when planning your journey and choosing a base. An important road connecting Poznań and Zielona Góra passes through the town; passenger trains run from Wolsztyn to Poznań, Leszno and Zbąszyń. If you are planning to travel by train, include Wolsztyn in your search for a hotel, holiday apartment or holiday home.

More places in the area

For further orientation, you can also find Godziszewo, Boruja, Tuchorza, Wolsztyn, Barchlin, Kopanica, Solec Nowy, Bucz, Wilcze, Chorzemin and Grójec Mały.

For the broader travel overview: Greater Poland.