Rychwald: Trails, Nature and History

Rychwałd (Rychwałd) lies on the edge of the Ciężkowice Foothills. Wooded slopes surround the village, which stretches along the Rychwałdzianka stream. The stream flows into the Biała Tarnowska River. The watercourse and hilly landscape shape the character of this destination—a different side of Poland from its coast, lake districts or big cities.

Landscape and trails around Rychwałd

Rychwałd lies within the Ciężkowice Foothills Protected Landscape Area. As part of the network of protected areas, the village also serves as a buffer zone for the Ciężkowicko-Rożnowski Landscape Park and the Brzanka Range Landscape Park. When planning your trip, this location is a useful guide if you are looking for a region of wooded hills rather than an urban or coastal destination. The mixed-forest-covered hills around Rychwałd offer panoramic views of the northern part of the Ciężkowice Foothills.

One hiking option is the blue-marked Piotrkowice–Rychwałd trail, which passes through the village. A longer cycling route is also linked to Rychwałd: the 14-kilometre “LEGIONISTÓW” route runs from the Legionnaires’ Cemetery in Łowczówek via Rychwałd Klepków, Lichwin Pustki and Lubinka Piekarzówka to Lichwin Nowy Świat. Its route includes several stops, making clear that Rychwałd is part of a route through several localities.

The tourism and leisure offer also includes the Eko@sklep “Na Trasie” ecological nature trail. It connects 17 farms in the municipality, one of which is in Rychwałd. The farms offer fruit, milk, cottage cheese, eggs, honey and flowers. If you are interested in the connection between landscape and agriculture, this is a specific regional highlight. The Małopolska Fruit Trail is also part of the wider regional offer. It brings together agritourism and commercial farms and aims to promote the “Owoce Małopolski” brand.

Memorial sites and local history

Rychwałd has several memorial sites. Three memorials were renovated in recent months. At Military Cemetery No. 188 lie 29 Austro-Hungarian and 25 Russian soldiers; the cemetery covers 0.05 hectares. These specific details make it an important point of interest for travellers who would like to learn about the history of the region.

In Olszówki in Rychwałd, a monument with two graves commemorates the place where 13 political prisoners were shot on 31 March 1944. They had been brought from Limanowa or Nowy Sącz. Another monument beside it commemorates actions by the Barbara Home Army battalion, known as the “Butter Action”. Olszówki is also home to the site where four prisoners brought from Tarnów were shot on 30 March 1944.

Another memorial site is in Las Koszycki in Rychwałd. In 1940, probably on 8 September, 18 Poles were shot there by Germans; they had probably been brought from Tarnów. During your visit, you can include a selection of memorial sites in Rychwałd and Olszówki as part of exploring the local history.

Chapel and finding accommodation

The Chapel of St Joseph is also part of the village. A service is listed there for Sundays and public holidays at 10:15 a.m. Alongside nature trails and historic memorial sites, Rychwałd also offers a spiritual point of interest.

This makes it possible to link your search for a holiday apartment with a clear picture of the destination, without combining its different highlights into a single itinerary.

More destinations

Paleśnica, Wola Radłowska, Skrzyszów, Jamna, Janowice, Tarnów, Zgłobice and Siedliska.

For the main travel overview: Tarnów.