Discover Tomice: Ponds, History and Hiking Trails

Fishponds as a landscape feature

The Stawy Tomickie in Tomice are a fishpond complex covering about 100 hectares. Their scale makes the ponds a prominent feature in descriptions of the village and gives you a specific point of reference when exploring the landscape of Tomice. The word “about” is important here: the figure describes the area approximately, not as an exact measurement. You can therefore consider the fishpond complex as a distinct theme alongside the historic buildings and hiking trails, rather than treating the different aspects of the village as interchangeable.

Chapels and architectural history

St. James Chapel dates from the 19th century and served as a church until the 1980s. Its history connects a building from that century with a specific former function that continued into the recent past. St. Florian Chapel also dates from the 19th century. It stands at a road junction near the municipal office in Tomice. If you are interested in local history, the two chapels offer different points of interest: for St. James, its former use as a church is on record; for St. Florian, its location at the junction and near the municipal office is notable. Both chapels belong to the same historical period, but the features mentioned here are different.

A historic house for art

The Bałysówka Art Gallery is housed in a listed building dating from the second half of the 19th century. Art and architectural history come together here in one building: the gallery is associated with a house whose construction date falls more specifically in the second half of that century. This adds another historic point of interest in Tomice alongside the chapels. When exploring local history, you can distinguish between the religious buildings and their respective features and a listed house that houses a gallery.

Hiking trails and route options

A 26-kilometre yellow hiking trail runs from Kalwaria Lanckorona PKP via Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Zebrzydowice, Wysoka, Babica, Witanowice and Tomice to Wadowice. Tomice is therefore part of a longer route described across several places. The yellow trail gives you a clear sequence of starting point, intermediate stops and destination for planning your trip; the distance refers to the entire trail, not just the section in Tomice.

A green hiking trail runs for 19 kilometres from Wadowice to Zator. The listed places along the way are Tomice, Woźniki, Grodzisko, Trzebieńczyce and Laskowa. This trail, too, passes through Tomice and continues beyond the village. The two figures allow a direct comparison of total distances: at 19 kilometres, the green trail is shorter than the yellow trail at 26 kilometres. The stated starting points and destinations also differ. You can begin by choosing according to the distance and places relevant to your trip.

When choosing a focus, it helps to consider not just the colour of the hiking trails, but also their full routes and distances. Both pass through Tomice, but they start and end in different places and list different intermediate stops. If you are more interested in architectural history, the chapels and Bałysówka are the main attractions instead. The fishpond complex adds a landscape theme to these perspectives. Tomice thus offers several specific points of interest to consider when choosing where to stay and looking for a suitable holiday apartment.

Discover more destinations: Stryszów, Andrychów, Ponikiew, Koziniec, Sułkowice, Radocza, Gorzeń Górny, Wadowice.

Back to the main travel overview: Wadowice.