Rokitno: Baroque Basilica and Calvary Trail
Accommodation in Rokitno
Rokitno can be explored above all through its sanctuary and the routes that connect the town with religious history and cycling. The Baroque basilica, the Rokitniańska Calvary and two cycling routes of different lengths provide concrete points of reference for planning a trip. When preparing for a stay, culture and physical activity can be considered separately: the history of the church and pilgrimages is centred on the sanctuary, while the cycling routes pass through different localities.
Sanctuary and history
The Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Rokitno was built between 1740 and 1762. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Patient Listening is a Baroque church dating from 1758. Its vault is decorated with 18th-century polychrome paintings. The construction period and paintings place both the architecture and the interior design in the 18th century.
The sanctuary has been a centre of Marian devotion without interruption since the second half of the 17th century. The miraculous image in Rokitno was recognised as miraculous on 4 March 1670. Another connection to regional history is the work of the Cistercians: the sanctuary is one of the few surviving material testimonies to their work in the region. On 20 November 2024, it was recognised as a Monument of History by an ordinance of the President of the Republic of Poland.
The sanctuary also includes a museum and a garden. If you would like to include both in your stay, check the current visiting options in advance. This makes it possible to connect a visit to the complex with its different historical points of interest: the history of its construction, Marian devotion and the surviving testimony to Cistercian history each offer a distinct way to discover Rokitno.
Calvary Trail and cycling routes
The Rokitniańska Calvary has a 4.5-kilometre route with 32 stations. A special annual tradition is the torchlight procession on the Friday before Palm Sunday: thousands of worshippers walk the entire Calvary route to the sanctuary. When planning a trip around this date, both its fixed connection to Palm Sunday and the procession’s destination are important.
Two cycling routes also pass through Rokitno. The red cycling route is 21.5 kilometres long and runs from Nowa Skwierzynka via Chełmsko and Rokitno to Wierzbno. The yellow cycling route covers 30 kilometres from Twierdzielewo through Rokitno, Przytoczna, Goraj and Strychy. The routes differ in length by 8.5 kilometres, and their sequences of localities are also different. Check local route conditions before setting out.
When planning active days, the 4.5-kilometre Calvary Trail can be distinguished from the two longer cycling routes. The information on distances and stations offers a concrete comparison of the routes without treating them as equivalent. Those particularly interested in the religious tradition can also take the annual procession date into account.
Getting to Rokitno
From the “Międzyrzecz Północ” exit on the S3, head towards Rokitno/Przytoczna and turn left. Then continue for 12 kilometres to Rokitno. Road conditions and signage may change; check directions before travelling. This provides a specific starting point for planning, as well as two different cycling routes and a separate walking trail.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Skwierzyna, Brójce, Wiejce, Miedzyrzecz, Trzciel, Chycina, Nowa Niedrzwica, Lubikowo.
Return to the main travel overview: Międzyrzecki.
