Discover Wieluń

Fortification history and an exhibition in the tower

The medieval defensive walls of Wieluń were approximately 1,200 to 1,300 metres long. The original fortifications included two gates: the Kaliskie Gate to the west, also called the Dąbrowska Gate, and the Krakowska Gate to the east, also called the Rudzka Gate.

One specific place to visit to learn about Wieluń’s history is the Baszta Męczarnia. The exhibition “W izbie wieluńskiego kata” there explores the history of Wieluń’s executioners and their workshop. The tower can be visited Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., after purchasing an admission ticket at the museum. Those interested in city history and historic professions will find a clearly focused insight here.

Kamieniołomy Kowalskiego is another named place in Wieluń: it is a disused quarry at the intersection of Częstochowska and Polna streets. Its current status sets it apart from the fortifications and the exhibition; it should be understood as a former, inactive quarry.

Following the narrow-gauge railway

The trail following the Wieluń narrow-gauge railway combines exercise with insights into the railway’s history. Within the municipality of Wieluń, the paved section is more than 4 kilometres long. It is intended for cyclists, walkers, horse riders and roller skaters. You can therefore plan to use the trail during your stay according to your preferred way of getting around; however, the information about the paved section does not indicate the length of the entire trail.

Along the trail, information boards describe the railway’s history and show historical photographs. Two tourist service points along the way provide tables, benches and toilets. Anyone looking for both a paved route and information about the local railway’s past on an outing will find both as features of this trail. The listed activities and facilities are specific points of reference for planning your day.

Green spaces with different character

Park Miejski im. Żwirki i Wigury has historic origins: it was established in 1852 to a design by district engineer Karol Brochocki. It was laid out on the site of a former moat and the fortification walls between today’s Śląska and Krakowskie Przedmieście streets, along Piłsudskiego Street. The park’s origins are therefore directly connected to the former fortification grounds.

The Lasek Miejski, a woodland park north of Wojska Polskiego Street, is distinct from it. Its main feature is a walking avenue parallel to the street. The Wieluński Ogródek Botaniczny was established on ten hectares of this woodland park between 1998 and 2000. When exploring Wieluń’s green spaces, you can distinguish between the city park established in 1852, the woodland park with its walking avenue, and the botanical garden on part of Lasek Miejski.

The “Lasek Kurowski” nature reserve offers another side of nature. It was established on 24 November 1983 and protects natural oak-hornbeam stands with fir trees, as well as alder swamp forest and alder riparian forest. These described forest communities set the reserve apart from landscaped parks. Together, these places offer a range of interests for planning your trip: city history, a railway trail, places to walk and protected woodland habitats. You can decide which themes matter most to you during your time in Wieluń without having to combine them into a single route.

Places for further reference

For further reference, you can also visit the pages for Konopnica, Osjaków, Zalecze Male, Janów, Dzietrzniki and Wieluń. If you are looking for a holiday apartment, you can choose Wieluń based on whether the historic sites, the railway trail or the different green spaces are the main draw for your stay.

For the overarching travel overview: Lodz.

More destinations

More places in the same destination:

Tomaszowski, Skierniewice.