Sorau: Forest Trails, Churches and Park History

Forest trails and longer routes

The “Dolina Szyszyny” nature and forest trail runs alongside a river characterised by deep gorges. A walk along the “Dolina Szyszyny” trail takes about two hours and covers 2.3 kilometres. The Dolina Szyszyny area contains the ruins of a historic mill, a dam dating from 1932 and a medieval hillfort listed in the register of historic monuments. Nature and architectural history can thus be found side by side in a small area.

A different scale is offered by the 23-kilometre black hiking trail from Żagań to Żary, which runs through the municipality of Żary. Green and red hiking trails also connect Żary with Gubin and Łęknica, respectively. Zielony Las combines varied terrain and rich vegetation with a network of trails: two tourist trails, a Euroregional cycling route and the “Zielony Las” nature and forest trail run through it; there are also three observation towers. The signposted red “Wielka Pętla Łużycka” cycling route heads towards the Nysa Łużycka. When planning, you can distinguish the roughly two-hour Dolina Szyszyny route from the considerably longer hiking connection, without assuming a walking time for the 23-kilometre trail.

Churches and park history in the municipality of Żary

Architectural history can be seen across different locations and periods. In Złotnik, the ruins of a Gothic church preserve richly embellished entrance doors, a Gothic two-bay rib vault, remnants of polychrome decoration and face-shaped vault corbels. Mirostowice Dolne is home to a Gothic church dating from the 13th century. In Mirostowice Górne, a gate and stone wall dating from the 16th century are associated with a Gothic church. Sieniawa Żarska is home to a Gothic church dating from the 14th century and a presbytery built in 1737. The Gothic church in Lubanice is associated with penance crosses and a monument to Mikołaj Jakubica, creator of written Lower Sorbian.

The park in Włostów offers a distinctive blend of landscape and design. It covers 10.5 hectares and features a water system with four ponds and canals. E. Petzold designed the park in 1864 for the Tülff family, then owners of the estate. Notable surviving trees include a sycamore maple with three-lobed leaves, an unusually lobed English oak and two lime trees that have grown together. The village head’s house in Złotnik also has a documented history of opening to visitors: it was first opened for viewing during the European Heritage Days in 2018. At the time, the interiors featured historic architectural ceramics and photographs from the Society for the Preservation of the Past.

The wider setting: Powiat Żarski

The wider destination of Powiat Żarski expands the picture to include landscape and garden history. Muskau Park dates from the first half of the 19th century and is considered an outstanding example of European garden art from that period. It extends across Łęknica in Poland and Bad Muskau in Germany; the Double Bridge and the English Bridge connect the two parts. Since 2011, the Łuk Mużakowa Geopark has been part of European Geopark networks with UNESCO support. Its Polish section is legally protected as a landscape park. The regional natural environment is also a topic in its own right: forests cover more than half of Powiat Żarski, which is home to four nature reserves. These regional-scale attractions can be considered in your plans alongside the specific trails and buildings in the municipality.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Chlebice, Dluzek, Żary, Lubsko, Brzostowa, Dobrzyń, Łęknica, Sieniawa Żarska, Lipinki Łużyckie, Czaple.

For the wider travel overview: Lubusz.