TOWN OF KOŚCIAN
KOŚCIAN COMMUNE
TOWN AND COMMUNE CZEMPIŃ
TOWN AND COMMUNE KRZYWIŃ
TOWN AND COMMUNE ŚMIGIEL

TOWN OF KOŚCIAN

There is a river “Obra” flowing through the town. The river divides into 2 branches encircling an old part of the town. Flat terrain surrounding Kościan is 80 meters above sea level. It covers the area of 561 km2 from Krzywiń Lake District in the north to the Middle Obra Valley in the south. There is “Gen. Dezydery Chłapowski Agro-ecological Landscape Park”.

Despite the high density of the population there are a lot of greens in the town - over 100 ha, which gives 41,7m2 per capita (average in Poland is 15m2 per capita). Parks, green spots, walking areas and a lot of small gardens decorate the town.

Some of the most interesting monuments in the town are:

Parish Church under the invocation of the Assumpted Holy Virgin Maria - gothic, built of bricks in XIV-XVI century; in the church there is a precious late-gothic triptych from 1507.
Parish Church under the invocation of Jesus - baroque, built of brick, there is a wonderful crucifix from XVI century.
Succursal Church under the invocation of the Holy Ghost - late gothic, second half of XV century, a hospital in the past (year 1385).
Complex of buildings where the Bernardine Convent was in the past and the Province Celebrological Hospital is presently.
Parts of a wall surrounding the old town - Niezłomnych Square, built of brick; XIV/XV, XIX century.
Obelisk dedicated to the insurgents in Wielkopolska region - parish cemetery.
Mausoleum dedicated to victims of fascism - parish cemetery.
Chapel on 46 ks. Bączkowskiego Street, built of brick, XIX century.
The Town Hall - originally built in XV century, present Town Hall was built in the middle of XIX century, late-classicistic, it is a seat of the Regional Museum and the Kościan Region Lovers Society
Windmill - near the “U Dudziarza” Inn, built of wood in year 1714, now a gallery.
Monumental tenement-houses in the market square, no.: 18,30,32; Houses on 16,18, and 20 Szewska Street.

KOŚCIAN COMMUNE

In 1992, in the Kościan commune and three neighbouring communes, the “Gen. Dezydery Chłapowski Agro-ecological Landscape Park” has been established. Kościan Commune is well known of the Racot Stable, one of the biggest stables in Europe, famous for its experimental breed of tarpan horses. It is well worth saying that the stable has attractive recreational and hotel facilities. Horse raiding, hunting, sledging cavalcades and landscape admiring excursions enthusiasts will find their haven here. Wonderful qualities of Racot attract guests from Poland and foreign countries.

Nature lovers will find in the commune clean ecological sites to have a rest. What attracts tourist here is a microclimate of Wonieskie Lake, tourist facilities in Dębiec Nowy and in Gryżynka.

There are tourist routs going through the most interesting areas of the commune:

Green route, 80 km long, runs from Krzan through Kościan, Choryń, Turew, Lubiń to Dolsk;
Yellow route, 46 km long, runs from Piotrowo through Kościan, Kobylniki, Stare Bojanowo to Błotkowo;
Blue route, 136 km long, leads from Czempiń, through Racot, Zgliniec, Osieczna to Kobylin;
Black route, 36 km long, runs from the foresters lodge in Krzan through Kościan, Gryżyna, Kopaszewo to Rąbiń.

Rooms for tourists in the commune are offered by: hotel of the Racot Stable, hotel and restaurant “Angelo” in Kiełczewo, “Chemik” Hotel Holiday Resort in Dębiec Nowy. There are also tourist accommodations in Chłapowski Palace in Turew.

Some of the most interesting monuments in the Kościan commune are:

Oborzyska Stare
Gothic church from XVII century under the invocation of the Holy Virgin Maria of Consolation and Saint Nicolaus.

Racot
Classicistic palace from XVII century, work of a famous Italian architect Dominick Merlini. Nowadays there is a head office of the Racot Stable in the palace. The palace in Racot had been visited by Tadeusz Kościuszko, Wyszkota Zakrzewski - the first president of Warsaw, Józef Wybicki - the composer of Polish national anthem, Dutch kings, Polish presidents.
Natural monument - lime tree alley of Jablonowscy with 140 magnificent trees.

Choryń
Classicistic palace from XVIII century, where Adam Mickiewicz lived and wrote;
Church under the invocation of Saint Katarzyna, built in 1851 by the foundation of Taczanowscy family, romantic neo-gothic style, oriented, built of brick;

Turew
Palace and park complex established in the second half of XVII century. It comprises of the palace - a former residence of Chłapowscy family, a chapel, an old annex, a former gardener’s house and a park. At the present time there is a seat of the Farming Biology Institute and the Ecology Institute of the Polish Academy of Science in the palace.

Bonikowo
Parish church under the invocation of Saint Nicolaus from XVIII century, built of wood.

Gryżyna
Parish church form XIX century under the invocation of Saint Barbara, neo-gothic style, built of brick, three naves, hall-like.
Mansion from 1793, now a seat of a farm of the Racot Stable.
Ruins of a church that was built in XII century.

Wyskoć
Parish church under the invocation of Saint Andrew the Apostle. The church was first mentioned in 1366. The present one was built in 1843, neo-gothic, oriented, hall-like, three naves, built of brick.



CZEMPIŃ TOWN AND COMMUNE

There is the “Gen. Dezydery Chłapowski Agro-ecological Landscape Park” in the commune, established in 1992. Creation of the park has helped to speed up reconstruction and planting of new field-afforestations following the example of afforestations made in the 1920’s by gen. Dezydery Chłapowski from Turew - the precursor of modern farming. Field-afforestations play a very important part in farming: they prevent excessive soil vaporization, counteract wind and water soil erosion, they keep the surface waters clean and contribute to the growth of crops.

Many monuments and palace-park complexes are propitious to the touristic development.
The only Research Station of Hunting Association in Poland has its seat in Czempiń. The Station is occupied with breeding birds of prey and research on beasts of the chase.

Some of the most interesting monuments in Town and Commune Czempiń are:

Czempiń
Market square with storied houses from XIX/XX century.
Church under the invocation of Saint Michael the Archangel, built in 1895-1899 in place of an older church, neo-roman with a high tower.
Szołdrscy Palace from XVIII century, baroque, elevation decorated in regent style, on the attic there are sculptures symbolising 4 parts of the world. In the well maintained landscape park from XVIII century monuments of nature.
Palace Chapel of Saint Simon and Judah and the Holy Virgin Maria of Częstochowa from 1782 with a tower from XIX century, baroque-classicistic style.

Borowo
Palace from early XX century in the baroque villa style. A lot of monumental trees in the landscape park. Near the palace there a sepulchral obelisk of col. J. Mojaczewski transferred from Czempiń. There is the Experimental Institute for Growing and Acclimatising of Plants in the palace-park complex.
School from 1878, later expanded, neo-gothic, outside there is a Józef Wojciechowski commemorating plate from 1989

Gołębin Stary
Church under the invocation of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Maria from 1670, built of wood, with a square tower in the west and a neo-renaissance brick Szołdrcsy tomb chapel from 1881.
Chapel with a baroque stone sculpture of Saint Jan Nepomucen from about 1730 in the vast landscape park from XVIII century.
Granary from the end of XIX century with a tower and a brick-wooden porch in the form of passage in the grange complex.
School from the first half of XIX century, later modified, outside there is a Florian Marciniak commemorating plate from 1969.

Gorzyczki
Palace from 1868, neo-renaissance with a storied tower in the corner and a dining-room with a rich stucco decorations. There is a landscape park surrounding the palace with monuments of nature.
Mansion from XVIII century modified in XIX century, one-storied with a storied porch and a portal.

Gorzyce
Erratic block with a commemorating plate (1994) in the form of scout cross put in the place where the house of Florian Marciniak used to be - his birth place.

Jarogniewice
Palace from 1792 modified in 1893-1904 close in style to French classicism, column portico in the front elevation. There are annexes adjoining to the palace: neo-baroque with a mansard roof and a tower from 1904; the second is classicistic, storied with a pediment roof from 1790-1792. In the landscape park from XVI-XVII century there is a neo-gothic gardener’s house from the beginning of XIX century and a chapel with a late gothic figure of Saint Ian Nepomucen from the second half of XVIII century. In the palace-park complex there is a Social Care House for blind people.

Piotrkowice
Mansion from 1820, modified in 1872, classicistic.

Głuchowo
Saint Katherine Church from 1751, expanded in 1904, late baroque with a quadrilateral tower from the west and neo-baroque chapels. Parts of late gothic altars from the beginning of XVI century: a quarter with Saint Apolonia Martyrdom scene and a predella with Carrying of the Cross. Outside there are numerous epitaph plates.
Palace from the beginning of XVIII century, modified in 1882, classicistic with a column portico from the second half of XVIII century with numerous monumental size trees.

KRZYWIŃ TOWN AND COMMUNE

The land of Krzywiń is particularly attractive for the fans of swimming, surfing, canoeing and especially for anglers. Apart from monumental Benedictine Abbey, exceptional attraction is also the Way of the Cross in Kopaszewo with its stops located in the midst of fields and forests. The Way of the Cross has been visited by pilgrims for almost 100 years. Agro ecological Gen. Dezydery Chłapowski Landscape Park included the northern part of commune where unique field forests were taken under protection. The Park shows agro culture of the region. Wanderers may take advantage of 54 km of prepared assigned tourists routes and guides. There are also many attractive routes for cyclists there. The visitors of the commune can find guest rooms in hostel in Łagowo (capacity: 31 persons) and in Lubiń (capacity: 45 persons). Concerning Krzywiń visitors can stay at Fireman House, in Cichowo - Pod Bocianem Inn, in Bieżyń - U Huberta Inn. The guest rooms in Lubiń are also available in the Benedictin Monastery. There are many farms for tourists arising in the commune.

The development of the commune is first off all determined by tourism, services, building industry. The spatial planning covers three guarded bathing beaches all around the lakes as a places designed for comprehensive recreational - tourists services.
Unquestionable attraction of Krzywiń commune is Soplicowo Movie Heritage Park in Cichowo village. It is a project of reconstruction of original decoration from the movie “Pan Tadeusz” directed by Andrzej Wajda. The author of this project is Allan Starski - famous set designer and the prize-winner of Oscar for the set design of Shindler’s List. The Heritage Park consists of a discard, a coach house, stables, a granary, a barn, a hen house, a well, a crane and fences. All these elements are placed in the area of two and a half thousand square meters and made by highlander carpenters preserving historical conformity. Soplicowo Movie Heritage Park is becoming a place of unusual lessons of national history and literature for the participants of school excursions and all the visitors who come to see Cichowo. Cichowo village is located by the Cichowo - Mórka Lake (7 km of length) and every year is becoming most attractive place for summer holiday rest.

ŚMIGIEL TOWN AND COMMUNE

Śmigiel surroundings are the area with diverse tourists - sight seeing features. More interesting terrains are crossed by tourist routes that enable tourists to admire beautiful nooks and places. Assigned routes are located in south - eastern part of the commune.

Yellow Route, 46 km long, runs from Błotkowo to Piotrowo. On the terrain of Śmigiel Commune the route comes through the forest from Błotkowo direction passing Wydorowo, Robaczyn, Stare Bojanowo, Bruszczewo, Przysieka Polska and Przysieka Stara. The terrain of Śmigiel commune is covered by about 14 km of this route.

Black Route, 32 km long runs from Śmigiel to Krzywiń. It starts at the railway station in Śmigiel and runs through the Town of Koszanowo, Bruszczewo, Przysieka Stara to a front dam of Wonieść Lake. There is about 14 km of this route located at the terrain of Śmigiel Commune.

Blue Route, 27 km long, connects Czempiń with Kobylin. The section of the route running through Śmigiel Commune is about 10 km long and comes onto a front dam of Wonieść Lake and runs through Wonieść and Jezieżyce.

To the most beautiful monuments of the terrain of Śmigiel Commune belong:

Śmigiel:
Cemetery church under the invocation of Saint Wit, restored in 1908, construction filled with bricks and field stones; polychrome late gothic triptych in early baroque casing made from lime wood and situated in the main altar
The complex of buildings of former brewery from 1894
Post Office building
Narrow gauge railway station
The buildings of inactive gas work; worth visiting due to a gas production system that was functioning in the beginning of this century

Białcz Stary
The Church under the invocation of All Saints, founded at the turn of XIII and XIV century, presbytery comes from the half of XVIII century
Wayside figure of Saint Jan Nepomucen from XIX century
Farm buildings from the turn of XIX and XX century

Bronikowo
Wooden church from 1738 surrounded by old trees
Palace from the turn of XIX and XX century, currently adapted for the primary school

Czacz
Church under the invocation of Saint Michael Archangel, founded between 1352 - 1370, rebuilt in XV century
Palace - park complex