Lodging house u Jaska in Lichen Stary is a perfect starting point for trips to the most interesting places in Greater Poland and the neighboring regions. Within a hundred kilometer radius of Lichen Stary you may find many tourist attractions that surely deserve notice.
We suggest that you visit the following places:
KORNIK
This town has been known since the 14th century as one of the estates of the powerful and wealthy families of Greater Poland. Today it is mostly associated with its castle complex, which includes the castle, the annexes, the garden pavilion and the park.
Kornik also has a dendrological museum, where you can see an interesting collection of coniferous tree cones. There is also the White Lady (Biala Dama)
- a tourist boat that cruises on the Kornik Lake and offers a pretty view of the castle and the park. Near Kornik you can find Rogalin
- a town with a beautiful palace and park complex.
Back to top
MUSEUM IN GOSLAWICE
The building of the museum is a towerless castle built on the shore of the Goslawickie Lake in the years 1420
- 1426.
The permanent exhibitions are devoted to: archeology, nature and geology, there are also exhibits related to the history of Konin, Judaicas, the history of lighting as well as patriotic and regular jewelry. The museum also includes a small ethnographical heritage park.
Back to top
KLODAWA
The "Klodawa" Salt Mine was founded in 1949 and is currently the largest supplier of rock salt in Poland.
Salt is extracted using traditional mining methods, which makes it possible to maintain the natural properties of the salt from Klodawa. Parts of the mine are open for visitors. (Sightseeing is only possible with a guide and after making a reservation by phone, preferably several days in advance.)
Back to top
ARCHEOLOGICAL HERITAGE PARK IN MROWKI
Located on the site of a medieval stronghold, which was probably destroyed by the Teutonic Knights in the 14th century. The heritage park includes reconstructed historical buildings
- a hut, a tower, a palisade.
There are also two fisherman's sheds and a replica of a wooden blacksmith's shop. The exhibition includes objects found during archeological excavations. The heritage park preserves the layout of a medieval knightly residence. It is open for visitors every day between 10:00
- 18:00, from April 1st to September 30th.
Back to top
GOLUCHOW
The mansion, copying the form of the castles on the Loire River, lies at the northern edge of the village in a spacious park with an area of
162 ha. Currently the building serves as a museum. The TV series "Queen Bona" was shot at this location. The museum of forestry, the only one in Europe, is located nearby. Moreover, a herd of European bison lives in a fenced area in a forest that lies next to the park. The animals receive visitors every day from 7am until dusk.
Back to top
CHELMNO
Here you can visit a museum of the Chelmno Extermination Camp,
which saw the death of about 160,000
- 200,000 thousand people. The camp's victims were mostly Jews from the occupied areas of Poland, the
Lodz Ghetto and other ghettos of the Nazi Reichsgau Wartheland. The museum is open all year; during the holiday season (from April 1st to September
30th) - every day between 10:00 and 18:00; outside of the season (from October 1st to March
31st) - only on business days between 8:00 and 14:00.
Back to top
KALISZ
Kalisz is believed to be the oldest city in Poland. In the past it was an important stop for those travelling along the Amber Trail. Visitors may wish to
see some of the following: the City Hall with its observation deck, St.
Nicholas' Cathedral (dating back to 1253), The Assumption Collegiate Church, the Palace of the Archbishops of Gniezno, the 14th-century donjon
"Dorothy", the church and monastery of the Franciscan monks (from the 13th century), the classicistic building of W. Boguslawski's Theatre, the Kalisz Museum, the Stone Bridge, the Wroclaw Turnpike, the Archeological Reserve. When travelling to Kalisz it is a good idea to also visit the village of Goluchow, located 16 km to the north west, which boasts one of the most beautiful castles in Poland, constructed in the style of the French renaissance.
Back to top
BIENISZEW
Bieniszew lies at a distance of about 16 km form Lichen Stary. This village is surrounded by dense forest and accessible only via a bumpy track. Bieniszew is known for its Owl's Mountain (Sowia Gora),
where you can find a unique sight - the hermitage of Monk Hermits of Camaldoli. The monks settled in Bieniszew in 1663. Today the monasteries of the Camaldoli exist only in Italy and in Poland. In order to visit the 18th-century Church under the invocation of the Birth of the Holy Virgin Mary one needs to enter the hermitage. The strict laws of the congregation grant the right of entry to women only on Sundays during mass, and possibly on the second day of Pentecost. If you're a man, you only need to knock on the doors of the hermitage and wait a moment.
Back to top
SLESIN
Slesin is a town located 9 km from Lichen, at a series of finger lakes: Wasowskie, Mikorzynskie,
Slesinskie and Lichenskie. Numerous sports and recreation resorts were established on the shores of the lakes, which offer wonderful opportunities for active relaxation. Most of them give the possibility of renting tourist and swimming equipment. During the summer holiday season
Slesin hosts a sailing regatta for the Blue Ribbon of the Slesinskie Lake, as well as many other cultural and entertainment events.
Back to top
KRUSZWICA
Kruszwica is located about 41 km from Lichen,
at a place where the
Notec River flows out from the Goplo Lake. The city is one of the legendary capitals of Poland. In the city centre there is a market square with buildings dating back to the beginning of the 19th century. The city is home to the famous Mouse Tower, which is a remnant of a Gothic castle built on the initiative of Casimir the Great. The tower is in the form of an octagon, and is 32 m high. Its name comes from the legend of king Popiel, though the tower itself doesn't date that far back. Not far from the tower lies the Goplo Lake, where you can find sailing and rowing resorts. Kruszwica also has a Romanesque collegiate church under the invocation of St. Peter and Paul, which was built in the years 1120-1140 from hewn granite and sandstone.
Back to top
POZNAN
Poznan is the capital city of Greater Poland,
most famous for its International Trade
Fair. Poznan has such a multitude of historical sites that it is next to impossible to list them all. There are numerous palaces and castles, beautiful churches and exhibits related to the beginnings of the Polish state. A sightseeing tour of
Poznan should undoubtedly begin at Ostrow Tumski, where the ceremony of the Baptism of Poland took place and in the year 968 the first Polish episcopate was established. The creators of Polish statehood,
Mieszko I and Boleslaus the Brave as well as their successors, were laid to rest at Ostrow Tumski. Other noteworthy places include: the Archdiocesan Museum, the city hall dating back to the beginning of the 14th century (it was given its current shape after the fire of the city in 1536), the Museum of Musical Instruments, the Palace of the Gorkowie family, the Palace of the Dzialynscy family, the National Museum, the Raczynscy Library
- one of the oldest public libraries in Poland, the Citadel Park, the Museum of Motorization, the Botanical Garden
- one of the largest in Europe, and two zoos.
Back to top
TORUN
Torun is located at the border of two geographical regions - Pomerania and Kujavia. The distance between Lichen Stary and
Torun is about 81 km. The city has over three hundred historical sites, which should definitely be visited.
A sightseeing tour of
Torun should probably begin with the city hall tower, from which tourists can admire a unique view of the old town. Other attractions include, for example, the Planetarium, the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary, the house of Nicolaus Copernicus, the Leaning Tower of Torun, the ruins of the Teutonic Castle and the Old Town Hall, which houses the Museum of the Region.
Back to top
BISKUPIN
Biskupin lies at a distance of about 72 km from Lichen Stary. This village is famous for its archeological reserve. Here you can find well-preserved remnants of a settlement of the Lusatian Culture, and there are also traces of settlements dating back as far as to the end of the Paleolithic era. Biskupin was the location of an oval-shaped village, which included around 102 huts and was built on an island with an area of 2 ha.
The settlement is believed to have been established in the years 747
- 722 B.C. Apart from the settlement, the open air museum also includes a hut of the Paluki culture from the second half of the 18th century, as well as various exhibitions related to the local archeological finds. Once a year (in the middle of September) the reserve hosts an archeological fair, where you can learn to shape clay into pottery, shoot a bow, start a fire and see what were the day-to-day activities of Biskupin's inhabitants.
Back to top
CIECHOCINEK
About 73 km from Lichen lies the city of Ciechocinek. It is the biggest and main health resort in the Polish lowlands region. Some of the city's buildings are historical, and the whole place is filled with greenery and evokes a friendly atmosphere of relaxation and rest.
The main attractions of Ciechocinek are three Europe's largest wooden graduation towers, i.e. devices used to evaporate water from salt water. But the heart of Ciechocinek, as well as its most prominent orientation point, is the so-called Mushroom, which is a salt water fountain. Opposite to the Mushroom there's the
Spring Park - the oldest and most interesting park in Ciechocinek, established in 1875. The park houses two buildings that are worth mentioning. The first one is a wooden concert bowl, and the second one is the building of the Mineral Water Pump Room.
Back to top
GNIEZNO
Gniezno was the first capital of Poland, and was once the main stronghold of Greater Poland. In the pagan times Gniezno was the seat of the prince's court, and four generations before Mieszko I it was ruled over by the house of Piast. Many historical relics and valuable architectural sites related to the history of the Polish state have been preserved in Gniezno to this day. The city is a major centre of tourism for those travelling along the Piast Route.
Notable sites of Gniezno that are worth visiting include: the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State, the Archsee of the Assumption of Holy Virgin Mary and St. Adalbert including the basement and the vault (most valuable in Poland beside those on Jasna Gora and in Krakow), the Gniezno Doors, the brick Church of St. John the Baptist and St. George's Church.