Mites. What attractions are worth seeing in Mites?

Roztocze is a beautiful land, one of the most beautiful in Poland in terms of nature. A paradise for nature lovers, you will find beautiful forests, picturesque hills, ponds, rivers and numerous nature reserves. It is an ideal place for walks, bike tours and bird and wildlife watching. Despite the multitude of forests, there is an attraction almost every step of the way, and the most famous ones in the region are the Echo Ponds, the church on the water in Zwierzyniec, the Tanwia Reserve, the Guciów Farm or the tower in Józefów. But this place is also famous for its Polish horses, which can be admired on several catwalks during the season. It is the only native breed of horses and a symbol of the Roztocze National Park!

Roztocze is located in eastern Poland, in the Lublin Voivodeship, between the Lublin Upland and Podolie. This interesting and peaceful land stretches between Kraśnik in Poland and Lviv in Ukraine, with a length of about 180 kilometers. At the same time, it is narrow, because at its widest point it is only 32 kilometers long.

What is worth seeing in Roztocze? Attractions of Roztocze

Due to the peculiarities of nature and the interesting landscape in this area, a national park, landscape parks such as the Szczebrzeszyński Landscape Park and reserves such as Szum were created here. The local nature is a balm for the spirit and body, but Roztocze towns offer interesting and sometimes peculiar places not only natural. These include an open-air museum, observation towers, palaces and chapels. Discover the most interesting tourist attractions of Roztocze with us!

Roztocze National Park

The Roztocze National Park is located in the central part of Roztocze. Today, the Park itself has an area of over 8,000 hectares. It is the mainstay of the Polish Horse - a descendant of the wild tarpan. And did you know that the area of the National Park is almost 95% forest? Incredibly beautiful forests, especially when autumn gilds the leaves. I don't think we've ever seen such a rich variety of mushrooms. You will also find the wonder of Poland, i.e. the Guciów Homestead, wonderful springs and magnificent views.

Echo Ponds in Zwierzyniec

Echo ponds are beautiful ponds with a marked sandy beach. There are 4 reservoirs, there are platforms with an observation deck and a paid car park outside the beach. In summer, ponds also have a recreational function. Ducks and swans swim around the ponds, and herons can also be found here. You will get here by walking through the loop from the main car park through Bukowa Góra. For the winter, water from the ponds is drained.
plażowa Street, Zwierzyniec, free admission

Rybakówka observation tower

Over the Echo Ponds, in the so-called Rybakówka, there was the Rybakówka observation tower, allowing you to admire the reservoirs from above. Opposite you will find a catwalk of Polish horses. Interestingly, as we learned from the resident we met, they often walk right here, on the dikes between the ponds.
plażowa Street, Zwierzyniec, free admission

Bukowa Góra in Roztocze

Bukowa Góra is a hill with a height of 310 m above sea level, in the RPN strict protection area. Just behind the hill there is a viewpoint over the nearby areas and the village of Sochy, located in a picturesque ravine. It is worth seeing, and in addition you can have a picnic here on the benches, under the shed. You can reach Bukowa Góra from Zwierzyniec by stairs, behind the green signs of the didactic path. From the main car park, through the wooden gate of the Park, and then through an extremely picturesque forest. It was swarming with unusual mushrooms and mosses.
Address: entrance from Plażowa Street, Zwierzyniec. Admission behind the ticket to the Park

Reserve on the Tanw, the so-called Noise on the Tanw

The Tanwia Nature Reserve is one of the most popular attractions in the region. Tanew, in turn, is one of the cleaner Roztocze rivers. Along with its tributary called Deer, meandering, on the rock thresholds, they create small waterfalls called noises or whisperings. The most attractive part of the unique blue trail is located in the Rebizants.

Biała Góra Tower in Zwierzyniec in Roztocze

Biała Góra is a beautiful viewpoint. The most beautiful in the area and I highly recommend it! In addition, the wooden observation tower standing on the hill allows you to admire a very wide panorama of the surrounding hills. It lies in the heart of the National Park and what is rare here is not covered with trees. The tower stands at an altitude of about 270 m above sea level, its height is 13.20 m, and the observation deck is located at a height of over 8 meters.

The vast meadows open up beautiful landscapes. All the more so in autumn, which adds a special charm to the forests and shows the extraordinary beauty of this season. Grazing cows make it idyllic. The viewpoint is easily and quickly accessible from the parking lot.
Address: Zwierzyniec, Biały Pole, free admission, free parking

Secretary with a horse run in Kosobudy

In the Secretariat in Kosobudy in the season, you can easily see Polish horses on the catwalk. They are very mild, you can feed them with twigs, but apparently they also like bread very much. We did not, but if you take them with you, they will be happy to come! They are the descendants of wild tarpans. Apparently, they have their own characters, but they are friendly and cling to people. They have a specific coloration, they are not high, but very durable.
Kosobudy 100 A, free admission, free parking

Roztocze Noise Reserve

The Noise Reserve is a quiet alternative to the reserve over Tanwia. Here, on the meandering river of the same name, a dam was created, from which waterfalls flow, and then the river flows into the Tanwas. The place is very charming. You can make a loop about 3 kilometers long here. It is a path through an extremely atmospheric forest. It is overgrown with saplings and alders as well as firs and pines. We were enchanted by the richness of mushrooms here. It is a walk like in the primeval forest, with a murmuring stream into which the old woman's trees fell, creating a charming thicket of logs.
Górecko Kościelne, free admission, free parking

The Guciów Homestead and the Museum of the People's Republic of Poland

I really like the Guciów Farm. I am not surprised, because at the entrance there is a sign that the place was created out of the passion of two geographers. They will recognize themselves! The hobbies of the creators are explained by a very rich geological exhibition. It is amazing how many curiosities and real uniqueness can be admired here, and at the same time listen to the guide's stories. Bones of dinosaurs, fossils in the form of ammonites or belemnites, and even a new species from Poland - benetite. It's an original fossil plant.

The gems here are certainly fragments of meteorites, along with the greatest pride of this place - the Zakłodzie meteorite. It was discovered in Roztocze by the owner of the farm, Stanisław Jachymek. It fell at the end of the 19th century, as was reported in the newspapers of the time, but it waited 101 years to be found.

In addition to geological exhibitions, there are also ethnographic exhibitions, about which the guide also tells a very interesting story: "Here is the sukmana from the Zamość costume. We have a Zamość outfit, a Bilgoraj-Tarnogród outfit. Tyszowiaki shoes were an indispensable element of peasant and everyday attire. This is a great legend. Namely, tyszowiaki shoes are sewn only in the town of Tyszowce. Tyszowiec is about 50 kilometers away. Cowhide shoes are very good, not only for frost, but for mud, for wet terrain, and they served this purpose. " Interestingly, the shoes fit both the left and right leg, and according to a local legend, King Jagiełło himself ordered as many as 10,000 pairs of these shoes, preparing to fight the Teutonic Knights. 

Museum of the People's Republic of Poland

The owner's son also organized the Museum of the People's Republic of Poland here. We stillremember those times, so it was a sentimental journey to the past. As you can see, it is worth entering the farmhouse and it is not surprising that the place in 2017 was appreciated by National Geographic, which recognized it as one of the wonders of Poland. There is a small inn and points with souvenirs and local products. 
The Guciów Farmhouse is one of the most interesting and popular attractions in Roztocze!
Guciów 19, paid admission, free parking

Museum exhibition in Zwierzyniec

The exhibition in Zwierzyniec presents the flora and fauna of the region since the dawn of time. The exhibition is visited with an audio guide, walking among ingenious dioras. They include dinosaurs, bears, lynxes and other animals found here. Of course, there are also horses, the gray ones, the only ones right in this place, but we prefer to see them live, because it is not difficult at all. I must admit that the exhibition made a positive impression on us.
ul. Plażowa 3, Zwierzyniec, paid admission, paid parking

Czarny Staw na Roztoczu

The Black Pond is a pond completely lostin the forest. It spills near the Echo ponds and is fed by the waters of the Cricket stream. It reminded us a bit of the landscape of biscuits from Wigry National Park. To get here, you can park by the beach.
Gościniec Florianiecki, Zwierzyniec

Gorge in Guciów

Encouraged by the owner of the Homestead, whom we greet by the way, we walked through a little-known unique. A few hundred meters from the open-air museum there is a beautiful loess gorge, quite similar to those in Kazimierz Dolny or Sandomierz. If you are looking for a less popular alternative, not inferior to their beauty, we heartily recommend

Other Region Experiences

• The lagoon in Józefów - spills over in the centre of the town
• Tower in Józefów - available free of charge
• Quarry in Józefów - a vast area that is pleasant to walk around
• Kirkut in Józefów - located behind the quarry, it is fenced, but the gate is open
• Czartowe Pole Reserve - located in the municipalities of Józefów and Susiec, within the Solska Forest Landscape Park, a blue marked path with a length of 2 km leads to the Sopot River
• Palace in Narol, Parkowa Street - a beautiful baroque palace in the shape of a horseshoe
• Church on the Water and Church Pond in Zwierzyniec - a church on the island
• Brewery in Zwierzyniec
• Breeding Center in Florianka - available for visiting in high season, you can get here by bike or on foot
• Florianka Forest Chamber - open in the off-Mondays season
• Church of Dormition in Szczebrzeszyn
• Solska Forest Landscape Park
• Szczebrzeszyński Landscape Park
• Krasnobrodzki Landscape Park
• Chapel on the water in Górecko Kościelny -   its origin dates back to the 17th century
• The wonderful spring of "God's Tear" in Górecko Kościelny - everyone "who washes in this water in good faith will be free from all disease"
• Alley of old oaks in Górecko Kościelny - beautiful, monumental oaks grew, the oldest of which is 5 centuries old
• The Mounted Lookout Tower - available free of charge, but it does not offer spectacular views
• River fishing - Roztocze is the Land of Trout and Grayling
• Sleigh rides all year round - carriage and sleigh rides, e.g. to the Solska Forest
• Gorges near Szczebrzeszyn
• Rope park with an exit at a mid-forest lake
• Rail buses connecting the most interesting cities of Roztocze in the summer - a cool attraction for children
• Kayaking on the Tanev River
• Swimming pool in Krasnobród
• Cemetery in Sochy - the village was almost completely burned down by the Germans in 1943. It was a punishment for helping the Polish resistance movement. At least 181 people were killed. This is reminded by the local cemetery

Polish horses in Roztocze

Like the extinct tarpan, its descendant, the Polish horse, is short, 130-140 cm at the withers, it is mouse coloured, with a black stripe on its back. And did you know that almost until the end of the 18th century, forest tarpans lived wild in the wild? They were caught and placed near Biłgoraj. They were bred there until 1808. Later, due to poverty, they were distributed to peasants, who crossed them with ordinary horses, losing the purity of the species. This is how a new breed of horse, otherwise called Biłgorajski, was created. Today, they are bred in Florianka in Roztocze, but in the season they can also be found on the catwalks at the Rybakówka Tower and in Kosobudy, in the so-called Secretariat.

Trails and paths in Roztocze

Hiking, Nordic walking and cycling trips are facilitated by numerous hiking trails. Hiking and cycling, and even cross-country skiing. Bicycle rentals were also created near them, e.g. under the Zwierzyniec Brewery.  Selected trails are the Central Mite Walking Trail and the Central Mite Cycling Trail. 13 cognitive paths have also been prepared for tourists, including the path along the dune to the Echo ponds, the green path to Bukowa Góra, Biała Góra or the path to Piaseczna Góra. Hiking trails and paths that can also serve cyclists or cross-country skiers are those to the Pole Hill, cycling to Florianka or to Wojda. The Path along Aleksandra Wachniewska's avenue is interesting.

Interesting towns in Roztocze 

The towns worth visiting in this region are primarily Zwierzyniec, but also Józefów, Guciów, Krasnobród, Szczebrzeszyn and Susiec. Zamość is also extremely wonderful in the area. It is a stunning fortress city, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Culture and traditions of Mite

This place is rich in cultural traditions. Here you can learn about local customs, cuisine and folk art. Visit local museums and festivals to learn about the region's history and heritage. In addition, the residents are friendly and hospitable. They are happy to share their knowledge about the region, and with a little luck, they will invite you to their homes to try traditional dishes. You can also buy local products at selected points, e.g. in Zagrod Guciów. It is a perfect place to get to know the traditions of these lands up close. An ethnographic exhibition in an old wooden cottage will help.

Summing up, Roztocze is a truly unique place that deserves to be appreciated and discovered. And at any time of the year. It looks especially beautiful in autumn, when the beech trees gild in the sun. It is an ideal destination for people who value nature, traditions and peace. Here you can take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Soothe your nerves in nature and calm down. That's why it's a great place to relax. You can be outdoors all day long, and in addition to walks and longer hikes, you can enjoy kayaking, cycling and horseback riding.

Where to eat in Roztocze?

While in Roztocze, you can taste local cuisine, as well as local beer and other tinctures. You can get to know traditional flavors, for example, in the Czar Roztocza Restaurant in Zwierzyniec, at Rudka Street or in a small inn in the Guciów Farm. You will also find a shop with delicious local products. It is also worth visiting the town of Bondyrz, where there is a shop and Restaurant Chata Rybaka with the local trout of Roztocze. Lick your fingers! You can taste beer in the historic Zwierzyniec Brewery, which can also be visited during the season on selected days of the week. Only with a guide.

Accommodation in Roztocze

In this region you can find interesting agritourism, but also cottages growing in the bosom of nature. We, being in the area, slept in Zamość, in the very center. This is the Sukcesor Hotel, very pleasant, with delicious breakfasts and well located. However, if you want to escape from the city and explore the forest, nature, then in Ciotusza Nowa I can recommend Idyll in Roztocze. These are our friends' cottages for rent. They are located several dozen kilometers south of Zamość and are beautiful. In a modern style, but with atmosphere and soul, surrounded by a nice garden and the greenery of the forest. Well-equipped, they allow you to spend a nice and romantic time together or in a larger group. I heartily recommend it to you.

Film about Roztocze

We encourage you to watch our video about the local National Park

What's worth seeing in the area?

If you have already visited this attraction, it is also worth visiting several other interesting ones places nearby. Within a radius of 100 kilometers you will find many interesting places places that can diversify your stay in this part of Poland.

• Roztocze National Park, distance: 0.8  km
• Zamość, distance: 23.7  km
• Sandomierz, distance: 86.7  km