Drzewica: Paths by the Reservoir and Local History

The following points will help you understand these different themes.

By the reservoir: lakeside path, bathing area and water sports

A 508-metre illuminated and signposted walking and cycling path was created in 2010 on the north shore of the Zalew Drzewicki reservoir. Next to the path is a floating, T-shaped pier made up of two sections with an access walkway; it is 15.4 metres long. The walking and cycling path runs along the shore, while the floating pier is on the water beside it.

At 2 Zdrojowa Street, there is a free, supervised bathing area with a beach and a beach volleyball court. Before visiting, check whether supervision and operations are currently in place. This allows you to include the bathing area as a separate focus in your plans without treating it as the same thing as the walking and cycling path or the pier.

The sports and leisure centre at the Zalew Drzewicki reservoir is a local hub for water sports. Its stated operating season is May to September; confirm this seasonal information before your trip. For planning purposes, it is helpful to distinguish between the seasonal centre and the bathing area: both offer access to the water, but the activities described are not the same.

There is also a playground along the walking and cycling path on the north shore. The town of Drzewica describes it as the best-equipped playground of its kind. Facilities can change, so check its current condition before visiting if the playground is important to your plans.

Quest routes and local history

You can complete the quest routes in Drzewica using the free-to-download “Questy - Wyprawy Odkrywców” app or quest maps. The maps are available from the Regional Cultural Centre and Drzewica Town Hall. If you would like to use the maps, ask about their current availability before visiting. The app and maps offer two different ways to explore the quest routes.

The creation of the Zalew Drzewicki reservoir is also part of the town’s history. The reservoir was built to supply a blast furnace, construction of which Filip Szaniawski began in 1760. To provide this water supply, water was dammed at a suitable location to form a large pond covering 8.6 hectares. This figure refers to the pond at that time.

The local history of slalom canoeing adds another dimension: it began in 1978, when a canoeing section was established. A new canoe slalom course in Drzewica was officially opened in 2005. At the time, it was one of the most modern slalom facilities in Europe. This description of its standing applies to that period and is not a current ranking.

St Luke’s Church and Plac Wolności

St Luke’s Church in Drzewica was founded by the Drzewicki family in 1315 and elevated to parish status by Wojciech Drzewicki in 1321. In the square in front of the church stands a statue of St John of Nepomuk, donated by Ludwika Szaniawska in 1788. The foundation, elevation to parish status and monument offer different historical points of interest for a visit.

Today, a park occupies most of Plac Wolności in the historic centre. It was laid out in the 1950s; its trees include lindens and acacias. A cycle route runs along Kilińskiego Street to Plac Wolności, where there is a large information board. The square can therefore be viewed both as part of the town’s historic landscape and as the endpoint of this particular cycle route.

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