Gajków: Baroque Church, Burgwall and Cycling Route

Gajków brings together traces of early settlement, St Margaret’s Church, a burgwall in the surrounding area and a cycling route. When planning your trip, these different attractions can help you balance cultural interests with outdoor activities. The historical references range from traces of settlement dating back more than 6,000 years to the predominantly Baroque church furnishings from around 1716; the burgwall is interpreted as the remains of a late medieval fortified farmstead.

Early Traces and a Baroque Church

The oldest traces of settlement in the Gajków area date back more than 6,000 years and are attributed to the Komornica hunter-gatherer culture. Sharp-edged tools found on the Oder near Gajków were used for hunting in the surrounding forests and fishing.

The parish church of St Margaret is a rural Baroque church. Master mason Jacob Straube built it at the instigation of Ignatius Magnet, a master of the Breslau Canons Regular of the Holy Cross with the Red Star. The roles of commissioning and construction are distinct: Magnet promoted the church’s construction, while Straube was the master mason. The furnishings are predominantly Baroque and date from around 1716. They include side altars, a pulpit and a baptismal font.

Burgwall and Oder Landscape

The burgwall lies in the surrounding area of Gajków, about 200 metres beyond the southern edge of the village. What remains is a square mound surrounded by a ditch and rampart. It is interpreted as the remains of a late medieval fortified farmstead with timber-and-clay buildings. Its physical form and historical interpretation should be distinguished: the mound, ditch and rampart remain, while the fortified farmstead with timber-and-clay buildings is an interpretation. The burgwall lies at the foot of a plateau that slopes down to the Oder valley, between the right bank of the Oder and a canal.

A Walk in 2023

During a walk in the Gajków area in 2023, participants saw the remains of a stage at the site of a former boat landing. A guide introduced them to the history of the burgwall and read out legends about the site that the guide had translated. The same walk also explored a tree-lined avenue and its significance. The Oder landscape featured the history of the Oder meanders and the fish and plants found there. Participants also noticed the visible activity of beavers.

Cycling Route from Gajków

For cyclists, a route leads from Główna Street in Gajków via Kanałowa Street and along the embankments beside the Kanał Janowicki to the bridge in Kamieniec Wrocławski. Beyond the bridge, the route continues along a field path that curves gently to the right towards the Oder, then follows the river to Lake Bajkał.

Discover more destinations: Siechnice, Długołęka, Karwiany, Ozorzyce, Kamieniec Wrocławski, Kąty Wrocławskie, Wojnowice, Smolec.

Return to the main travel overview: Wroclaw.