Route 37: Through the Gorce pastures
Nowy Targ, Turbacz (13 km) Przełęcz Knurowska (21 km) Harklowa (28,5 km) Łopuszna (32 km) Nowy Targ (39 km)
39 km, 5 h, difficulty – hard
Altitude profile of the route:
We invite you on a trip leading through beautiful pastures to one of the Gorce peak – Turbacz. And at its feet, along the picturesque Dunajec River, different landscapes and highlander architecture await us. The trip begins at the market square in Nowy Targ. Before setting off, we should see two historic churches. We leave the market square along Kościuszki Street, heading north. After the bridge, we turn right and cycle along the Dunajec to the roundabout. At the roundabout, we take the 3rd exit onto Kowaniec Street. Along the way, we pass a church and continue straight, and after a while we turn left before the chapel. We will now enter a long and demanding climb to the hostel under Turbacz. We follow the red bike trail marking to the top. Having passed the hostel, we enter the Gorce National Park. We follow the red hiking trail until the Knurowska Pass. After passing the pastures, there is a very difficult downhill, where the safest way is to get off the bike. After reaching the pass, we turn right onto an asphalt road and descend to Knurów. After the bridge on the Dunajec River we head west by a gravel road along the river. We then follow the roads marked as a bike trail up to Waksmund. In Harklowa it is worth visiting the wooden church. We cross the Dunajec River. We reach Łopuszna, where we can see another wooden church and the Tetmajer Manor. The further route leads us along the river to the bridge in Ostrowsko. We stay on the same side of the river and continue along the banks of Dunajec. When we reach the bridge in Waksmund, we cross the road and turn right after the stone church. We go straight 3.5 km to the market square in Nowy Targ, where we finish the trip.
ATTRACTIONS ON THE ROUTE:
1. Wooden church of St Anna in Nowy Targ – built in the first half of the 15th century, it served from the beginning as a cemetery church. According to legend, the temple was founded by robbers. The building has log structure, it is boarded and covered with shingle. In the main altar, a painting of the so-called Great Family from 1516.
2. St Catherine church in Nowy Targ – dates from 1346. It was founded by King Casimir the Great. It is the oldest stone church in the Podhale region.
3. Gorce National Park – created in 1981, covering an area of 7029.85 ha. The most valuable fragments of the Carpathian primeval forest, little clearings, typical Carpathian fauna, natural vegetation processes, in particular spontaneous rebirth of the forest, as well as numerous huts, which are a reminder of past life and shepherd culture, are all protected.
4. The wooden church in Harklowa – erected at the end of the 15th century, has the features of a typical Podhale temple. The interior is decorated with interesting paintings from the Young Poland period, including some painted by Stanisław Wyspiański. In the Baroque main altar, there are paintings from the old, medieval triptych.
5. Wooden church in Łopuszna – dating from the 15th century, Gothic in the Podhale type. Inside, a patron polychromy and a Gothic triptych from 1460.
6. The Tetmajer family Manor in Łopuszna – a classicistic Polish manor, built of larch wood in 1784. In the 19th century, it became the property of Leon Przerwa-Tetmajer, father of Kazimierz, the famous poet of the Young Poland period. The log structure of the manor os covered with a tent roof. Currently, the manor serves as a small open-air museum – the Museum of Noble Culture.
Route map:
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