Oświęcim and the surrounding area

Oświęcim and the surrounding area

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The Małopolska section of the Vistula Cycle Route starts in Jawiszowice. Heading westwards, you will get to Silesia; in the opposite direction
you will get to Cracow and then you can reach the border of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship.

You can arrive in Oświęcim or Jawiszowice travelling by train from Cracow or Katowice. The WTR section near Oświęcim is characterised by slight elevations of the terrain and runs along roads partly separated from vehicle traffic or along public roads with low traffic intensity (a short section has gravel surface and leads across the pond area in Brzeszcze). 

Make sure you have your own provisions, because the majority of this section, is remote from built-up areas; only Oświęcim has substantial catering and accommodation facilities.

Sights worth seeing:

  • Ponds in Brzeszcze - Natura 2000 site with special protection guaranteed to rare bird species, e.g.: night herons, ferruginous ducks, red-crested pochards, and whiskered terns
  • The Old Town in Oświęcim

The town of Oświęcim has a unique collection of monumental murals in various areas of the town. Most of them are themed around the promotion of peace, breaking barriers and cultural stereotypes, and spreading the spirit of tolerance.

  • The Piast Castle in Oświęcim erected in the13th/14th century 
  • Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Site and Museum 
  • The Vistula Ethnographic Park in Wygiełzów and Lipowiec Castle
  • The amusement parks near Zator: Energylandia and Zatorland
  • Carp Valley Eco-museum and Carp Valley Bicycle Trail - gravel surface on some sections, in other parts the trail runs along local roads; numerous ponds and backwater areas are its main attraction.

Zator carp (a traditional product) can be bought only in farms in Zator, Spytkowice and Przeciszów. Its breeding started in the Middle Ages upon the initiative of the Order of Cistercians

  • Local Handcar Railway in Regulice