Gdańsk

Two very different landscapes lie side by side in Gdańsk County: in the west, moraine plateaus, small hills, ribbon lakes and forests shape the Gdańsk Heights on the edge of the Kashubian Lake District. To the east, Żuławy Gdańskie stretches across the catchment area of the Martwa Wisła; the landscape is part of the larger Żuławy Wiślane region. Anyone wishing to combine nature and cultural experiences with a visit to Gdańsk can choose between routes through both landscapes and a range of historic themed trails.

Landscapes between the Radunia and Żuławy

In the west, the Radunia River and its tributaries form picturesque gorges and meanders. The Dolina Raduni Protected Landscape Area covers 925 hectares in Gdańsk County. It protects the river valley floor and slopes, as well as adjacent woodland and farmland with basins and gorges. To the east, the 27,491-hectare Żuławy Gdańskie Protected Landscape Area preserves the characteristic cultural landscape of Żuławy. The different types of scenery provide a clear direction for planning your trip: you can focus on river valleys and wooded uplands, or on the expansive cultural landscape of Żuławy.

Gdańsk County is also home to four nature reserves: Jar Reknicy, Bursztynowa Góra, Wyspa na Jeziorze Przywidz and Dolina Kłodawy. For guidance on specific route themes, the trails described here are useful: some follow lakeshores or pass through forests, while others connect places with arcaded houses, churches and traces of industrial history.

Circular routes and trails for active days

The “Szlak Trzech Jezior” cycle route is an 18.5-kilometre loop in the municipality of Przywidz. It runs along the lakes Przywidzkie Małe, Połęczyńskie and Głęboczko. Also described in the area, the “Wzgórza Przywidzkie” loop is 12 kilometres long and runs mainly through wooded areas along the municipality’s highest elevations. There is also a barrow cemetery along the route. The two loops therefore differ both in length and in their character as described: one is defined by lakeshores, the other by forests and ridges.

The 13-kilometre “Dolina Reknicy” cycle route starts and ends in Przywidz. It passes through the ice-marginal valley of Lake Głęboczko and the Reknica River. For those interested in a longer route, the “Szlak Motławski” is 37 kilometres long, of which 24.7 kilometres lie within Gdańsk County. This section is flat and follows asphalt roads or paths made of concrete slabs, away from heavy car traffic. The county also offers favourable conditions for cycling and canoeing along the Motława route from Gdańsk to Tczew, which passes through the county.

Cultural routes and historic buildings

The 20-kilometre “Szlak Domów Podcieniowych” is described as suitable for walkers, cyclists and those travelling by water. It leads to seven arcaded houses, including the most imposing one in Trutnowy, as well as churches in Osice, Trutnowy and Koźliny. Stops along the way also include the ruins of a Gothic church in Steblewo and an 18th-century granary in Koźliny. The half-timbered arcaded house in Trutnowy was built between 1720 and 1726 by the Dutchman Peter Lettahn for Georg Basener.

Another focus is the history of the Mennonites. The 34-kilometre “Szlak Śladami Mennonitów” leads, among other places, to arcaded houses in Krępiec and Trutnowy, churches in Wróblewo and Kiezmark, a bell tower in Wiśliny, and a Mennonite stele in Wocław. The landscape along the route is characterised by the meandering Motława, numerous canals and smaller waterways, and extensive meadows with willows typical of the region. The route thus links specific buildings with a landscape shaped by waterways and meadows.

Themed routes also cover the history of technology. The “Szlak Elektrowni Wodnych” walking and cycling route leads to a group of eight hydroelectric power stations built along the Radunia River between 1910 and 1937, which are considered notable examples of interwar industrial architecture. Six of them form the river’s cascade. In Pruszcz Gdański, the Faktoria Handlowa offers another glimpse into history: it is a reconstruction of a trading settlement that existed around 2,000 years ago, and also a modern exhibition and educational centre. Archaeological finds relating to the history of the Amber Road are presented there, along with a depiction of everyday life in a settlement from the 1st century AD.

For further help finding your way around, you will also find pages here about Straszyn, Gdańsk, Swibno, Elganowo, Pomlewo, Ostrowite, Juszkowo, Postołowo, Kłodawa, Pruszcz Gdański, Koszwaly, Warcz, Przejazdowo, Żukczyn, Grabiny-Zameczek, Cedry Wielkie, Pszczółki, Miłowo, Otomin, Suchy Dąb, Łęgowo, Ząbrsko Górne, Przywidz, Pręgowo Górne, Wiślina, Trzepowo, Cedry Małe, Buszkowy Górne and Kleszczewo.

For an overview of the wider region: Pomerania.