On the route of the "Silesianka" family day trip you will find 5 lookout towers and viewpoints from which you can admire the landscape of the Czech-Polish border region. The route starts at the Knights' Bastion in Wodzisław Śląski, where you can pick up materials about the whole trail.
On the route of the trip there are the following lookout towers of the "Silesianka" trail:
- The Knights' Bastion in Wodzisław Śląski - picturesquely situated in the Grodzisko Forest,
- Lookout tower on the Oder Border Meanders in Chałupki in Krzyżanowice - here you can enjoy the view of the naturally meandering Odra River, the lookout tower is located approximately in the middle of the pedestrian and cycling path,
- Viewing tower at the ruins of Tworków Castle - from the tower in the west wing of the castle you can see not only this picturesque building and the surrounding park from a different perspective, but also the panorama of Tworków and the Tworków Forest,
- Viewing point in the Moravian Gate Arboretum in Raciborz - theobject can be found in the Obora district, in the forest area above the so-called "Enchanted garden", a plant labyrinth,
- Lookout tower and observation point in Pogrzebień - this futuristic building, standing beside the transit road, offers 360 degree views. The building is beautifully lit at night.
Near the lookout towers you can further visit:
- The square, the Dietrichstein Castle and the Trzy Wzgórza Family Amusement Park in Wodzisław Śląski,
- A castle with a park in Kokoszyce,
- Castle and Multimedia Centre of Upper Oder in Chałupki,
- Blacksmithing Museum in Bieńkowice,
- Arboretum of Moravian Gate with a mini zoo and a nature trail,
- The historic center of Racibórz with the Marian Column in the square, Piast Castle and the Castle Brewery,
- Łężczok Nature Reserve,
- Baildon Castle in Pogrzebień,
- Castle in Rzuchów,
- The 4 km long nature trail "Bociek" in Pogrzebień.
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On the way of our family trip along the Sile- sianka trail, there are 5 lookout towers and points, from which you can see the land- scape of the borderland between Poland and the Czech Republic. We start our tour in Wodzisław Śląski next to the neo-Gothic Knight’s Bastion picturesquely hidden in the forest. Its history dates back to the second half of the 19th century, however, what tourist can visit nowadays is an effect of the renovation works completed in 2021. Apart from admiring the districts of Wodzisław, you should also take a walk around the Grodzisko Forest surrounding the building.
The bastion is a gate to the Silesianka trail. In the information point, you can get materials on the entire trail, i.a. a booklet where you can collect stamps from particular objects.In the vicinity:
• market square with historical tenement houses.
• The Palace of the Dietrichstein Family with a historical park
• The Palace in Kokoszyce
• The “Three Hills” Family Leisure Park
We move on towards another lookout tower along the Silesianka trail, which is located next to the Border Meanders of the Oder, that is a 7-kilometer-long section of the river with a great number of picturesque river bends. On the Polish side, it is situated in the territory of Krzyżanowice commune. The lookout tower was built in the territ- ory of the Natura 2000 area. However, what attracts tourists the most is the Oder river, which is still not regulated and subject to natural processes. It is along this section of the Oder river where a walking and cycling route with our lookout tower is located. You can reach it from the parking lot in Zabełków or Chałupki. When you reach the top, you can see the meanders of the river and – often times – canoeists on the river as well as the agricultural and small-town landscape of the borderland between Poland and the Czech Republic (Chałupki, Zabełków, Olza, Rogów, and if the visibility is good also their Czech neighbors, e.g. Bohumín).
In the vicinity:
• multimedia Center of the Upper Oder in Chałupki
• Palace in Chałupki.
Another point of our family trip is the ob- servation tower in the ruins of Tworków Castle. The tower situated in the west wing of the castle, which is 21 meters above the ground, allows you not only to see this pic- turesque building and the park surrounding it from a different perspective, but also to take a look at the panorama of Tworków and the Tworków Forest. You can walk around the English park next to the castle, where you will find old chestnut, beech and elm trees as well as a charming pond. There is also an interesting playground with a giant slide and a great number of nooks and cran- nies to explore.
In the vicinity:
• The Blacksmithing Museum in Bieńkowice.
We leave the charming Tworków and head towards Racibórz and the lookout point in the Moravian Gate Arboretum situated in Obora district. From a large free-of-charge parking lot you can go directly towards the platform and the so-called “Enchanted Garden”, that is a maze with collections of plants. The maze is lush and colorful, but it is most impressive to watch from the ob- servation deck. From the platform, you can see not only the garden, but also ponds and meadows in the Oder Valley. From the “En- chanted Garden”, you can walk along a forest path towards a minizoo. From there, you can reach educational stands nearby with a play- ground or an educational trail.
In the vicinity:
• historical center of Racibórz (the old town with the late Baroque Marian column, the Piast Castle and the brewery).
• The Nature Reserve Łężczok
The last object along the Silesianka trail is a futuristic lookout tower and lookout point in Pogrzebień. It is a spiked metal structure with a container with round lookout holes placed next to it. The panorama of the vicin- ity can be admired from 3 observation decks
– 3 meters, almost 6.5 meters and over 9 me- ters above the ground. What they offer are incredibly diversified types of landscape: the spoil heap “Szarlota” in Rydułtowy (from the east), the Silesian Beskids (south-east), the Moravian-Silesian Beskids (from the south), Hrubý Jeseník and the Opawskie Mountains (from the west) and even Saint Anne’s Moun- tain in Opolian Silesia (from the north). The object is spectacularly lit at night.
In the vicinity of the tower:
• Arthur Baildon Palace in Pogrzebień
• Palace in Rzuchów
• 4-kilometer-long educational and ecological trail “Bociek”.
The flyer for this trip is available for download in electronic form here.