Dates:
- May 1-4, 2025 (Thursday – Sunday)
Program:
The routes of the 3 or 4-day weekend trail ride lead through the most interesting natural and cultural areas of the Knyszyn Forest. Each day we set out on a horseback expedition from the picturesque village of Załuki, located in the heart of the Knyszyn Forest by the Supraśl River. The goals of our hikes include, among others, the Bison Show Farm in Kopna Góra, the Wyżary Reservoir with a Sculpture Gallery, Jeleni Mostek, and Wierszalin, or the Świętojańskie Hills. All routes also pass through places related to the 19th-century Polish struggle for independence: with the November Uprising and primarily with the January Uprising.
In addition to the great horse trails, delicious Podlasie cuisine, and the ever-present “Spirit of the Forest” in Podlasie, on each of the weekend rides, we would like to offer you participation in a local event. The villages and settlements of the Knyszyn Forest are famous for the fact that each of them has its celebration at least once a year, where not only the residents but also visiting guests have a great time. Events such as “Sabantuj” in Kruszyniany, “Siebrauskaja Biesieda” in Gródek, “Kupalnoczka” in Zasady, or “Potańcówka na Anny” in Królowy Most and many others have already established their brand. We hope you will have a great time and party until dawn. And then? Then, of course, back on the horse to conquer the Świętojańskie Hills, which are always the last day of our ride.
Day 1:
Arrival in Załuki and accommodation between 2-3 PM.
Route: Załuki – Turowo – Wyżary Water Reservoir – Radunin – Załuki. Route length approx. 21 km
The Knyszyn Forest is primarily forests, but… near the village of Radunin, deep in the forest, there is a “lake,” or more precisely, the Wyżary Water Reservoir. Despite its beauty, the reservoir is not a gift of nature, but was created by humans and since 1970 has served as both a fire protection and recreational facility. An educational path runs around the reservoir.
Following the path deep into the forest, we reach boardwalks over the marshes – the Radulinka river floodplain. The place is simply magical… Directly behind the boardwalk, in 2017, a forest sculpture gallery was created. The authors of the sculptures are students of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and members of the Nowolipie Group, i.e., people suffering from multiple sclerosis, who, as part of therapy, under the artistic supervision of Paweł Althamer, created these unique sculptures.
The “January Uprising Trail” passes through here and leads through forested areas to the site where, on April 29, 1863, in the Komotowszczyzna thicket, the Piereciosy clearing, one of the larger battles in the Białystok region took place: the Battle of Waliły.
Day 2:
Route: Załuki – Kondycja – Łaźnie – Kopna Góra – Lipowy Most – Załuki. Route length: 40 km
Long, sandy trails through pine forests, ideal for galloping, are a big attraction of this route.
But undoubtedly its greatest asset is the rest in Kopna Góra, at the Bison Show Farm. In addition to the Bison Farm, there is also an Arboretum in Kopna Góra presenting trees, shrubs, and flowers from all over Europe in our climate zone; a cemetery of November Uprising insurgents who died during the battle over Sokołda in 1831; a small museum of the November Uprising and other Polish independence uprisings. But these are attractions for another stay in the Knyszyn Forest and Kopna Góra. We leave the horses at rest and go to see the bison.
The construction of the bison show farm in Kopna Góra began in 2019. At the beginning of 2024, the tourist attraction was made available to visitors. Four bison from different farms have already settled in the farm. There is also the first calf. Eventually, there are to be several of them here. The farm was built on a large, natural area. Visitors can admire the animals while walking along fenced paths and watching them from one of two observation towers. One of them allows for observing the animals during feeding. Interestingly, the animals can also move under the paths. There are tunnels-passages built under them, facilitating the bison’s crossing.
Day 3:
Route: Załuki – Jeleni Mostek – Wierszalin – Załuki. Route length approx. 40 km.
After leaving Załuki, we soon immerse ourselves in the depths of the Knyszyn Forest. After about 11 km, we reach Jeleni Mostek. This is a modernized bridge over the Starzynka River. The beautiful wooden structure of the bridge spans is finished with deer sculptures, which blend perfectly with the surrounding space.
Once, a narrow-gauge forest railway operated on the route between Waliły and Czarna Białostocka, with a length of 48 km (the total length of all narrow-gauge railway sections in the Knyszyn Forest at its peak was as much as 158 km). Officially, the railway ceased to operate in the early 1990s. Many sections of tracks were dismantled and scrapped. In Sosnowik, the tracks have not survived, but semaphore signals remain on both sides of the bridge.
After contemplating nature and culture at Jeleni Mostek, we head to Wierszalin – the would-be capital of the world. Wierszalin was founded in the 1930s by Eliasz Klimowicz, known as “prophet Ilja” (Eliasz), who created a religious group and was its self-proclaimed prophet. Wierszalin was supposed to be, according to Klimowicz, the new capital of the world. In the middle of nowhere, Eliasz Klimowicz began constructing a temple. Pilgrims flocked here in large numbers, including from Nowogródczyzna and Volhynia, treating this place as the only haven of peace. The famous Wierszalin theater in Supraśl takes its name and inspiration from prophet Eliasz and Wierszalin – the new capital of the world.
Day 4:
Route: Załuki – Nowosiółki – St. Anne’s Hill – Królowy Most – Jakubin – Załuki. Route length approx. 20 km
The Świętojańskie Hills are the highest moraine hills in the Knyszyn Forest. Relative heights reach up to 80 m, with slopes up to 30 degrees (steep slopes of the hills). Ahead of us: St. Anne’s Hill (202 m above sea level) with a place commemorating the January Uprising insurgents of 1863, Mount Kopna (211 m above sea level) with an observation tower, and Mount John (214 m above sea level).
On that day, an unforgettable gallop awaits us, a very long but fairly gentle climb up the hill. The climax of our effort is a short stop at the observation tower located on Góra Kopna with a breathtaking view of the endless forest “sea.” And if there are still mists… Then a descent down a very steep slope, which we overcome on foot with the horse in hand, to reach Królowy Most, famous among other things from the series of films “At the Lord’s in…” There is an opportunity to go to the cinema for the fourth part of the cult Polish comedy entitled, of course, “At the Lord’s in Królowy Most.”
We return to Załuki through Jakubin, a place that today is just a spot on the map and where we can only see the ruins of the Jakub Sakowicz estate.
Price:
2550,00 PLN
Reservation link: https://lisowczycy.pl/produkt/podlaska-majowka/