VELO SPROTAVIA is a strategic cycling path in the southern Lubusz Voivodeship. It runs vertically through the Szprotawa commune, from the town of Szprotawa to the village of Stypułów. At the former railway station in Stypułów, it connects with the regional RAILWAY TO BIKE path, which runs to Kożuchów, Nowa Sól, Otyń, Konotop, and the border with the Wielkopolska Voivodeship.
The total length of VELO SPROTAVIA is 16 km. The route follows the former Szprotawa-Zielona Góra railway line (1911-1955), along the Szprotawa-Kartowice-Witków-Siecieborzyce-Stypułów section.
Initially, the path runs parallel to the district road towards Kartowice, a short distance away. We ascend a gentle hill (141 m above sea level), offering a panoramic view of the surrounding area. Under favorable conditions, we can see the Karkonosze and Jizera Mountains from here. The agricultural landscape is only interrupted by a strip of trees growing along the path, with a significant proportion of fruit trees. According to legend, former passengers of the Zielona Góra railway, by throwing fruit pits out of the train windows, contributed to the creation of a linear orchard of plums, apples, pears, and cherries.
From the hill, we descend pleasantly all the way to Kartowice itself, where, near the ruins of the village railway station, a Cyclist Service Area (MOR) has been built, complete with a shelter, table, benches, parking spaces, and a bicycle repair module. No one will likely object if we pitch a tent near the shelter if necessary. It's a very atmospheric place. Near the shelter, we'll spot a monument to the residents of Kartowice (German: Kortnitz) who died on the front lines of World War I.
After a rest in Kartowice, we head further north to Witków. Soon, the agricultural landscape will transform into a forest. This preservation is due to the historical circumstance that, since the Middle Ages, it has been an inviolable border between the Duchies of Głogów and Żagań. The forest preserves fragments of the famous Silesian Ramparts, built in the 15th and 16th centuries, a kind of border barrier. All the preserved sections of the Silesian Ramparts constitute the longest archaeological site in Poland. The Szprotawa Land Museum holds a unique boundary marker from this forest. Nearby, by the district road, we come across a 19th-century stone signpost pointing the way towards Borowina (orig. "nach Hartau"). Old maps show peculiar enclaves in this area, such as Wilczy zaułek (Wilczy Lane), Krowie Bagno (Cow's Bagno), and Ciche górze (Ciche Hill).
Unfortunately, this cycle path is not completely finished. The final layer of asphalt over the concrete slabs is missing. The cycle path is apparently rarely cleared and cleaned, which means that you have to cycle very slowly in some sections. The connection to the cycle path at the former Stypułów train station leads along an unpaved gravel road.
Translated by Google •
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