The Konotop railway station is a small but extremely interesting town on the Lubuskie railway map.
The history of the Konotop station (formerly Konradsthal) begins with the construction of the railway line connecting Żagań with Wolsztyn (currently line no. 371). This section, passing through Konotop, was put into service in 1905. The construction of the station was a response to the growing transport needs of the region, which was developing dynamically at that time. The station served both passenger and freight functions, serving the surrounding villages and landed estates.
However, the real boom of the Konotop station came in 1908, when the second, transverse railway line was opened, connecting Nowa Sól with Wschowa and Grodziec (line no. 372). Konotop then became an important railway junction, where two significant routes intersected. At that time, the station had an extensive infrastructure: platforms, a station building, warehouses, loading bays and side tracks.
After World War II and the annexation of these areas to Poland, the Konotop station, like the entire railway network, came under the management of the Polish State Railways (PKP). For some time, the station continued to perform its functions, handling both passenger and freight traffic. However, over the years, as road transport developed and the railways were restructured, its importance began to decrease.
The first stage of the decline was the suspension of passenger traffic on line no. 372 (Nowa Sól – Wschowa) in 1993, and in subsequent years also of freight traffic. Ultimately, this line was dismantled on the Konotop – Nowa Sól section.
Passenger traffic continued longer on the main line no. 371 (Żagań – Wolsztyn). Until the beginning of the 21st century, Konotop was still a passenger stop. However, over time, due to the decrease in the number of passengers and cost rationalization by PKP, passenger traffic on the entire line no. 371 was suspended in 2011.
The inactive section of line 372 towards Nowa Sól has been adapted into a bicycle path, which gives it new life and contributes to the development of active tourism in the region.