Blue Walking Trail named after Stanisław Malanowicz

Following the trail, you have a chance to get to know the prettiest nooks of our region related to the history of the town, its surroundings and beauty of the regional nature.

The trail begins in Kuźniaki where there are ruins of the blast furnace in the shape of a truncated pyramid. After passing Mount Dobrzeszowska (a unique pagan sanctuary from the ancient history), the trail leads through picteresque terrain to the locality of Gruszka where one of the WWII battles took place (the battle fought with the participation of the troops of the People’s Army). Next, the route runs through Węgrzyn, Grębosze and Mościska to Sielpia – the biggest holiday resort of the Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) province.

In Sielpia special attention should be paid to the Museum of the Old Polish Industrial Region. It is situated in the former rolling and puddling mills. The plant was built in stages, first on the initiative of Stanisław Staszic there was the damming up of the Czarna river done, along with a canal channeling water, administrative building and some outbuildings.Next, the Polish Bank erected a rolling and puddling mill together with the housing estate for the plant workers. At present, because of its bad technical state, the museum is closed for visitors. It is being revitalised.

Further on the trail there is a nature monument called „Hell (rocks) by Gatniki”. It is a mysterious place situated in the proximity of the villages „Niebo” and „Piekło”. This monument of inanimate nature is located in the pine forest between Piekło („Hell”) and Niebo („Heaven”) (it is the only documented example of the location of Hell and Heaven next to each other). It is a group of jurassic sandstone rocks, picturesquely shaped by erosion, reaching up to 5 m high and stretching along around 100 m.

After 37 km the trail leads to Końskie. From among the monuments in Końskie the ones that should be mentioned are: Park and Palace Complex, the former property of the Małachowski family, next of the Tarnowskis. The palace design was modelled after the royal seat in Pilnitz, close to Dresden. At the main axis of the complex, behind the asphalt road, there is a neo-classical glorietta, a garden decorative structure. In the palace garden there are also „the Greek Temple” built according to the canons of classicism with a six-column portico, „the Egyptian Orangery” whose facade is modelled after Egyptian temples, embellished with pharaoh statues and hieroglyphs, „the Grandkids’ House” – a small neo-gothic structure, probably built for the offspring of the Małachowskis to play around in.

In the park we will also find a gazebo. At the border of the park there’s also an obelisk with the bust of gen. Tadeusz Kościuszko. In the town centre soars the neo-gothic collegaite church of St. Nicolaus & St. Adalbert. It was built in the years 1492-1520, built up and modernised at the beginning of the XX c. The building contains the remnants of the former church in the form of tympanum depicting the sun and the moon, located above the side entrance. On the wall of the bell tower there is a coat of arms „Odrowąż” possibly from the XIII c. Close to the church we will also find the statue of gen. Tadeusz Kościuszko, reminding of the connection of the Końskie region with the Kościuszko Uprising.

Next, the trail goes to Stara Kuźnica where there is a wooden water-powered smithy preserved which shrouds a pressure hammer and special wooden box bellows. According to the historical sources the forge operated already in the XVII c. The plant produced agriculural tools: ploughshares and mouldboards for ploughs and axes too. Currently, due to its bad technical state, it’s closed for visitors.

The further parts of the trail run through Wielka Wieś, at the broder of which, 50 m to the left of the route, there is a monument commemorating the partisans fallen on 14 October 1943. Another one, in Furmanów, is easily recognisable in the scenery thanks to a tall vertical shaft tower (called „gichta” in Polish) of the blast furnace, built in the period 1830-1835. Next the trail leads tourists to the nature reserve „Hell Rocks by Niekłań”. The reserve was established in 1959 to protect a strip of sandstone formations caused by wind erosion. They resemble  mushrooms, ledges, chimneys, pulpits, and the like, whose shapes are difficult to label and stimulate one’s imagination.

The trail goes next through Rędocin (centre of folk ceramics) and the nature reserve of Ciechostowice to the partisans’ cemetery at the foot of Skarbowa Góra in Skarżysko-Pogorzałe.Its beginnings are connected with the death of the 5 partisans from the „Ponury” Home Army division. Consecrated on the Pentecost Sunday in 1944, it became the place of the burial of the deceased partisans of the Home Army centres, located nearby. Within the area of the cemetery there is a humble statue with a metal cross and inscription: Wise by madness – strong by unity / Sacrificing life and glory / You fell while fighting against your enemy’s meannes / For Poland’s freedom, for a sacred cause.

The trail patron is Stanisław Malanowicz (1877-1942) – a well-deserved economic and social activist, a regionalist. A cicil engineer by education. He was one of the initiators of the establishment of a sightseeing association in the Końskie region. He initiated and supported the action of collecting exhibits for the future museum in Końskie. Together with prof. Mieczysław Radwan he set up the division of the Polish Tourist & Sigtseeing Society in Końskie (abbreviated as PTTK in Polish) on 9 September 1935. The author of numerous written works.