Zaborski Park Krajobrazowy (tourist routes)

A green “Zaborski” trail

Trail has its start in Brusy town, the capital of Ziemia Zaborksa. Nearby there is Muzeum Chata Kaszubska [literally: Kashubian Cottage Museum] in which on the exposition are relics connected with the history, art and material culture of Kashubia, among others, old items of everyday use. The works of Józef Chełmoński, the local folk artist called a “Kashubian Leonardo da Vinci”, are also documented here.

On a 43-kilometre long route that runs mainly in forests, an important point is Leśno village where we can see  burial ground Kręgi Kamienne, as well as a wooden church from a mid-17^th century. Our hike will cover the best hidden from civilization corners of Zaborski Park Krajobrazowy. An especially charming place is the part of the trail between villages Laska and Drzewicz that leads through a so called ribbon lakes valley, with Lobelian lake Nawionek (local vegetation is protected by the water nature reserve) and lakes: Zmarłe, Gardliczno Duże and Płęsno.

A green “Struga Siedmiu Jezior” [“Seven Lakes Stream”] trail

A trail located both on the terrain of Zaborski Park Krajobrazowy and on the terrain of Park Narodowy Bory Tucholskie [Bory Tucholskie National Park]. The route starts in Charzykowy, a village that is a home for administration buildings of both institutions. The central point of the 48-kilometre trail is situated on the terrain of Park Narodowy Struga Siedmiu Jezior, it is one of the tributaries of Charzykowskie Lake. After starting the hike, we will go through Chojniczki village to Niedźwiedź lake, then we will follow a route called Hubertówka – we can find here a monument of St. Hubert from 1931 with a relief in the shape of a 7-pointed star that shows the history of the saint, in front of whom supposedly there appeared a deer with a cross between its antlers.

We enter the terrain of Park Narodowy Bory Tucholskie in a Bachorze settlement. Our further steps will direct us to a place called Stara Piła, where we can find an around 600 years-old, overgrown with thick moss “Bartuś” – a pedunculate oak, the most popular and the oldest monumental tree of Bory that is 25 metres high. From there, we will go along lakes belonging to Struga Siedmiu Jezior – Płęsno, Główka, Bełczak and Jeleń. Then, through Leśnictwo Dębowa Góra, Klosnowo, Jarcewo and Lasek Miejski we will reach Brama Człuchowska in Chojnice, where the trails ends.

Blue “Rzeki Brdy” trail

Also a part of a blue “Rzeki Brdy” trail cover various areas of protected area. After starting our hike in Konarzyny village, within the area of Zaborski Park Krajobrazowy we will cover the central lake course of Brda river. On our road we will see lakes: Charzykowskie, Długie, Karsińskie and Witoczno. In Swornegacie village we can visit a Neo-Baroque and modernistic parish church of St. Barbara, as well as Kaszubski Dom Rękodzieła Ludowego [Kshubian House of Folk Handicraft].

From Witoczno lake the trail runs on the banks of Brda, on the edge of a high bluff. We will enter the terrain of Park Narodowy Bory Tucholskie in the area of Drzewicz settlement, by the shore of Dybrzk lake and we will stay within its borders up until the Męcikał village. Near this village there are remains of partisan bunker called “Zielony Pałac” of Tajna Organizacja Wojskowa Gryf Pomorski [Pomorskie Griffin secret military organization] from the times of World War Two. The trail leads further in the direction of Mylof, and then Rytel, where Tuchoski Park Narodowy [Tucholski National Park] starts.

Blue “Rzeka Zbrzyca” trail

Trail starts by Stanica Wodna PTTK [Riverside Hostel], near the mouth of Zbrzyca on Witoczno lake that constitutes an important refugium for water and marsh birds, especially a whooper swan who spends the winter here. A 45-kilometre long trail almost in the whole overlaps with the course of present in its name river, and Młosiny, its left tributary. Nature attractions of the trail include numerous lakes, from among which it is worth to mention the ones covered in the first part of the hike: Księże, Długie, Parszczenica and Śluza, as well as Kły lake of Lobelian character located not far from Wiele, a village that is the final point of the route.

On the river we can find the remains of many, formerly working here, mills. One of them – in Kaszuba village – functions to this day. On our trail, there is also mentioned before Leśno with Kręgi Kamienne, as well as Widno village, in which we can see a reconstructed Kashubian wood fired bread oven.

Black trail

Perfect for a shorter walk is an 8.5-kilometre trail of Jan Karnowski, a Kashubian judge and poet that lived at the turn of the 20^th century. A route marked black starts in Charzykowy, from where we will go along the shore of Charzykowskie Lake to Stary Młyn, and then in the direction of Niedźwiedź lake, where you can go for a swim. The route also functions as a link between running here longer routes…

Red “Kashubian trail of Julian Rydzkowski

…like for example a 59-kilometre red szlak “Kaszubski im. Juliana Rydzykowskiego” [“Kashubian trail of Julian Rydzkowski]. A hike on this route will start in Chojnice, by Brama Człuchowska where we can visit Muzeum Historyczno-Etnograficzne [Historic-Ethnographic Museum]. After leaving the town, we will reach Dolina Śmierci [literally: Death Valley] – a place where during the World War Two massive executions took place here. Hitlerians killed around 200 inhabitants of chojnicki county.

Then, the trail crosses Struga Jarcewska and leads through Lasek Miejski where the trail links its course with “Struga Siedmiu Jezior” trail. We will go north on the alley of monumental trees to Jarcewo village, where it is worth to see a 19^th century manor-park complex. Our further steps will be directed to lakes Niedźwiedź and Charzykowskie by which the trail enters the terrain of Park Narodowy Bory Tucholskie. The further parts of the hike will cover the most valuable in terms of nature corner of the Park, and then the array of Kashubian villages with rich cultural and historic traditions. The last point is Wiele village and the area of Kalwaria Wielewska located on the hillside of Biała Góra and which consists of 23 objects (including 14 chapels).

Yellow trail

The patron of a 26-kilometre yellow trail between Charzykowy and Swornegacie villages is Józef Bruski, a doctor, community worker and a Kashubian storyteller. The route leads across picturesque moraine hill called Wolność (206 metres above sea-level). Growing here beech forest is worth seeing in the early spring, when a magical atmosphere is created by blooming geophytes like windflowers, liverleaves, yellow stars-of-Bethlehem and lesser celandines. Here stretches a beautiful view on the south part of Charzykowskie Lake. Outside a village called Babilon we will follow the valley of Brda until its mouth on Charzykowskie Lake.