Land by the lazy water

From the east to the west

The Barycz River, 133 km long, starts in wetlands close to Ostrów Wielkopolski and ends, flowing into the Oder River, in the vicinities of Wyszanów near Szlichtyngowa.These sites, like brackets, close one of the most enchanting spots in Poland, comprising a mosaic of ponds, fens, forests, fields and meadows.

This is the Barycz Valley – a true paradise for enthusiasts of nature and history.Nature lovers should enjoy, for instance, the natural reserve of the “Milicz Ponds”, second in size in Poland and rated among the most valuable world ecosystems.Tourists interested in history may admire magnificent palaces, surrounded by old parks, as well as interesting churches, timber-framed tenement buildings and cottages built of bog iron.What is interesting, both groups, while following their fascinations, will often meet,as the Barycz Valley is one of the few places in which a unique and naturally valuable ecosystem developed, to a large extent, as an effect of human activity.

A symbol, as well as a good illustration of these relationships, is the Grabownica Pond –the largest and one of the most beautiful ponds, habitat of countless birds, with waters piled up by a historic, wooden weir, a masterpiece of the 19^th century hydraulic engineering.

Presently, a great part of the Barycz Valley is included in the Natura 2000 network. The area is also located within the largest Polish landscape park.