Attractions and Places To See around gmina Żagań - Top 20

My father was a forced laborer in this building or in one of the three others similar to it on the site of this former factory, from 1943 to 1945 (until the arrival of the Russians). Here is what he wrote about the work he had to do: "The work we did was very difficult and dangerous. It consisted of mixing special paper from Norway and Sweden with acid. When the mixture went wrong, the entire boiler would explode, and gas would spread throughout the building. All we could do was get out. But our dear friends didn't wait for it to finish. Time was pressing, and we had to intervene with handkerchiefs over our mouths. So that the gas would dissipate faster, we would spray water for some time. During these operations, our guards stayed outside, behind the doors, preventing us from leaving. They only came in for a control check once everything was finished. With this work, our clothes were not great. And when we returned to the camp with our coats riddled with holes from the acid, our guards would laugh and tell us: 'Good job!'. But we didn't answer."

The temple was erected at the end of the 13th century from erratic boulders, in the early Gothic style. The first written information about it dates back to 1376. In the 15th century, the church was extended, and in the 16th century, a tower was added, somewhat unusually, from the south side. During the Baroque period, a sacristy was added and the window openings were given a new form (the outline of pointed arch window openings can still be seen on the outer walls). The beautiful 13th-century entrance portal on the south side deserves special attention. It was made of sandstone, is pointed-arched, with profiled offsets, and has columns in the corners. The whole is surrounded by a brick fence, probably from the 15th century.

The temple was erected at the end of the 13th century from erratic boulders, in the early Gothic style. The first written information about it dates back to 1376. In the 15th century, the church was extended, and in the 16th century, a tower was added, somewhat unusually, from the south side. In the Baroque period, the sacristy was added and the window openings were given a new form (the outlines of pointed-arch window openings can still be seen on the outer walls). The beautiful 13th-century entrance portal on the south side is particularly noteworthy. It was made of sandstone, is pointed-arched, with profiled ledges, and has columns in the corners. The whole is surrounded by a brick fence, probably from the 15th century.

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.

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 see a monument to the residents of Kartowice (Kortnitz in German) who died on the front lines of World War I. After a rest in Kartowice, we head further north, towards Witków. Soon, the agricultural landscape will transform into forest. This preservation owes its historical preservation to the fact that since the Middle Ages, this 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/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 (Ciche Hill).

An impressive building, it's impossible not to notice it when driving along the road!

The castle in Broniszów was built as a knight's building in the late Middle Ages. The first owner was supposedly Bronisław, Count of Bytom Odrzański. At the beginning of the 17th century, the von Kottwitz family expanded the castle into a Renaissance residence on the plan of the letter L. In the elevated, three-storey building, two representative halls were maintained on the ground floor: one of them is covered with a beamed ceiling with an impressive Renaissance stucco decoration from the end of the 16th century, the other is covered with a Renaissance vault with a fitting ornament. The main entrance to the castle is located in the northern façade. It is decorated with a stone late Renaissance portal with the inscription ANNO MISSERIMA FORTUNA QUAE INIMICIS CARET 1608. The Baroque reconstruction from the end of the 17th century brought a change in the order of the windows, a Baroque dome of the northern tower and Baroque plasters at the expense of Renaissance sgraffito plasters. In the 19th century, the castle was rebuilt again. A brick wall and a neo-Gothic observation tower were added to the Renaissance manor house, creating an internal courtyard. The manor house was surrounded by a moat with a pond. The 20th century was not easy for Broniszow Castle. After 1945, the castle gradually fell into ruin. The renovation of this architectural monument began in 2010 and continues to this day. Thanks to our work, you can stay in one of the rooms available to guests and visit the interior of the castle. (zamekbroniszow.pl)

It’s called „hotel” by locals due to it’s shape with characteristic balcony however it was nitrocelulose station where celulose was nitrated. Process was extremaly toxic. Balconies were needed to allow workers to take quick brake from acidic gases. Holes in the floor are leftovers from vertical mixing instalation. On the top floor you can find concrete celulose reservoirs. On the ground floor cylindrical bases for tanks and machinery. Ground floor was covered with special tiles that could stand contact with acid. Building have concrete support and walls made of bricks. Because nitrocelulose is explosive the whole idea is: in case of explosion the support remains while the walls are blown up. This solution allowed to quickly fix damage and continue production.