The Łuków Land is worth being explored by bike. What will surely help here is the 330-kilometer long network of bicycle routes that are an excellent attraction for those seeking activity and an alternative to staying in a crowded city.
The historical capital of these lands is Łuków. In the city there are two Baroque church and monastery complexes from the XVIII century – one post-Bernardine and one post-Piarist. Part of the monastery buildings house the Regional Museum with rich ethnographic, geological and archaeological collections.
Nearby town of Stoczek Łukowski, picturesquely located by the Świder River and surrounded by forests, became famous for the first victorious battle of the Polish army in the November Uprising. This event is commemorated by a monument from 1931 erected on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the battle. Another obligatory place to visit is Wola Okrzejska, a place of birth of the where the Polish Nobel Prize winner, Henryk Sienkiewicz. The local museum has a rich collection of family photographs, writer’s personal souvenirs, as well as a unique collection of the first editions of his works.
An attractive point of the trip will definitely be Wola Gułowska, with the Sanctuary of the Mother of God, Patron of the Soldiers of September. It’s one of the largest baroque churches in the region, erected at the turn of the XVII and XVIII centuries. At the parish cemetery we can see the headquarters of General Kleeberg's soldiers from the Independent Operational Group "Polesie", who died between 3 and 5 of October 1939. Their memory is popularized by the Museum of the Kleeberg Soldiers’ Fighting Act.
An attractive area is the Jata Nature Reserve, where among the ancient firs one can spot various species of animals and plants. The area of the reserve was also the stage of numerous events from the times of the November Uprising, January Uprising, and II World War, all of them accurately commemorated.
Places:
Łuków | Regional Museum with a rich collection of ammonites
Stoczek Łukowski | The first victorious battle of the Polish troops in the November Uprising
Wola Gułowska | Museum of Combat Action of Kleeberg’s Soldiers
Wola Okrzejska | Birthplace of Henryk Sienkiewicz