Picturesque Surroundings of Łódź - What's Worth Seeing

Łódź has plenty of tourist attractions of its own, but beautiful landscapes also stretch out just beyond the city: the Park Krajobrazowy Wzniesień Łódzkich (Łódź Hills Landscape Park), the Łagiewniki forest and the SGGW Arboretum in Rogów. Below are some ideas for a day trip out of town, all within a few dozen kilometres of Łódź.

Park Krajobrazowy Wzniesień Łódzkich

Between Łódź, Brzeziny and Stryków lies the Park Krajobrazowy Wzniesień Łódzkich, established in 1996. It covers the area of two towns (Łódź and Brzeziny) and the municipalities of Nowosolna, Stryków, Dmosin and Zgierz, over 10,700 hectares in total including the buffer zone. It is a good spot for walking and cycling trips, with a network of trails and viewpoints on the moraine hills. Within the park, in the village of Byszewy, stands a classicist manor house from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, where the writer Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz used to stay in 1911-1913, and later, until 1931. This is the setting of his short story "Panny z Wilka" (The Maids of Wilko). The manor is privately owned, by the heirs of its former owners, the Plichta family, and is in good condition after renovation, but it is not open to the public on a daily basis. It can be viewed from the outside and occasionally hosts cultural events.

Łagiewniki

The Łagiewniki forest is home to some of Łódź's oldest monuments. It contains the Las Łagiewnicki Nature Reserve, one of the largest forest complexes within the boundaries of a major Polish city, along with an 18th-century church and Franciscan monastery and the chapel of St Anthony, the centre of a religious cult going back centuries. Archaeological work near the monastery uncovered coins from Roman times, roughly two thousand years old. Within the forest it is also worth visiting Uroczysko Arturówek, with its bathing area and boat dock by the ponds, and the nearby Juliusz Heinzel Palace. The area combines historic monuments, nature and religious tradition, and is popular with Łódź residents for walks and picnics.

Niebieskie Źródła Nature Reserve in Tomaszów Mazowiecki

The spring outflows in the Niebieskie Źródła Nature Reserve are among the most valuable in Europe. The water has a distinctive blue-green colour caused by scattered sunlight, and it stays at a constant temperature of around 9 degrees Celsius all year, which is why the surrounding ponds never freeze in winter. A characteristic feature of the landscape is the sand geysers thrown up by the quartz-rich water. The reserve is a habitat for birds, including the bearded reedling and the kingfisher. The drive from Łódź to Tomaszów Mazowiecki takes about an hour.

Park Krajobrazowy Międzyrzecza Warty i Widawki

The park was established in 1989 to protect the valley of the Warta and Widawka rivers. It covers more than 25,000 hectares and stands out for its varied terrain: gorges cut by the Warta, hills with relative heights of up to around 45 metres, and limestone rock formations. Sand dunes, peat bogs and wetlands sit side by side here, and well-preserved historic buildings can be found along the trails. The park lies south of Łódź, around Widawa and Rusiec, roughly an hour's drive from the city.

Arboretum in Rogów

The SGGW Arboretum in Rogów is one of the richest dendrological gardens in Europe in terms of tree and shrub species and varieties. It lies in Brzeziny County, in the municipality of Rogów, covering 54 hectares and home to more than 2,800 species and varieties of trees and shrubs from across the temperate climate zone, including rare and endangered species. The garden is open daily (from 7:00 on weekdays, from 10:00 on weekends and public holidays, closing times vary by season), admission is ticketed, and groups of more than 15 people need to book a guided tour in advance by phone on +48 46 874 81 36. Rogów is about 30 kilometres from Łódź.