Beech Forest (Pustelnik) in Trzebnica

A short walk from the Basilica of St Hedwig, the Beech Forest begins – locals also call it Pustelnik, "the Hermit". Under tall beeches stand the chapels of an 18th-century Calvary, a brick forest church from 1886, a Lourdes grotto and the grave of the last hermit. Entry is free, and paths wind over the gentle hills of the former spa.

History: hermitage, Calvary and spa

The forest covers hills of the Trzebnica Heights in the south-east of the town. Local tradition holds that a hermitage stood here in the Middle Ages by a spring linked with St Hedwig, and that there was a hermit's chapel in the 12th century. From the 15th century pilgrims came to the forest.

In 1734 the Cistercian nuns of Trzebnica, led by Abbess Zofia Korycińska, funded a Way of the Cross with 16 stations in the form of small masonry chapels spread across the hills. The paintings inside have been repainted several times; the latest set by L. Maciszewski dates from the 1970s and was restored in 2022 thanks to local residents and businesses.

Around 1900 the Beech Forest served as Trzebnica's spa park, which is why the nearby district is called Uzdrowisko ("the Spa") and old spa buildings stand close by.

What to see

• The Church of the Fourteen Holy Helpers from 1886 – a single-nave, neo-Gothic red-brick church known as the forest church. Inside are wall paintings, neo-Baroque sculptures and an 1899 organ by Schlag & Söhne of Świdnica. A sign at the entrance invites quiet visits.
• The Lourdes grotto from 1926, built of bog iron ore.
• The Calvary chapels – they are spread out, so seeing them all means a proper walk through the forest.
• The relief from the grave of Hubert Jantke, who built the church, and the grave of the hermit who looked after it.

Did you know?

For decades a hermit lived next to the church. The last of them, Brother Feliks Plitzko, died in 1946. Until the 1970s there was a small cemetery between the church, the hermitage and the grotto.

Tripto tip

There is a car park at the edge of the forest, and Wrocław is under half an hour away by the S5 expressway. Trains also run from Wrocław Główny to Trzebnica, though during work on the line part of the route is covered by replacement buses. Allow 1–2 hours for a walk taking in the church, the grotto and part of the Calvary; it is loveliest in May, when the beeches come into leaf, and in October. Paths can be muddy after rain. Nearby are the restored ponds with footpaths and the Trzebnica Zdrój water park, and the Basilica of St Hedwig is about 2 kilometres from the forest church.