Lednica Landscape Park | tripto.pl

Historic sites

Lednica Landscape Park

Lake Lednica in the Gniezno Lakeland is one of the most important places on the map of Poland's beginnings: on the largest of its five islands, Ostrów Lednicki, survive the remains of the oldest stone palace-and-church architecture in the country, built under Mieszko I shortly before 966. The island is considered the probable site of the Baptism of Poland.

A palace with baptismal pools

In the ruins of the palatium joined to a chapel, archaeologists identified baptismal pools — the structures of the 960s are linked to the Christianisation of Mieszko I's state. Next to it stood a free-standing cemetery church with burials in the nave. At that time Ostrów was a main defensive and administrative centre between Poznań and Gniezno, linked to both shores of the lake by wooden bridges. The end of its glory came with the Czech raid of Bretislav in 1038: the bridges were destroyed and the stronghold burned. The wooden-and-earth rampart, up to 9 m high, survives to this day.

From excavations to museum

Research was initiated in 1843 by Count Edward Raczyński; in 1932–1935 the largest early-medieval burial ground in Poland was discovered here. Since 1969 the island hosts the Museum of the First Piasts, and on September 16, 1994 Ostrów was entered on the list of Historic Monuments. Foot and cycle trails run across the Lednica Fields to the island and along the shore; the nearby past are also recalled by Kraszewski's novel "An Ancient Tale", set among pagan Slavs right by Lednica.

Practical tips

Entry to the island goes through the Museum of the First Piasts — check opening hours and the availability of the crossing to the island before your visit, as part of the offer is seasonal. Allow 3–4 hours for the island with its ruins and the shoreline. After rain the lakeside paths get muddy, so shoes with good soles are essential.

Nearby attractions

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Ostrów Lednicki

Greater PolandHidden gem

Ostrów Lednicki

Greater Poland

0.3 km

Ostrów Lednicki, the largest of the five islands on Lake Lednica, is one of the most important places in Polish history — the probable site of the Baptism of Poland. Under Mieszko I and Bolesław the Brave it was a principal defensive and a…

Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica

Greater Poland

Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica

Greater Poland

0.8 km

The Museum of the First Piasts at Lednica explores the beginnings of the Polish state and the world of the early Piast dynasty. Its highlight is the archaeological site of the early medieval stronghold on Ostrów Lednicki island, reached by…

Lednica Landscape Park

Greater Poland

Lednica Landscape Park

Greater Poland

180–360 min

0.8 km

Lednica Landscape Park combines nature with one of Poland’s most important stories about the beginnings of statehood. Around Lake Lednica, island, shore, fields and former crossings create the setting for the heritage of the first Piasts.…

Wielkopolska Ethnographic Park in Dziekanowice

Greater PolandHidden gem

Wielkopolska Ethnographic Park in Dziekanowice

Greater Poland

90–180 min

1.5 km

This is more than a collection of old farmhouses. The open-air museum in Dziekanowice, on Lake Lednica, was designed to recreate the structure of a traditional Wielkopolska village: farmsteads gathered around a village square, a wooden chu…

Greater Poland

Fish Gate

Greater Poland

Free entry

2.8 km

Brama Ryba, also called the Gate of the Third Millennium, is a steel fish-shaped structure on the Lednica Fields beside Lake Lednica. It is the symbolic centre of the Lednica 2000 youth meetings and one of the most recognisable landmarks o…

The Innkeeper of Waliszewo

Greater PolandHidden gem

The Innkeeper of Waliszewo

Greater Poland

10–15 min · Free entry

5.1 km

**The Innkeeper of Waliszewo** is a stop on the County of Gniezno Myths and Legends Trail, commemorating the story of the former Red Inn. Before 1840, an inn called Waliszewek is said to have stood at a crossroads near Waliszewo. Today the…

St Rosalia Chapel in Sławno

Greater PolandHidden gem

St Rosalia Chapel in Sławno

Greater Poland

20–30 min · Free entry

6.1 km

**St Rosalia Chapel in Sławno** is a wooden cemetery chapel built on a former cone-shaped earthwork, on the eastern edge of the village in Kiszkowo commune. It was completed in **1785** and is one of the most interesting examples of wooden…

Fountain of Lech, Czech and Rus in Pobiedziska

Greater Poland

Fountain of Lech, Czech and Rus in Pobiedziska

Greater Poland

Free entry

8.0 km

The Fountain of Lech, Czech and Rus stands on the Market Square in Pobiedziska, between Poznań and Gniezno on the Piast Trail. It is a free outdoor attraction and a useful landmark during a short walk through the centre. The sculpture conn…

Pomnik Witolda Skórzewskiego w Leśniewie

Greater Poland

Pomnik Witolda Skórzewskiego w Leśniewie

Greater Poland

15–30 min · Free entry

9.2 km

W głębi Lasów Czerniejewskich, zaledwie kilkadziesiąt metrów od leśnego traktu, stoi biały pomnik zwieńczony krzyżem. Nie prowadzi do niego reprezentacyjna aleja, nie ma tu tłumów ani kasy biletowej. Jest las, cisza i miejsce, w którym **3…