Palowice Lake District

The dozen or so forest ponds between Żory, Szczejkowice and Palowice were created not by nature but by industry. In the 19th century bog iron ore was dug here in open pits for the Waleska ironworks, and water filled the hollows left behind. Today the Pojezierze Palowickie lies within the "Cistercian Landscape Compositions of Rudy Wielkie" Landscape Park and is one of the most rewarding walking areas around Rybnik.

Traces of ironmaking

Industry here goes back to the mid-18th century, when a forge in the now-vanished hamlet of Łanuch smelted bar iron from bog ore. In the 19th century the Waleska ironworks was founded, named after Waleska von Tiele-Winckler, daughter of the owner Franz von Winckler; its two blast furnaces were fired with charcoal. All that survives is the charging tower, a brick structure 15 m high from the first half of the 19th century (sources give 1830 or 1835). The charge – ore mixed with charcoal and flux – was hauled up inside it with a hand crane and carried over to the mouths of the furnaces.

The tower today

The tower stands in the forest above the Garbocz pond, beside the old road from Palowice to Żory. It was listed as a historic monument in 1966, and in 1974 it was roofed over and its openings bricked up. There were plans to turn it into a hostel, but the building, now owned by the State Forests (Kobiór forest district), remains unused.

Ponds and wildlife

The largest ponds are Garbocz, Łanuch (also called Gichta), Jesionka and the Łańcuchowe Ponds, lying in the valley of the Jesionka stream, a right-bank tributary of the Ruda. White water lilies, yellow water lilies, water chestnut and bog arum grow in the water. You may see mute swans, moorhens, marsh harriers, great egrets and kingfishers, and white-tailed eagles and black storks also visit. Two little houses on stilts standing in the water are a distinctive sight.

Did you know?

• Red Army trenches from the 1945 battle of Żory survive in the woods.
• The Old Road, a former trade route from Palowice to Żory, runs through the area, lined with veteran oaks; a wayside cross at Wytrzęsów has stood beside it since around 1850.
• There is a drinking-water spring in the area.

Tripto tip

The easiest way to explore is on the blue-marked Trail of the Beginnings of Ironmaking (Rybnik–Żory) or the educational path from Szczejkowice to the ruins of the Waleska works; cyclists can use the red Palowice–Żory route. Allow 2–3 hours for a walk around several ponds and to the charging tower. While you are here, stop in Palowice to see the 17th-century wooden Church of the Holy Trinity.