Historic sites

Piast Trail

The Piast Trail links the three strongholds of Poland’s beginnings — Poznań, Gniezno and Kruszwica — with dozens of heritage sites from the era when the Polish state took shape, across Greater Poland and Kuyavia. It operates as a car and coach product, and is simultaneously followed by the Piast Cycling Route. In 2012 the trail received the Polish Tourist Organisation Certificate for the best tourism product.

From Ostrów Lednicki to Gopło

On the route stands Ostrów Lednicki island with the Museum of the First Piasts, Gniezno with its cathedral and the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State, the reconstructed stronghold at Biskupin, the castle ruins in Wenecja and the Mouse Tower in Kruszwica by Lake Gopło. Farther on: the basilica and rotundas in Strzelno, the cathedral in Włocławek, the battlefield of Płowce and the birthplace of Casimir the Great in Kowal.

Legend and history

The trail takes its name from Piast the Wheelwright — the legendary forefather of Poland’s first dynasty, tied to the Kruszwica area and Lake Gopło, once called “the Sea of the Poles”. More than a thousand lakes of the region are complemented by the Lednica and Nadgoplański landscape parks.

The Piast Card and events

A practical aid is the free Piast Card — a discount card honoured by museums, hotels and restaurants on the trail. Every year the “Weekend on the Piast Trail” is organised, with events around a single theme.

In practice

The trail covers a large area, so the best approach is to split it into 3–4 one-day loops based in Gniezno, Poznań or Inowrocław. Many sites operate seasonally — check schedules before setting out.