Szumy on the Tanew (Nad Tanwią Nature Reserve)

Along a stretch of about 400 metres, the Tanew river tumbles over 24 rock steps. The water pours over them in low, wide cascades, and you hear the rushing long before you see the river – hence the local name szumy (from the Polish word for "rushing" or "murmur"), sometimes also szypoty. This is the heart of the Nad Tanwią nature reserve in the Susiec municipality, one of the best-known sights of the Roztocze hills in south-eastern Poland.

How the cascades formed

The Tanew and its tributary, the Jeleń, cut through the edge zone of Roztocze here. The steps formed along fractures in the bedrock, which is why they line up fairly regularly, mostly across the riverbed. The highest step in the area, on the Jeleń, is about 1.5 m, but most cascades on the Tanew are low ledges that the water spills over across the full width of the river.

The reserve was established in 1958 to protect the landscape of the Tanew and Jeleń valleys with their waterfalls, together with mixed forest containing silver fir, which here grows at the edge of its natural range. The founding act gives 41.33 ha; the forest district now lists 47.49 ha. The reserve lies within the Puszcza Solska Landscape Park and is managed by the Józefów Forest District.

What to see

• The cascades at the former hamlet of Rebizanty – the main series of steps on a bend of the Tanew. You can walk along both banks, crossing two bridges about 500 m apart.
• The "Nad Tanwią" nature trail – about 3 km with 14 information boards, marked with white squares with a red diagonal stripe. It leads through pine forest, old-growth fir (some firs are about 40 m tall), forest meadows and riverside alder woods.
• Józef Piłsudski's border crossing – in June 1901, after escaping from a prison hospital in St Petersburg, the future leader of independent Poland crossed the Tanew here from the Russian into the Austrian partition. The crossing was organised by Jan Miklaszewski, a forest inspector of the Zamoyski estate, helped by a local man, Mikołaj Rebizant. A stone with a plaque was placed here in 1936; today you see a replica, as the original was taken to London. An obelisk to Miklaszewski also stands by the trail.
• Sentry boxes and barriers by the bridge on the Susiec – Huta Różaniecka road – replicas recalling that the river once marked the border between the partitions.
• Wildlife – around 40 plant communities have been recorded, including interrupted club moss, red elderberry and alpine currant. Look out for black storks, grey wagtails and kingfishers.

Did you know?

The Roztocze cascades have won two national polls: in 2008 the daily "Rzeczpospolita" named them one of the seven wonders of Polish nature, and in 2016 "National Geographic Traveler" chose them as one of the seven wonders of Poland. About 2.5 km west of the cascades, on Kościółek hill where the Tanew and Jeleń meet, the rampart of an early medieval stronghold survives. A legend tells of the knight Gołdap and his daughter Tanewa, said to have given the river its name. Every year around the turn of April and May the municipality holds the Bieg nad Tanwią run (the 12th edition took place in 2026) together with the Jarmark Susiecki fair.

Tripto tips

The easiest starting point is the forest car park by the bridge at the entrance to Huta Szumy, on the Susiec – Cieszanów road, with tables, benches, toilets and a map of the trail. Allow 1.5–2 hours for the nature trail; for a longer walk, take the blue Szlak Szumów, a loop of about 16 km from Susiec railway station. In places the path runs right above the water at the foot of a steep bank and gets very slippery after rain, so wear shoes with a good grip. You can reach Susiec by train: since 2024, regional trains run all year between Zamość and Bełżec. Remember that this is a nature reserve – stay on the marked paths. Susiec has plenty of accommodation and makes a good base for exploring the whole of Roztocze.