Tarcza Olbrzyma (Giant's Shield) Boulder in Sokolniki

In the middle of the fields at Sokolniki near Gniezno lies a boulder that, according to local legend, was meant to crush a church under construction. The Mieleszyn municipality calls it the area's greatest curiosity: Tarcza Olbrzyma – the Giant's Shield – measures about 17 metres round, and its flat shape gave it its name. It is a short stop, but only when you stand next to it do you feel the true size of the stone.

How it got here

In reality the boulder is a glacial erratic – rock carried from the north by the ice sheet during the Ice Age and left on the field when the ice melted. The legend tells it differently, in at least two versions. In the first, the devil rolled a huge stone from the far north at night to destroy the church being built by the people of Sokolniki; when the cocks crowed he lost his power and the boulder stuck where it still lies. In the second, quoted by the municipality, the stone simply fell from the devil's hands as he flew over the village.

Sokolniki and its wooden church

The village name probably comes from an old duty to breed falcons (sokół in Polish) for the dukes' hunts. As early as the 13th century Duke Henry the Pious granted a tithe from Sokolniki to St George's church in Gniezno. The village has a wooden church of St Stanislaus built in 1682–1712, with Baroque furnishings, wall paintings and a still-working organ from the late 18th century – the very church the legend is linked to.

Tripto tip

A quarter of an hour is enough for the boulder itself; there is a shelter with tables and a fireplace beside it, making it a good stop on a bike ride. A dirt road leads to the stone, so access can be harder after heavy rain. Combine the visit with the wooden church in Sokolniki to see both halves of the legend. Sokolniki lies in Mieleszyn municipality, Gniezno County.