Green Forest (Zielony Las) in Żary

On the southern edge of Żary begins the hilly Green Forest, where three towers stand within a few square kilometres: the 19th-century Promnitz tower, the unfinished Bismarck tower and a steel fire lookout. The last of these stands on Gołębia, known as Góra Żarska (226.9 m above sea level) — the highest point of the Lubusz Voivodeship. The forest has served the townspeople as a walking area since the 19th century.

A forest on a moraine

The Green Forest lies on the Żary Hills — a terminal moraine ridge left by the ice sheet during the Middle Polish glaciation. Hence the hillocks, valleys, ravines, ponds and boggy hollows rarely found within town limits. Gołębia hill lies about 2.5 km south of Żary in the rural district of Żary; the Lubsza river rises nearby. The area is protected as a Natura 2000 site and as the “Las Żarski” protected landscape area.

Three towers

• The Promnitz tower — a 19th-century brick-and-stone lookout tower named after the Promnitz family, former lords of Żary, with a terrace at the top.
• The Bismarck tower — construction began on 1 April 1914, Bismarck's 99th birthday. The outbreak of the First World War halted the work and it was never finished: instead of the planned 42 m, the tower is about 25 m high. After 1945 it served as a fire lookout until 1980. Today it is vandalised and closed — you can only see it from outside.
• The steel fire lookout tower on Góra Żarska, built in 1980 to replace the Bismarck tower. Climbing it is possible only with the permission of the lookout on duty.

Did you know?

The forest hides traces of old buildings that most walkers never notice. On a hill by the old post road, about 3 km south of the centre of Żary, stood the Promnitz hunting lodge (Waldschloss), which survived both world wars. It later housed a dance hall, a Masonic lodge and an inn; today only overgrown remains are left. On clear days the towers offer a view over the town and, in the distance, the Karkonosze.

Tripto tips

You can enter the forest from the southern streets of Żary, for example from Komuny Paryskiej Street. Allow 1.5–2 hours for a walk to the Promnitz tower and the Bismarck tower ruin; a cycling loop through the forest with a picnic spot takes up to 2 hours. The area is free and open all year, but it is hilly — after rain the ravines can be muddy. Do not enter the ruined Bismarck tower.