Western Lake Districts Route - Stage III [Choszczno - Ińsko]

Stage III: Choszczno – Dobrzany – Ińsko [47 km]

The second lake district on our route is the Choszczno Lake District, in the heart of which, on Lake Kluki, lies Choszczno. It is also a stop dear to the heart of every cyclist due to the Polish Cycling Stars Avenue. In truth, it is more of a monument than an avenue, but what is important is that our greatest champions have left their handprints here - from Stanisław Królak, through Czesław Lang and Ryszard Szurkowski, to Zenon Jaskuła. There is still plenty of space for new plaques, so Choszczno is waiting for Rafał Majka, Michał Kwiatkowski, and future champions of two wheels. The city hosts street cycling races, initiated in 1969 by the well-known sports journalist and Olympian Zygmunt Weiss, a former prisoner of Oflag II B Arnswalde.

The town was almost completely destroyed in 1945, but fortunately, fragments of the town walls from the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries have survived. Among them, it is worth paying attention to the structure called a barbican or rondel in fortification terminology, although this term evokes other associations. There are only two barbicans known in Poland - in Krakow and Warsaw. However, there is a third, albeit slightly less impressive, rondel in Choszczno. It takes the form of a Gothic tower from the Stone Gate. After the war, it was rebuilt and adapted for use as a library, which it still serves today.

The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, standing in the market square, houses the most valuable monument of the town. In the recess of the south wall of the presbytery, you can see a medieval ceramic bas-relief – the Tree of Jesse, the biblical father of David, depicting the genealogy of Christ. A similar work is difficult to find anywhere else in Europe.

From Choszczno, we mainly follow local roads towards another lake district - this time Ińsko, which takes its name from the Ina River. In Dobrzany, the route connects with the variant from Szczecin. Here, you can also turn towards Stargard, thus making a loop to the provincial capital. A bicycle path is currently being built on the railway embankment from Kozy to Ińsko. The Choszczno-Kozy section has been marked and put into use.

The small resort of Ińsko is located on the lake of the same name and is known for one of the oldest film festivals in Poland. The Ińsko Film Summer takes place every year in August in picturesque natural surroundings - the cinema is right by the lake, next to the Jerzy Hoffman promenade. We are still waiting for a monument to the master, but there is a monument to a crayfish. It is connected with the legend of a terrible crustacean which, instead of staying in the lake, terrorized the inhabitants of Ińsko, who could not cope with it until a blacksmith-hero tricked it into a chain and, together with other residents, sank it to the bottom of the lake, where it lives to this day. This is not confirmed by divers who have taken a liking to the clear waters of the reservoir. The bottom is also teeming with attractions - sunken boats, cars (including a Trabant), pirate chests, and even an office desk with a computer - all several meters underwater. Cyclists must be content with riding along the banks of the avenue of monumental trees to reach the observation tower. Today, it is the biggest attraction of the town. From a height of almost 30 meters, the panorama of the Ińsko Landscape Park looks exceptionally attractive. Fortunately, you can reach the top by elevator (free of charge).

Transport: PKP railway stations are located in Choszczno (on the Szczecin-Poznań line) and Ognica (on the Szczecin-Wałcz line) and near the route in Lisowo and Chociwel (on the Szczecin-Koszalin line). Connections are operated by POLREGIO and Intercity. The timetable can be found at https://portalpasazera.pl

Surface: asphalt 86%, aggregate 7%, cobblestones 1%, slabs 5%, dirt roads 1%.

Type of traffic: bicycle paths 43%, general traffic 46%, forest/field roads 22%.