Old Railway Trail - Stage II [Białogard - Złocieniec]

Stage II: Białogard – Złocieniec [66 km]

Białogard deserves attention not only because Aleksander Kwaśniewski was born here. The former president has not yet been honored with a monument, but Czesław Niemen, who lived here briefly after being resettled from what is now Belarus in 1958, has. The Wydrzycki family decided to repatriate only when there was a risk that Czesław would be drafted into the Soviet Army. His sister and parents lived here for many years. The monument stands in front of the former town hall building from 1827. Interestingly, the old seat of the municipal authorities does not stand in the middle of the market square, but modestly on the corner, distinguished from the neighboring houses by a wooden clock tower. No wonder – for the first 20 years, the building was just an ordinary merchant's house. The ruins of the former town hall are also on display in the market square.

The remains of the city walls are primarily the High Gate from the 14th century, also known as the Połczyn Gate. A metal stirrup can be found in the wall of the structure. It is connected with the legendary "War over a Cow." What is it about? Let's leave it to each cyclist to discover this fascinating story for themselves.

When traveling from Białogard, it is worth going a few extra kilometers to visit the Cold War Museum in Podborsko, hidden in the woods. On the way, we will pass two once beautiful palaces - a neglected one in Żyletkowo and a ruined one in Dobrowo. The destination of our detour is a facility identical to the famous bunkers near Borne Sulinowo, which housed nuclear warheads during the Cold War. There were a total of three such facilities in Poland, marked with the numbers 3001, 3002, and 3003. Only the shelter in Podborsko has been preserved in good condition. It is currently open to visitors (from May to October) and is very impressive. In addition to imagining what the arsenal of death stored here looked like, we can learn about NATO's plans for nuclear attacks on Poland and the story of an unknown hero who saved the world from nuclear annihilation. The perfect complement to the trip would be a visit to Kłomin near Borne Sulinowo, located not far from the Western Lake District Bicycle Route. However, the bunkers there are in poor condition and should not be entered on your own!

The route consists of two stages of similar length but different quality: from Białogard, we take a county road with low traffic, pleasant, undulating terrain, passing old churches and palaces. In Rąbin, you can visit a palace from the early 20th century, and in Lipie, a medieval church from 1462. The second part of the route begins after crossing provincial road No. 152, before Połczyn-Zdrój. Here, we enter a brand new bicycle path along the former railway line from Świdwin. Before entering the town, the route turns right, leading us straight to Złocieniec along the former railway tracks. However, it is worth visiting the town to walk along the Magical Street of Umbrellas hanging over the promenade or to enjoy the charms of the health resort and relax in the spa park. If we were not "behind the wheel," we could try the products of the local brewery, which owes its unique taste to the local mineral waters. The brewery was connected to the local water supply network, which may have contributed to the creation of a charming urban legend. Apparently, thanks to the generosity of the owner, on special occasions, beer flowed from the taps instead of water. We have no evidence of this, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

From Połczyn, the trail leads along a railway embankment through the Drawski Landscape Park. It is one of the first routes of this type in Poland – no wonder, because it is truly captivating. The old stations are a sight to behold, even if they have not been renovated. There are often designated rest areas next to them. We also encounter ghosts of the past behind Cieszyn – right next to the route, you can see the remains of the never-completed "Berliner Autobahn" – Hitler's motorway that was supposed to connect Berlin with Königsberg.

Those who can spend more time in the Połczyn area should definitely visit Szwajcaria Połczyńska, which offers some of the most picturesque landscapes in the entire West Pomeranian Province. It is home to one of the highest hills in Western Pomerania – Wola Góra (219.2 m above sea level), on top of which a fire observation tower has been erected. The Drawa River also has its source here. The "Połczyńska Garda" MTB route runs around the Valley of Five Lakes, which can be an interesting, though demanding, break from riding with panniers. You can also walk it and feel like you are on a mountain hike.

Transport: there are train stations in Białogard (on the Szczecin - Koszalin and Kolobrzeg - Szczecinek - Poznań lines), Rąbin (on the Szczecin - Koszalin line) and Złocieniec (on the Szczecin - Szczecinek line). Connections are operated by POLREGIO and Intercity (Białogard only). The timetable can be found at https://portalpasazera.pl

Surface: asphalt 98%, cobblestones 2%.

Type of traffic: bicycle paths 54%, general traffic 46%.