Wielkopolska National Park

Wielkopolska


Just a few kilometres southwest of Poznań’s administrative boundaries is the 76-sq-km Wielkopolska National Park. About 80% of the park is forest – pine and oak being the dominant species – and its postglacial lakes give it a certain charm.

Hiking is the main attraction here, and a good point to start your stroll is the town of Mosina (21km from Poznań), which is served regularly by both train and bus from Poznań.

From Mosina, use the large maps outside the station as orientation and then follow the blue-marked trail heading northwest to Osowa Góra (3km). Once you reach small Lake Kociołek, switch to the red trail, which winds southwestwards. After passing another miniature lake, the trail reaches Lake Góreckie, the most beautiful body of water in the park. The trail then skirts the eastern part of the lake and turns northeast to bring you to the town of Puszczykowo, from where trains and buses can take you back to Poznań. It’s about a 17km walk altogether through the most attractive area of the park.

If you want to do more walking, there are four more trails to choose from. Get a copy of the TopMapa Wielkopolski Park Narodowy map (scale 1:35,000; 8.99 zł), which has all the details.

The two towns sit conveniently on the eastern edge of the park, just 4km apart on the Poznań–Wrocław railway line. There are slow trains from Poznań Główny to Puszczykowo (5.30zł, 13 minutes, hourly) and Mosina (6.50zł, 25 minutes, hourly).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Wielkopolska attractions

1. Rogalin Palace Museum

6.12 MILES

Rogalin, situated some 30km south of Poznań, has an impressive, two-storey baroque palace that was home to Polish aristocratic clan, the Raczyński family…

2. Chapel

6.5 MILES

If you are visiting Rogalin's extravagant Palace Museum, one more place to see is the chapel, built in the 1820s to serve as a mausoleum for the Raczyński…

3. Palm House

10.17 MILES

A short walk from the main train station along ul Głogowska, Park Wilsona contains one of the biggest greenhouses in Europe. Constructed in 1910, it…

4. Monument to the Victims of June 1956

10.9 MILES

On Plac Mickiewicza you’ll find one of Poznań's most significant memorials, which commemorates the ill-fated workers' protest of 1956. The monument,…

5. Museum of Poznań June 1956

10.91 MILES

Within the grand neo-Romanesque Kaiserhaus built from 1904 to 1910 for German Emperor Wilhelm II, this museum offers details of the massive 1956 workers'…

6. Kaiserhaus

10.92 MILES

This commanding neo-Romanesque palace, built from 1904 to 1910 for German Emperor Wilhelm II, now houses the Centrum Kultury Zamek.

7. Parish Church

11.14 MILES

Two blocks south of the Rynek, this church was originally built for the Jesuits by architects from Italy, and completed only after more than 80 years of…

8. National Museum

11.15 MILES

This museum houses an extensive collection of Polish and European art displayed across numerous rooms. Polish painting of the last two centuries is…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "poland/wielkopolska/attractions/wielkopolska-national-park/a/poi-sig/1420944/360345",
      "destination": "Wielkopolska",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Poland",
      "region": "Wielkopolska",
      "position": "superzone"
    }