Welcome!

      "Cycling Guidebook of Dąbrowa Górnicza" is a result of a three-years long cooperation within a Socrates Comenius project with:

- Żygimanto Augusto pagrindine mokykla from Vilnius in Lithuania,
- St. Francis Secondary School from Sliema in Malta,
- Bulgaria Sredno obshtoobrazovatelno uchilishte Geo Milev from Varna in Bulgaria.

      Besides integration with teenagers from partnership schools and learning about modern ways of communication - the Internet, we also wanted our students to find out more about Europe - our common fatherland. We decided that the best way to do it is by bike. Hence the idea for "Cycling Guidebook of Dąbrowa Górnicza". We encourage you to visit the website!

Route 1: Around Pogoria Lakes

Route 2: To the castle in Będzin

The routes of our friends:

Route 1 from Bulgaria - Varna.

Route 1 from Bulgaria - Varna - Aladja Monastery - Golden Sands....

Route from Malta: Places of Intrest in FLoriana.

Beautiful Maltese islands.

Route from Lithuania: The old Vilnius.

      Dąbrowa Górnicza is a town mainly associated with heavy industry - coalmines and steelworks. However, the town has also got different images - it is an important cultural and educational centre, as well as a place where thousands of people living in the District of Silesia can relax and spend their free time actively in the open air.

      The foundation of Dabrowa is connected with the discovery of coalfields in 1785. After the first partition of Poland in 1772, Dąbrowa was a part of Prussia, and these were Prussians who opened the first coalmine. Coalmine "Reden" was situated in the place where nowadays a lot of people relax - park "Centrum.

      As a result of Napoleon wars, Dąbrowa was annexed to Warsaw Kingdom, created by the French leader independent Polish country, which Poles hoped would enable them regain complete independence.

      In 1815, after the defeat of Napoleon, Dąbrowa together with most of other areas of Warsaw Kingdom became the part of Russia. However, industry in the region kept developing rapidly, and new coalmines and steelworks were opened. The quantity of coal mined in "Reden" also increased. At the same time the settlement grew and more and more people arrived to Dąbrowa. An important event was opening of Mining School "Sztygarka" in 1889.

      During 1st World War Dąbrowa was occupied by the Austrian army, and Austrian authorities decided to give the settlement municipal rights and changed its name to Dąbrowa Górnicza. The new name was connected with oak (dąb) forests growing in the area in the past and the occupation of people living here - mining (górnictwo). The symbol of the town - Polish eagle, an acorn and a miner's hammer also represented its character. After regaining independence in 1918, Dąbrowa Górnicza became an important centre of industry.

      After the 2nd World War the city continued to grow. As a result of the reform of state's administration in 1975, a few smaller towns were joined to Dąbrowa Górnicza increasing its population to 130.000 people. Also at that time building of Katowice Steelworks started.

      Reforms of industrial branch which took place in Poland at the end of the last century influenced Dąbrowa Górnicza a lot. The last coalmine "Paris" was closed, as well as one of the oldest steelworks in Europe "Bankowa". On one hand, the reforms entailed increase of unemployment in the region. On the other hand, they helped to improve the condition of polluted environment.

      Nowadays Dąbrowa Górnicza is becoming a popular place for relaxation among many people living in the region. The town has a lot to offer. Four lakes Pogoria I, Pogoria II, Pogoria III and Pogoria IV being formerly areas of local sand mine, every summer attract thousands of sailors, fishermen and simply those who want to sunbathe. The Błędowska Desert located partly within the town's boundaries is the biggest sandy area in Europe. Cycling is becoming more and more popular. Thanks to investment of the local authorities several cycling routes attract lots of cyclist every year.

      Cycling guidebook written by us presents routes which will allow to "discover" the most interesting places of our town, but not only. The routes will lead you to medieval castles in Będzin, Siewierz and Ogrodzieniec, to the Błędowska Desert or around the four lakes. We hope that using our guidebook will help you plan and spend your free time in a nice way, discovering picaresque places in Dąbrowa Górnicza.

Tomasz Czowalla
Translated by Piotr Badoń

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