Polish attractions

The 27-metre-high observation tower is located in the NATURA2000 area Border Meanders of the Oder River. It offers a magnificent view of the Oder River meander and the unique fauna and flora found in the area. It was built in 2017 as part of Polish-Czech cross-border cooperation. From its top, there is a beautiful view of the winding bed of the Oder River and the picturesque landscapes of the Oder Border Meanders - a protected natural area that offers great opportunities for walks and bike rides. The tower in Zabełków is 27 metres high, and its narrow staircase leads to several viewing terraces from which you can enjoy a panoramic view of the area.

The Upper Oder Centre is a facility with exhibitions and exhibits on the history and fauna and flora of the Upper Oder River Basin. Exhibitions and multimedia displays bring tourists closer to the natural wealth of the Oder River and the Oder Border Meanders. The centre was built in the building of the former border crossing Chałupki - Bogumin.

A former Piast, medieval fortress, the property of a duke, then knights and nobles. The castle has a Baroque appearance and bears traces of numerous modern alterations, but its surroundings preserve the former moat and bridge. The chateau is surrounded by a park with specimens of old trees and miniatures of Silesian castles and chateaux. Above the main entrance, you can see the coat of arms of the Rothschilds, its owners since 1846. Today, the castle serves as a hotel with a restaurant.

There was an international border crossing near the palace in Chałupki, which belonged to the wealthy Rothschild Jewish bankers before World War II. A border bridge was built in 1899 and named the Jubilee Bridge of Emperor Franz Joseph in its honour. Previously, there was a wooden bridge at this location funded by Prince John of Weimar, which was destroyed.

Thanks to the cooperation of Polish and Czech municipal authorities, the Green League Foundation and WWF-Poland, the initiative to protect the border meanders of the Oder River has been transformed from theoretical to practical. As part of the Space for the River project, a field lesson plan and an educational trail route were developed for Polish and Czech schoolchildren. The path aims to introduce students to rare and endangered wildlife and their habitats. The course of the path has been planned to connect with marked cycle paths, so that it can also be used by tourists visiting the meanders.

In the vicinity of the village of Roszków, in the Racibórz area, there is an impressive artificial reservoir of 50 hectares, called Roszków Bobrowy. It was created as a result of sand and gravel extraction in the 1980s. According to local anglers, the reservoir is up to 12 metres deep, although in most places it oscillates around 4 metres. There are two islands in the middle of the reservoir and the water hides numerous hills, fallen trees, interesting falls and shallows, as well as beautiful fauna and flora.

In the centre of the village of Krzyżanowice is the Black Oak Open-Air Museum. The exhibition includes two huge oak trunks, a display case with a cross-section of the wood, showing the internal structure of the raw material. Black oak is an extremely difficult to obtain and valuable material. The Black Oak Open-Air Museum was established in the vicinity of the Oder's artificial flood control reservoir, the Buków Polder. This is a floodplain that fills with water during floods and prevents adjacent areas from being flooded. At the polder embankment stands the trunk of a black oak tree, which has been highlighted because of its unusual origin.

Lichnowski Palace with entrance gate - built by the Lichnowskis, rebuilt in neo-Gothic style, today a mixture of styles. It houses a chapel on the south-east side. In the years 1843-1848 Franz Liszt stayed and worked in the palace. Entrance gate with foundation inscription built in 1853. in the English Neo-Gothic style. In 1964 a Nursing Home was established here, run by the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Francis. Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which is still in operation today.