The best walks and hikes around gmina Łukowa

The Czartowe Pole Reserve is one of the most picturesque parts of Roztocze, located on the Sopot River, on the border of the Józefów and Susiec communes. It delights with the natural landscape of the valley with numerous water rapids, steep slopes covered with forest and rare plants. In the area you will see the ruins of the 17th-century Zamoyski paper mill and symbolic graves of partisans. The reserve is open to tourists - a nature trail about 1 kilometer long with wooden footbridges leads through it. Right next to it is the Green Velo parking place with shelters and stands where you can attach a bike.

The first wooden chapel was built in this place in 1668 from the foundation of Marcin Zamoyski, the Lviv Sub-Stole, later the Grand Treasurer of the Crown. From 1688 to 1886 under the administration of the Franciscans. In 1720, it was re-endowed by Tomasz Józef Zamoyski, the starost of Grodecki and Płoskirów, probably with the simultaneous construction of a new church or the expansion of the original chapel. It was burned down by the Swedes in the 18th century. The current church was built in 1768 from the foundation of Jan Jakub Zamoyski, later the voivode of Podolia. In 1778, it was consecrated by Bishop Melchior Jan Kochnowski. Extended on the northern side in the years: 1897-8. Thoroughly renovated before 1930, and in 1975 the roof was renovated.

The Czartowe Pole Reserve was established in 1958. It covers an area of approximately 80.5 ha. The name of the reserve comes from a forest clearing about which it was said that "only devils roamed there." The reserve covers a several-kilometer long section of the picturesque Sopot River valley. In this section there is a whole series of waterfalls, which, combined with a large decline in the bed, makes Sopot resemble a swift mountain stream. The sandy islands that form between the jagged river rapids add even more charm to this unique river. The specific shape of the river bottom and clean water provide excellent living conditions for graylings and brown trouts. A major attraction of the reserve are the ruins of a historic paper mill standing on the outskirts of a clearing that was the property of the Zamość Estate. It was established in the first half of the 18th century and was one of the largest plants in the Kingdom of Poland. Nine types of paper were produced here, including: packaging, printing, office and stamping. During the plant's heyday, the paper produced here accounted for 80% of all paper production in the Lublin Governorate. The paper mill used the power of Sopot's river current, but the proximity of the river also had its disadvantages - the buildings and machines were destroyed by floods several times and required renovation works. Ultimately, a fire in 1883 contributed to the collapse of the paper mill. Reconstruction of the plant turned out to be unprofitable due to the enormous damage. The paper mill fell into ruin, and the local "fiends", suspected of causing the flood and fire, finally had a clearing to themselves. A 1.4 km long nature and educational trail runs through part of the reserve. Along the path, in addition to attractions such as the river gorge, rich vegetation and the ruins of a paper mill, there are also places related to the fight for Poland's independence. You can see an obelisk commemorating the stay of soldiers from the Sanitary Officer Cadet School who stayed here on summer maneuvers in 1931, and a commemorative stone from 1936 placed in the place where the scouts set up their camps. At the partisan cemetery there are symbolic graves of the famous "Mishka Tatar" and "Korsarz", who died defending local residents against repression by the Germans.

The ruins are the remains of a once large industrial plant of the Zamość estate built in the 18th century. In the years of the Duchy of Warsaw and the Kingdom of Poland, the plant was leased by Lejbuś Kahan, and then Cała Wax - the owner of the Hebrew printing house in Józefów. In the 1830s, approximately 4,000 reams of paper were produced here, which constituted 80% of the total production in the Lublin Governorate. Over 9 types of paper, including wrapping, printing, office and stamp paper. Paper was made by hand, mainly from rags. An interesting fact is that it contained a watermark - the lord's monogram or the Zamoyski family's coat of arms. It is one of the largest plants in the Kingdom of Poland. He used the power of the Sopot River flowing down. The collapse of the paper mill was directly caused by floods in 1849 and 1870 and a fire in 1883, after which the reconstruction of the plant became unprofitable due to the enormous damage.

Fallen trees in the reserve.

A beautiful river near Susiec.

The wooden observation tower above the quarry wall in Nowiny allows you to enjoy wonderful views of the Solska Forest.

The quarry in Nowiny, located on the south-eastern slope of Krzyżowa Góra near the village of Nowiny, is a picturesque and extensive rock recess hidden in a pine forest, approximately 200 meters from the Susiec-Józefów road. Although it is currently closed, its two-hundred-meter-high walls allow you to take a closer look at the geological structure of Roztocze. From their top there is a panorama of the Solska Forest. The quarry was the site of Miocene limestone exploitation for many years. A characteristic feature of this place are numerous small shells, easily removed from the fragile stone.