The best MTB trails around Siemiatycze

Fronołów – a stop on the Siedlce–Czeremcha railway line located in the village of Mierzwice-Kolonia, in the Masovian Voivodeship, Poland. The name Fronołów is supposedly derived from the surname of the Russian engineer Fronołów, who was supposed to have designed a steel railway bridge at this location. However, this information is false. The bridge was designed by Lavr Proskurjakov. The name Fronołów likely comes from a corruption of the name of the nearby village of Franopol.

Before organizing your route, be sure to check the ferry times and ticket prices: https://podlasie.siematycze.pl/83-siematycze-przeprawa-promowa-mielnik-zabuze It's worth having cash with you.

Mahomet is located northeast of Siemiatycze, it is a left tributary of the Kamionka River. Its length is 8 kilometers.

Wooden Orthodox chapel, next to it there is a cross

The Roman Catholic Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord is located in the eastern part of Mielnik, on a hill. It is an oriented, neo-Baroque church, with its facade facing the road. The church was built in the years 1912-1920. Its efficient construction was prevented by war accidents and financial difficulties. During the Polish-Bolshevik fighting in 1920, the church was damaged, so its full completion took place after all the fighting had ceased. Even before the Bolshevik invasion, thanks to the efforts of Father Ikonowicz, it was possible to build a large altar, the most necessary accessories for celebrating the Holy Mass were acquired and the old organ was installed. Thanks to the efforts of the next parish priest - Father Konstanty Cegielski, two bells were funded in 1927. In 1940, the church was converted into a canteen for Soviet soldiers guarding the border. In 1941 and 1944, artillery shells destroyed the porch and damaged the walls and roof. During this period, partial repairs to the church were started by the then administrator of the Mielnik parish – Fr. Henryk Kardasz, parish priest from Niemirów. After another destruction in 1944, the church was partially restored. In 1972, a belfry was built. Next to the church is the cemetery of the Transfiguration of the Lord, established in 1913, where the parish priest of Mielnik was buried. Next to the church, in 1981, a chapel of St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners and workers of the Mielnik chalk mine, was built. Two missionary crosses were also placed on the church square, one of which was consecrated by Pope John Paul II during his pilgrimage to Drohiczyn in 1999. Since 1950, pastoral work in the Mielnik parish has been carried out by the fathers from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Currently, the main altar contains a painting of the Mother of God with Child, while the side altars contain paintings of the Transfiguration of the Lord and Blessed Father Damian de Veuster from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts.

The Mielnik Land History Centre – Museum in Mielnik is engaged in the popularization and dissemination of the history of the Mielnik Land. Throughout the year, souvenirs, photographs, ethnographic monuments and other exhibits are collected, which are a memento of people living in the Mielnik Commune. Therefore, in addition to exhibitions of paintings, photographs and other arts, local exhibitions related to the life and activities of the Mielnik residents are also organized. Work is also carried out on finding interesting historical sources regarding the history of Mielnik and the surrounding area, as well as interviews with the oldest residents of the Mielnik Commune, which are later recorded and stored in the ODZM. The ODZM – Museum also houses the Tourist Information Point.

The open-pit chalk mine in Mielnik was recognized as one of the 16 new Wonders of Poland in the National Geographic magazine plebiscite in 2023. Chalk is a sedimentary rock and comes from the Cretaceous period. It is a soft, not very compact, porous rock. In the place where it was deposited 71-83 million years ago there was a sea, where various marine creatures gathered: ammonites, belemnites, sea urchins, snails, crabs. Thanks to the limestone crustaceans and their armor, chalk deposits began to form. The beginnings of chalk mining in Mielnik date back to the 16th century. It was extracted for construction purposes, using the so-called "poor man's shaft" method. Initially, it was used to whitewash interiors, and lime was also burned from it. The first mention of a lime miner dates back to 1551. It was not until the 18th century that mass lime production began in Mielnik. Until the mid-20th century, chalk was extracted manually in Mielnik for the needs of local residents. In 1954, a state-owned enterprise was established, which professionally dealt with the extraction and processing of chalk. It was extracted using pickaxes, shovels, axes. In 1956, construction of a chalk drying and grinding plant began. In the second half of the 20th century, excavators and bulldozers were introduced. After extraction, the chalk was stored at the plant on heaps. From there, horses pulled wagons with chalk to the kilns on a narrow-gauge railway, where the drying process took place in coal-fired kilns. Then it was loaded back onto wagons and taken to the mill, where the chalk was ground. The minerals were manually loaded onto carts and transported to the tile factory in Siemiatycze and Milejczyce. In its heyday, over 100 people worked in the plant and the mine. In the 60s and 70s, a second chalk mine also operated in Mielnik nad Bugiem, in the place of today's football stadium. In the 90s, the plant was privatized, and the number of people employed also decreased significantly. Chalk is used for various purposes: in agriculture for soil deacidification, for the production of cement and tires. It is a component of fodder chalk, fertilizer chalk, paint chalk, and technical chalk. It is used in the pharmaceutical industry, for window seals, roof tiles, paints, powders, toothpastes, in the ceramics, chemical, and even cosmetics industries.

Rowska Mountain and its slopes are an ideal place for grazing sheep