The best traffic-free bike rides around Goczałkowice-Zdrój

Next to the stairs leading to the dam, there is a small path that you can ride up. Watch out for the curb at the beginning of the stairs :)

From a tourist point of view, the dam is three kilometers of a straight as an arrow, smooth, asphalt path running along the crown of the entire structure. It is precisely thanks to this smooth asphalt and the nice views that it has become a place of recreation for many residents of Zabrze, Goczałkowice, Pszczyna, and even more distant towns in the Pszczyna and Bielsko districts. Runners and inline skaters dominate here, there are many walkers, but there is no shortage of cyclists either. The lake itself, although artificially created in the 1950s, resembles a natural lake, so the views from the dam are nice.

"The most beautiful railway station in Poland" may be an exaggeration, but the station building is worth noting, as it's an example of skillfully adapted to modern needs and an exception to the fairly common trend until recently of such buildings first falling into disrepair because no one cares about them, and then being demolished. The Goczałkowice Zdrój stop itself is a convenient starting or ending point for a trip to Lake Goczałkowickie or the Vistula Cycle Route. Especially since there's a restaurant by the nearby pond and two or three others in the nearby spa park – though admittedly, these aren't exactly high-class establishments (with the possible exception of "Kogut i Kurki," where both the interior and the menu are decent). And while waiting for your train, weather permitting, you can admire the sunset colors of the sky and their reflection in the pond.

There are usually a lot of people walking and running on the dam.

The combination of English Neo-Gothic architecture with Swiss-style architecture produced a remarkable effect. The palace, built of brick and wood, has three stories. The octagonal tower is topped with a pointed dome. The building's form is embellished by numerous bay windows, attics, and turrets. The interior is highly ornate, with intricately carved paneling, stained-glass windows, and paintings making an impression. A spiral staircase in the vestibule attracts attention, while a tiled stove in the Fireplace Room displays hunting trophies. Hunting trophies hang on the walls. In front of the palace stands a historic sculpture of St. Hubert, the patron saint of hunters. After being converted into a hotel, the hunting lodge has regained its former glory. Noma Hotel Residence is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful properties of its kind in Poland. This reputation is all the more justified by the hotel's charming location – it is surrounded by a park and the waters of Lake Paprocańskie. For more information, please visit here... https://www.slaskie.travel/poi/3132/palacyk-mysliwski-w-promnicach

Promnice takes its name from the Promnitz family – Silesian nobility who ruled the Pszczyna estate from the mid-16th to the mid-18th century. After their death, the estate passed into the hands of the Anhalt family. It was a member of this family who built the first hunting lodge in the Pszczyna Forest. However, the time of greatest prosperity came with the takeover of Pszczyna by the Hochberg family, aristocrats considered part of the elite of the German Reich.

I was driving from Oświęcim, the loop around Lake Papry is a must, plus you also have to see a few attractions along the way: Promnice Hunting Lodge, Hotel Piramida...

The driveway right up to the dam