Odra trail part V

You can find a short characteristics of the entire trail at DOT70

Brzeg Dolny-Lubiaz

This loop is about 50 km long and entirely in line with the ‘historical’ version of the Odra river trail. You can divide this route into parts using the train station in Malczyce as a starting or finish point.

You start at the bridge in Brzeg Dolny and go clockwise. The left-bank (southern) section of this trail runs almost entirely on the embankments. At its beginning and end, there is a field path and it can sometimes be overgrown. However, its central section is a real highway.

Once you have passed Malczyce on both sides of the Odra river we will find long cobbled stretches. Altogether this section is 8 km long. You can partly go along the sides of the road, but it is not possible everywhere. That is why, this section is uncomfortable though you can bear it. As a reward, you ride on a densely overgrown river bend with great natural values (Natura 2000 reserve). If you are persistent, following the side paths you can find a multitude of animals there and see large birds of prey. You can take this shortcut, starting at the marked campsite, to avoid the cobbled section.

There is a 400 m of potholed and overgrown river embankment but the prize is great and adequate to your effort. From Grodzanow to the end of the trail you ride on a perfectly even, and perfectly boring, asphalt road with moderate traffic. You can ponder on the day’s rich adventures.

Malczyce Hub

This is how, according to modern terminology, one should call this place a good many years ago. There are five railway tracks, warehouses, a coal trail to Walbrzych, a port and a shipyard. There used to be 69 river ship owners there!

In addition, there were numerous industrial plants, including a huge paper factory and there still are numerous traces of this old industrial splendour. To this day, there is a river shipyard, where container barges are constructed and the aforementioned paper factory is now a picturesque generally accessible ruin. If you are careful, you can easily look in there, but you will do it at your own risk.

Malczyce Water Barrage

On your way back, the suggested route will lead you along the water barrage Malczyce. You can fully see and appreciate this impressive investment from this side of the trail. It cost PLN 1 billion and it bothers me that with such a gigantic amount of money and scope of works (including, among others, the redirection of the river) they could not save some for a small walking and bicycle path across the river that would benefit the small traffic of residents and tourists – that is us all.

More information about routes in this area can be found on the website : szlakodry.pl