«Nałęcz» is a historical and natural trail marked in black. It was laid out by Polissia National Park from the center of Sosnowica in Parczew County southwards, through Górki and Zienki, to the village of Jamniki. There the trail joins the red PTTK trail and the educational trail „Dąb Dominik”. The Sosnowica gmina states the length is about 10 km, other descriptions say 13 km, of which 3.1 km are within the park. Our track is 12.9 km long. The route is linear, taking 3.5–4 hours including stops in Sosnowica. The name comes from the Nałęcz coat of arms used by the Sosnowski family, former owners of Sosnowica.
Sosnowica of the Sosnowskis and Kościuszko
Sosnowica lies along the Piwonia River. Once it was a town: in 1685 King Jan III Sobieski granted it town rights at the request of Oktawian Sosnowski, and it lost them in 1822. In 1775 Tadeusz Kościuszko arrived here. He taught drawing, mathematics, and history to the daughters of Józef Sylwester Sosnowski, Grand Standard-Bearer of Lithuania, and at the same time redesigned the old manor park. Kościuszko fell in love with Ludwika Sosnowska, but her father did not consent to the marriage, an attempt to kidnap the bride failed, and Kościuszko soon left for America.
The trail starts at the bus stop in the center of the village and leads past the Orthodox church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and the Hetman pond to the 18th-century manor park. In the park, the northern outbuilding from 1753 has been preserved and the „Kościuszko Oak” grows there, the largest and oldest oak in the area.
Further on, the route passes the Church of the Holy Trinity, built in 1797–1804, and along the Catholic cemetery. Nearby stands a memorial sign to the love of Kościuszko and Ludwika. Next to it grow an oak and a pine that until recently grew intertwined, and nearby is the 400-year-old „Rybak” oak.
Kiryat, site of the 1863 battle, and the Zienki meadows
Beyond the village, the trail passes the former Jewish cemetery and the site of the 1863 insurgent battle. Then it enters the territory of Polissia National Park: here oaks older than 180 years grow, and near the village of Zienki there is a kurgan that locals call the „Swedish Grave”. The final stretch runs through the Zienki meadows to Jamniki, where the „Dąb Dominik” trail to Lake Moszne begins.
How to get there and what to consider
Sosnowica lies northeast of Lublin, between Parczew and Włodawa. Voivodeship road No. 819 runs through the village, and there is a bus stop in the center. There is practically no public transport from Jamniki, so it is worth arranging a pickup or returning the same way.
Most of the route follows rural and forest roads, which can become muddy after rains. In summer, there are many mosquitoes and ticks in the forest and meadows. The marked trail itself is free of charge; tickets are only needed for the park's educational trails, such as „Dąb Dominik”. This is Poland: Ukrainian citizens need a international passport.