The Camino de Santiago in Poland

The route starts on the slopes of Mount Parkowa, with a length of 106 km, passes through the towns of Głuchołazy, Nysa, and through the county of Nysa connects with the “Via Regia” in Skorogoszcz and can be covered in 4 days:

Day 1

The route begins at the "Pozzo di San Giacomo" on the slopes of Mount Parkowa in the Opawskie Mountains, very close to an area of great landscape value, with three nature reserves with unique flora and fauna and abandoned mines where gold was mined.

Following the path you will come across Głuchołazy, a beautiful town which houses one of the most important spas in Silesia. It is worth stopping to visit its interesting monuments: the Church of St. Wawrzyniec with a Gothic portal and the remains of the medieval municipal walls with the Tower of the Upper Gate.

Walking along the Biała Głuchołaska river you come across the Jesuit monastery Bodzanów, accessible to visitors, and continuing it is also worth stopping in Wilamowice Nyskie to savor the delicious local food and wine products.

Day 2

Continuing towards Biskupowo we will find an ancient Benedictine Monastery. Along the way you will come across the village of Koperniki where the ancestors of the great astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus were born and where you can taste excellent "ginger bread" cooked in the oven according to an ancient and secret recipe.

The largest city on this stretch of the Way of St. James in Poland is Nysa, whose name derives from the wealth of monuments and architecture, in particular the sacred "Silesiam Rome". Particular attention should be paid to the "Basilica Minore di San Giacomo Apostolo il Vecchio e S. Agnese" with the Gothic bell tower inside which the "Tesoro di San Giacomo" can be visited (a splendid collection of medieval goldsmith objects created by highly skilled craftsmen of Nysa), the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul with illusionistic polychromes by the Scheffler brothers, the Triton fountain built following the model of the Roman Triton fountain by Bernini, the "Bel Pozzo" (a masterpiece of the art of working iron ), the Bishop's Palace (currently a museum) or the objects of the Nysa Fortress (18th century Prussian fortification).

Day 3

Nysa also has one of the three lakes in the region, with a vast sandy beach which together with Otmuchowskie and Paczkowskie Lakes, forms the ideal place for an “active rest” (sailing, jet skiing).

Noteworthy is the interesting sanctuary of the Madonna del Soccorso ai Fedeli (known place of pilgrimage).

Day 4

The villages that are located along the Camino de Santiago in Nysa attract attention, also for the more than twenty penitential crosses. Walking along the route you can also come across a votive chapel of the Principality of Bishops of Wroclaw, the most interesting of the seven that have been preserved to this day.

Continuing the route, we leave the territory of Nysa and continue in the Land of Brzeg up to Skorogoszcz where our journey ends in the church of San Giacomo Apostolo.

Thematic itineraries

The Way of St. James in Nysa also offers various well-signposted thematic routes:

The Via dei minatori d'oro – a pedestrian path where the remains of the gold explorations are found and where it is possible to experience the thrill of the gold seekers along the beautiful river in search of the precious metal;
The Via delle Streghe – a cycle path, which takes us back to the dark times of the inquisition through a journey through the places linked to the history of the witch trials;
In the footsteps of the Blessed Maria Luiza Merkert” – a route for tourists-pilgrims, which leads to places associated with the Blessed of Nysa;
The Path of Joseph von Eichendorff – a tourist route that crosses the places of the great romantic poet up to the restored Port and from which you can enjoy a splendid view of Nysa, the lake of the same name and the Opawskie Mountains;
The Fortress Way – the route leads to the largely well-preserved 18th century fortification complex of the Nysa Fortress.

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