The best family-friendly hikes and walks around gmina Ujazd

A place of rest and a roadside wooden chapel.

The "Grafik" reserve is a picturesque forest area with an area of 36.41 ha, located near the town of Czarnocin, in the Leśnica commune, Opole province. It protects a beech forest of over a hundred years of natural character, with a varied terrain full of valleys, ravines and sinkholes. The name of the reserve comes from the monument commemorating the tragic death of the young Count Hipolit Renard, commonly known as "Grafik". For hikers, a trail leading through the reserve is available, allowing direct contact with the nature and history of this place.

The "Boże Oko" reserve is a picturesque forest area with an area of 68.59 ha, located near Klucze, in the Opole province. It protects a natural beech forest, diversified by hills, valleys and karst sinkholes. The name of the reserve comes from the nearby chapel "Boże Oko", associated with the legend of the apparition of St. Anne.

The Biesiec Nature Reserve, located in the Opole Province, was established in 2001 and covers an area of 24.66 ha. It is located in the "Góra Św. Anny" Landscape Park and the Natura 2000 "Góra Św. Anny" area, near the town of Biesiec. The purpose of the reserve's protection is to preserve the beech forest with numerous protected and rare plant species. This area is characterized by a diverse terrain and a wealth of flora and fauna, which makes it a valuable place for nature lovers and hikers.

The chapel with the Sorrowful Jesus

The forest chapel "Boże Oko". There are two legends associated with this place. One of them tells about a forester and his dog. Namely, during hunting, the dog always ran to one place. The curious forester followed him and there the symbol of God's Eye appeared to him. The second legend, dating from 1485, tells about Saint Anne appearing to residents several times on a hill. To commemorate this event, a chapel was built in this place in the 15th century, facing Saint Anne Mountain, because according to legend, Saint Anne was supposed to go in that direction. In the second half of 2017, the chapel was destroyed by a tree blown down during a storm; it was rebuilt in 2019 in a different appearance.

Hipolit Renard shot himself so badly during a hunt that he died a few hours later. In 1855, he married Laura Countess Henkel von Donnersmarck, daughter of Count Hugo. The marriage did not last long, however, as it ended on October 7 of the same year. The day before the hunt, the gorges were covered in fog from morning to night. On the second day, the sun finally broke through the clouds. A yellow hunting carriage arrived at the hunting site, with the cream of Upper Silesian society in it. Andreas Renard, Hugo Henckel von Donnersmarck and Count von Saurma-Jeltsch were there. The second carriage included the Count's second son, Hipolit, and his wife Laura. While waiting for the hunt, Hipolit handed his shotgun to one of the shooters standing behind him. And here the discrepancy in the accounts appears, as various witnesses claimed that the count himself had hung her behind his back. Then he joked and kissed his wife sitting on a chair. At one point a shot was fired and Hipolit, wounded in the head, fell to the ground unconscious. The company froze in place, but this state lasted only a moment. Desperately, they rushed to the count's aid, and the fainted Laura was taken away from the scene of the disaster. Hipolit, carried to the hunting lodge, briefly regained consciousness, but lost his sight. His wife was with him until the end. He died a moment later, with no chance of rescue. As witnesses later claimed, the count hung the shotgun around his neck and shot himself. In the place where the tragedy occurred, the distraught father erected a stone monument with the inscription Filio - the diminutive form of the name of his deceased son. The young count was buried in a mausoleum near the Strzelce castle.

The Uprising Monument is the main site of ceremonies commemorating the fallen of the Silesian Uprisings and one of the most famous objects of its kind in Silesia.