tourpoland

19.03.2017 On one hand, the Kielce Upland is a picturesque region, full of interesting towns and attractive monuments for tourists. There are historical temples and places important from the natural point of view. It is also the region that is the cradle of Polish industry. Here, more than 2,000 years ago, precious ores were extracted. Here also the first, quite primitive, metallurgical furnaces were created. Today, tourists can visit the places where Polish industry was born, and the Świętokrzyski Route of Technical Monuments makes it easier for them. The Kielce Upland itself is an extremely attractive place. It is on its territory that the Świętokrzyskie Mountains rise, here you can admire the preserved fragments of the former forest. Between them are the oldest industrial plants in hiding, or rather what is left of them. Wandering along this route of over 200 kilometers you can see such important places as the Museum of Ancient Metallurgy in Nowa Słupia or the underground tourist route in Krzemionki. The trail begins at a place very well known to tourists. It is Nowa Słupia with the Museum of Ancient Metallurgy. You can see authentic remains of former metallurgical furnaces and take part in an interesting event called "Dymarki Świętokrzyskie". Smelting of iron is not the only attraction tourists can count on here. You can get a lot of valuable information about the life of the ancient inhabitants of the Kielce Upland during the archeological fair taking place here. An important industrial center in the Kielce Upland is Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Already at the beginning of the 19th century, brown coal resources were discovered here. In 1837, an ironworks was established here - the most important industrial plant in the entire Staropolskie Basin. Today, in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, you can learn about the history of the Świętokrzyskie metallurgy, thanks to the local Historical and Archaeological Museum, which is housed in the former Wielopolski Palace. The Technical Route leads from Ostrowiec to Krzemionki. This town is well known for its neolithic striped flint mines. This historic mine consists of several thousand shafts, and for tourists there are two underground tourist routes connected by an adit. It is also worth staying in Starachowice. Here, in the Middle Ages, numerous iron forges were made, and in the 19th century the Blast Furnace Complex was established here. Today it is one of the greatest monuments presenting the history of metallurgy not only in Poland but throughout Europe. An interesting museum facility is also located in Starachowice. This is the Museum of Nature and Technology. There is also a place on the route that is well known for jokes and valuable monuments. It is Wąchock, where the Cistercian abbey was active from 1172. And the Cistercians were good and resourceful hosts who were able to profit from mining activities and the rapidly growing iron industry in the area. The great attraction of Wąchock is also their abbey, built in the late Romanesque style, whose most valuable element is the basilica from the 13th century. The next route leads through Skarżysko-Kamienna, which houses the historic steelworks "Rejów", and the White Eagle Museum. This trail also leads through Szydłowiec, which is a very important stone center. There is also a slightly different attraction, i.e. the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments. In Chlewiska, you can admire the Historic Ironworks, which was founded at the end of the 19th century and worked until 1940. An iron and steel festival is organized in August. The water forge can be admired in Stara Kuźnica, while in the village of Żarów a medieval stronghold once known for grain trading has been preserved. In Sielpia Wielka another attraction is waiting for tourists. This is the Museum of the Old Polish Basin, in which you can see, among others Europe's largest water wheel. You can also see a collection of interesting machines from the nineteenth century and a collection of iron castings. This trail ends in Samsonów - a small village lying on the edge of the huge Świętokrzyska Forest. Here once (from the 16th century) a blast furnace operated. At the beginning of the 19th century, the "Józef" smelter was founded here, initiated by Stanisław Staszic himself. The ruins of the blast furnace and the remains of industrial halls have survived to this day.