Although this trail is less known, it is certainly worth discovering, as it has traces of the past, regional cuisine, beautiful landscapes and nature. The youngest will not be disappointed either. Numerous attractions await them in the Park of Miniatures in Inwałd and the Zatorland Amusement Park in Zator.
The trail of the Northern Crown Kraków includes Racławice, a city located between the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland and Nida Basin macroregion. In 2004, the area where the Battle of Racławice took place (4 April, 1794), was designated a historic monument. The Racławice landscape is full of forests, slopes and gorges, with the Zamczysko hill and the ruins of a 14th-century castle. In 1934, a memorial 13-meter Kościuszko Mound was built there. The area of the victorious battle is open and accessible to tourists.
In the kingdom of cabbage
Racławice is located almost 28 kilometers from Charsznica, which is often called a vegetable basin. The commune is famous primarily for cabbage, which is why it is also called the Polish cabbage capital. This vegetable has been grown in the north of the Małopolskie voivodeship since the 14th century. The tradition has survived to this day, and sauerkraut from Charsznica was inscribed on the national list of traditional products of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in November 2006.
In the vicinity of the village (approx. 16 kilometers), there is a hotel and tavern called Klimtówka, which stands out thanks to the interior reminiscent of the Belle Époque and traditional Polish cuisine. The menu includes chopped beef tenderloin tartare, old style Polish sour soup with mushroom powder, broth with hand-made noodles, wild meat goulash, dumplings or Jurassic rainbow trout with garlic butter and parsley.
The only carp of its type
You can also try classic dishes at the Zagroda inn, which offers, among others, herring in spicy sauce, red borscht, cabbage soup or grilled Zator carp, whose unique taste results from a two-year breading system in earth ponds and a diet based mainly on pond food and high-quality natural grains. This fish was being bred in Zator near Wadowice probably already in the 12th century, but in historical sources it appeared for the first time in the chronicles of Jan Długosz (1415–1480).
Moreover, on 20 May 2011, the Zator carp was registered by the European Commission as a Protected Designation of Origin. Thus, it can be bred only in three communes – Zatorze, Przeciszów (Oświęcim County) and Spytkowice (Wadowice County).
In harmony with nature
One of the most important spots on the trail of the Northern Crown Kraków is Ojców National Park, located about 16 kilometers from the capital of Małopolska. The Cudgel of Hercules, the Needle of Deotyma, the Wernyhora Rock viewpoint or the 15-kilometer long Prądnik Valley with interesting geological formations are the most known attractions of this area. Furthermore, it is also worth seeing the less popular among tourists Sąspowska Valley, which is under strict protection – wild and extremely beautiful.
The culinary pride of this area is Ojcowski trout. The tradition of trout breeding, which dates back to the 1930s, is now continued by mother and daughter – Magda Węgiel and Agnieszka Sendor. The farm’s specialty is a trout naturally smoked on beech wood. The fish is always fresh, prepared without any preservatives, and tastes best served with local bread, wine from nearby vineyards or mineral water from Wysowa-Zdrój.
