Lake Firlej – where to go

Lake Firlej belongs to those places in the Lublin region, where it is worth going during spring and summer holidays or weekends. It is a great place where you can relax from the city bustle, being in the bosom of nature, gain strength to throw yourself into the vortex of everyday activities again. Firlej is conveniently located on the Lublin – Białystok communication route.

Lack of industry, beautiful, large forest complexes rich in mushrooms, blueberries and blueberries, two lakes Kunów and Firlej, rivers Wieprz and Tyśmienica with a specific diverse environment, peace and quiet are conducive to active recreation. The lack of industry and urban centers means that the local landscape has not degraded. Sun and water enthusiasts will rest perfectly in Firlej. The lake is surrounded by nice, sandy beaches ideal for sunbathing. The water in the lake is clean and bath safety is guarded by several qualified lifeguards.

Anglers will also find something for themselves. Among the many species of fish are found in both lakes: bream, roach, pike, zander, crucian carp and eel. And although fishing from the shores is difficult, it is possible to fish from the piers at holiday resorts or from a boat.
Firlej is not only lakes. You can combine leisure with visiting cultural monuments that are not lacking in the area. There are marked and described walking and excursion routes: walking and cycling.

The lake has a very extensive tourist base. There are several holiday resorts on the side of the national road No. 19. It is similar on the north-eastern shore. The northern shore of the lake is occupied by the village of Firlej, where you can find all the necessary shops and service outlets. The whole lake is surrounded by an elegant promenade. It’s a great place for a walk or a bike trip.

What to see in the immediate area

• Firlej – a wooden parish church from 1880, interesting residential buildings from the 19th century, a statue of J. Piłsudski;
• Kozłówka (12 km) – palace and park complex, Zamoyski Museum;
• Lubartów (14 km) – Sanguszków Palace, the church St. Anna, Regional Museum;
• Kock (10 km) – the Jabłonowski palace complex, monuments to T. Kościuszko and general Kleeberg, cemeteries of insurgents and soldiers from 1939.
• Radzyń Podlaski (32 km) – the Potocki and palace complex, the Regional Museum;
• Czemierniki (25 km) – the Firlejów palace and park complex;
• Lublin (40 km) – capital of the province: Old Town, Castle, museums (including the Museum at Majdanek, Museum of the Lublin Village), botanical garden.
• Wola Okrzejska (35 km) – In 1846 Henryk Sienkiewicz was born here. The renovated court outbuilding houses the biographical museum of Henryk Sienkiewicz, gathering primarily exhibits regarding the writer’s relationships with his family pages.

TRIP ROUTES

Tourists staying in the municipality of Firlej, in addition to the attractions associated with staying at the lake, can also take the opportunity to go on a trip to make your stay in Firlej more attractive.  

Hiking tours

The first trip – visiting the Firlej village
Walking should start from the center. Attention should be paid to the quadrangular market square with buildings from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of our century. Some houses have preserved the log structure “for fish tail” and are considered historic buildings. The once spacious market square no longer fulfills the function of a marketplace as it used to be, so its center was transformed into a tree-lined square. The wooden parish church, built in 1880, is the third in the history of the village. The main altar – rococo, was later supplemented. Among other things, the painting “Transfiguration of Jesus” dates back to the nineteenth century. Some valuable liturgical equipment, including a beautiful monstrance from the 17th century, was destroyed during a fire that broke out in the winter of 1989. In the cache of the church is the field altar of the 1st Uhlans Regiment from 1831, fighting in the composition of the insurgent army of General Chrzanowski, who on 9 May won the victory over Firlej over the Russian brigade. The parish cemetery has interesting monuments – old and new. There are also graves of victims of Nazi crimes.

Second trip (7 km)
With a few hours of time it is worth going to the lake Kunów. You should first reach the Lublin – Kock road near the “Firlej” bus stop, which is located opposite the village. Then we enter the road leading west, parallel to the local road, signposted “Budy 6 km”. After about a kilometer we will reach Lake Kunów. It is in many respects different from Lake Firlej. It surpasses its neighbor by area (1.17 km2), by circumference (over 4 km) and also by length (1.5 km). It is, however, much shallower (3.5 m) and not so picturesque. However, its unquestionable advantage is its naturalness, caused by almost no tourism development.

Around the lake, the path usually leads near the shore. Therefore, we encourage you to walk, first along the eastern and northern shores and then through the village of Kunów, where we meet examples of local wooden construction. We return by the north-west shore and then by a local road to the village of Firlej.

Third trip (5 or 8 km)
Within a few hours we can take an interesting trip to the place of the “former steel mill” near Serock. Initially, we go along the Firlej – Przypisówka road to the east, passing the old cemetery in the village, and after covering about 1.5 km turn left behind the roadside grove. After passing the new cemetery we will find ourselves in the hamlet of Stalownia. From this place, a dirt road leading east leads after about 800 m to a beautiful landscape spot. We are located on the plateau headland, which enters the 2 km wide here valley of the Wieprz River. It is additionally varied by an amphitheater bay, which is formed by a steep slope undercutting it, occupied by a pasture.

It is worth staying longer in this beautiful place. Unfortunately, we won’t find the former steel factory. The canals visible at the bottom of the valley were built to transport water needed for the direct production or movement of water-wheeled machinery.

We return to Lake Firlej the same way, or longer – through Serock. To Serock, take the picturesque road along the edge of the slope of the Wieprz River valley. Serock is a very old town, recorded as early as 1317, when Władysław Łokietek granted it the Średzki law, confirmed in 1330. The old urban past can be seen today as numerous, now rural streets, marked out between buildings. In addition, Serock attracts attention with the atmosphere of a quiet village, away from cities and communication routes. Two independent roads lead to Firlej, 2 kilometers away.

Bicycle trips

First trip (17 km)
Firlej – Budy – Hunting Lodge “Rawityn” – Sobolew – Firlej
From Firlej we follow the asphalt road leading through the forest to the town of Budy (5 km). Arriving at the buildings, turn left and drive to the end of the asphalt road (1 km). On the left is a forest settlement and a beautifully situated Hunting Lodge. Going back asphalt road about 200 m, turn left into a speedway and drive straight ahead about 1.5 km through the forest. At the edge of the forest, at the fork of dirt roads, turn left and follow the dirt road to the village of Sobolew (1.8 km). In front of the village, on the left side of the road, we pass the cemetery of Polish insurgents from 1863. We reach the asphalt road in Sobolewo. Turning left, after about 1 km we reach the intersection. Heading left we reach Firlej, to which we have about 6 km.

Second trip (33 km)
Firlej – Kozłówka – Lubartów – Note – Firlej
From Firlej we set off on an asphalt road at the “Imperium” Inn towards Kamionki (10 km). After entering Kamionka, turning left towards Lubartów, we reach Kozłówka (2 km), where it is worth visiting the Zamoyski Palace Museum. Going further along the road after about 8 km we will reach Lubartów. Lipowa Street will lead to the Sanguszko Palace, the church of Saint Anna and the Regional Museum. After visiting the city, we head towards Kock and Białystok. At the gas station we turn right into ul. Copernicus to get to Firlej (13 km) along the less-frequented route through Przypisówka.  

Lake Firlej – Recreation centers

Recreation centers are located in the southern and eastern parts of Lake Firlej. There were a dozen or so of them in the 1980s and 1990s. They were mainly factory centers. However, as a result of the liquidation or reorganization of these plants, also the holiday resorts changed their owners or purpose. Currently, there are 5 large holiday resorts and a dozen or so small resorts on the lake. The centers operate in the period May – September. They have to offer places in pavilions or bungalows, full board, water equipment rentals, guarded bathing areas, playgrounds, small gastronomy points, cafes and discos.