Ostrów Lednicki

Ostrow Lednicki (pronounced as Ostroof Ledneetsky) is a place in Greater Poland. It's an island on Lednickie Lake, appr 16 km westwards of Gniezno and 40 km eastwards of Poznan, about 3 km north of the train line and road linking two mentioned cities. The whole island is on the area of Lednicki Landscape Park.

Get in
By bus - an independent travel to Ostrow Lednicki seems to be quite challenging - there are just few daily connections to village called Dziekanowice, from where the island is accessible on foot. There are 3 buses to Poznan, 4 to Gniezno and 2 to some other surrounding villages, which have no meaning for tourists. It's much easier to get to the bus stop Dziekanowice-skrzyzowanie (pol.: crossing) which is located at the main road number 5, but from there one must walk more than 2 km to the island.

By train - numerous connections (depending on the day - up to 14 daily) to Lednogora (34 km from Poznan and 17 from Gniezno, 38 and 17 minutes ride respectively), from where one must walk appr. 3,5km. It's essential to know, that accelerated and Inter-Regio trains do not stop at the station (that's why the number of connections to Lednogora is smaller than to Gniezno).

By bike - cyclers can get in to Dziekanowice using a Piast Cycling Trail, starting in Poznan just next to the crossing of Jana Pawla str and Baraniaka str, nearby the shore of Malta Lake. cycling time (depending on speed and e.g. wind) 3-4 hours. An interesting option is to take your bike to train with you one way and come back by bike - all trains stopping at Lednogora are traditional electric trains with a big compartment for bikes.

By car - use the country road number 5 from Gniezno or Poznan, turn northwards at the monument of three ancient knights toward Dziekanowice, in the village - follow signs, soon on the left-hand side you'll see a big parking - 10 zlotys for coaches and 5 for cars.

Get around
From the parking you have to pass the ticket office, decline a little bit to the lake shore and use a ferry to get to the island. On the island it's allowed only to walk - no motor vehicles are let in.

See
The main attraction is the archeological complex on the island. The ferry, that take you there operates is the museum opening time from mid April till the end of October. On the Island you will find:
 * the model of the ancient Lednica fortress from Xth-XIth cent
 * the old hostel, now used only by archeologists
 * the excavations (covered with a modern roof): the remnants of the ducal Palace from 960s (the epoque of the first polish ruler: Duke Mesko I, buried in Poznan) with a chapel and baptistry - a similar baptistry has been discovered as well in the undergrounds of the Poznan cathedral, and the ruins of early Piast-dynasty palaces have been found in Poznan, too and in Giecz.
 * the remnants of a fortress chapel from the turn of Xth and XIth cent with tow shallow graves, often identified as graves of two sons of the first polish king Boleslaus the Brave.
 * the northern parts of Lednica ramparts with a flag in their highest point
 * the remnants of two bridges, which used to link the Island with other parts of the early-Piast-country: the Poznan-bridge (430m long) and the Gniezno-bridge (200m long, just next ti the ferry line), both destroyed during the attack of the Czech prince Bretislav in 1038.

On the mainland you'll find so-called "Small open-air museum" with some windmills (including the oldest in Poland - from 1585, moved to Ostrow Lednicki from a village Gryzyna), with a copy of the Poznan church of St. John, where a small exhibition of Ostrow Lednicki archeological findings has been organised.

Tickets: only for The Island and the Small Open-air Museum: 8 złotys (children, students and retired 4), only to the Small Open-air Museum: respectively 4 i 2, a combined ticket for The Island and Greater-Poland Etnographical Park: 12 i 6 respectively. You have to add a parking fees: coaches 10 zlotys, cars: 5.

Do
The island is a place for many events:
 * every year from May till September on Saturdays you can take part in free guided tours (have to pay only the entrance fee)
 * 1–3.05 - The May Party in Lednica: local artists and handicraft
 * the second half of May - a holy mass for the souls of the first two Polish rulers is celebrated at the ruins of the old chapel (another holy mass like that is celebrated yearly in November in Poznan cathedral)
 * July: a family feast "In the duke Mesko's Lednica fortress"

Eat
There're three small snack-bars on the territory of the Museum:

All 3 snack-bars can offer dinner for groups (ordering by phone)

In the vicinity:

Go next
Interesting objects in the vicinity:
 * The Greater-Poland Etnographical Park (between the village of Dziekanowice and road nr 5, so most visitors heading to Ostrow Lednicki are passing it by)
 * the Fish-Gate (a fish as a symbol of the first Christians in 1st cent AC), where every year in May–June a large youth meeting run by the Dominicans from the Poznan monastery are organised
 * timber churches in Weglewo and Lubowo
 * Pobiedziska