Szamotuły

Szamotuły (pronounced as shamottOOwhee) is a small city in the central part of the Wielkopolskie Voivodship, 35 km north-west of Poznań in Poland. It is situated south of the Warta River Valley and south of Puszcza Notecka Forest.

By train
Visitors arrive to Szamotuły mostly from Poznań. The quickest way to come here is by train: there are up to 11 (depending on the day, the highest number on Fridays and Sundays) regional trains, 2 Inter-Regio accelerated trains and more than a dozen fast trains. Travel time is between 25 (fast trains) and 35 (regional ones) minutes. Most local trains run on the line: Poznań – Szamotuły – Krzyż, some head as far as to Szczecin (and during the summer season to the sea resort of Świnoujście (Swinemuende)) or to Kostrzyn where one can change to a connected train to Berlin.

Long-distance trains come from the south from e.g. Katowice, Kraków, Łódź, Warsaw, Wrocław and calling at Poznań and Szamotuły head as well to Szczecin or Świnoujście.

By bus
For most tourists buses will be less practical than trains, but some lines can be useful:
 * to Sierakow (up to 7 daily)
 * to Miedzychod (up to 6 daily)
 * to Klempicz i further through Czarnkow to Pila (4 daily)
 * to Poznań (12 daily) – the travel time is slightly longer than by train (ca. 50 mins) but the bus station is much closer to the touristy area in Szamotuły - at the crossroads of Lipowa and Poznańska.

Check the bus timetable here.

There are also buses going to Poznań straight from the market square (stop Szamotuły, Rynek) at a fixed rate of 8 PLN (as of August 2012). In Poznań they call at the Poznań-Ogrody tram loop (not the central station). Check their timetable here

By car
As travel to Szamotuły by train is very easy, roads are a little bit more complicated. The town is located and the regional road junction:
 * number 184 from Poznań (the way out from the city as for Swiecko and Berlin by country road number 92, just behind the city limits – to the right) to Wronki
 * number 187 from Oborniki Wielkopolskie – important for those traveling from the north - to Pniewy (another connection with the road number 92)
 * number 185 to Obrzycko (from where you can ride further through Czarnkow to Pila)

By bike
Here you will find a precise bike route to/from Poznań, or alternatively Czarnków, Piła.

Get around
Szamotuły is a relatively small town, so all attractions are accessible on foot.

As taxi stops are virtually non-existent, you must order a taxi by phone if you need one. Try +48 602 318 928 or +48 664 317 965. It may be sometimes problematic to communicate in English - if need be, ask a passer-by for assistance.

See

 * The Górka Castle (once belonged to the House of Górka) – from the 15th century, rebuilt in 1518 and once more in 19th century. Its interiors are home to a rich collections of furniture, pictures, ancient home equipment and to the biggest icon collection in western Poland. Entrance fees: 3.50 Zloty (regular), 2 Zloty (reduced).
 * The Halszka Tower – the remnant (together with the moat) of the former castle defence system. The name of the tower comes the name of pretty Halszka from Volhynia (in modern day western Ukraine) – according to tradition, Halszka married (against her will) the Greater Poland province master Łukasz Górka, she disagreed to sexual life with him and preferred to spend 14 years in the tower. After his husband's death she was freed, but soon she went crazy. Entrance fees like in the castle: 3.50 zloty (regular), 2 zloty (reduced).
 * The Collegiate Church of Our Lady of Consolation and St Stanislaus the Bishop – the oldest and the most valuable monument in the city, as well one of the most important sacral places in the region, erected in the first half of XV cent. The decoration of the church consists of polychromies from 1952 and appr. one-hundred-year-old glass windows. In the interiors pay attention to the cross from appr. 1370, the stone sarcophagus of Jakub Rokossowski from the last years of XVIth century and a bronze commemorating plate of Andrzej Szamotulski – probably from the famous Vichers’ workshop in Nurmberg in Bavaria.
 * The Franciscan Monastery – erected at the end of XVIIth century using the fundaments of former mansion house of Szamotulski family. In XIXth cent, after the cancellation of most orders, the building was overtaken by the neighbouring church of the Holy Cross was closed till 1963, when a parish was the re-opened. The rococo interiors come from the end of XVIIth cent. The main element is the altar with a crucifix, figures of Our Lady Suffering, St. John the Baptist, monks and the picture of God the Father, Holy Spirit and angels. The monastery building are now undergoing renovating works.

Sleep
Szamotuły is not a town where many tourist would stay overnight, so the choice of accommodation is pretty limited:

In the vicinity
Most of the accommodation places nearby are agrotouristic houses:

Go next
Most tourists stay in Szamotuły on their way from Poznań toward north west of Poland, e.g. to Szczecin or on their way to Notecka Forests (angling, canoeing, walking, cycling, cross-country skiing), to Gorzow Wielkopolski and to Sierakow Lake District.