SEVEN SPRINGS RESERVE IN OLEŚNO

The "Seven Springs" forest sanctuary was established in the 17th century and is associated with the expansion of the wooden Church of St Anne in Oleśno. Work on the expansion of the church was hampered by numerous swamps and peat bogs. According to legend, the carpenters prayed daily to St Anne to help them drain the marshy land. One day, seven of them went into the forest to fell the trees needed for the construction of chapels.

Then a spring gushed forth at each of them, and when they returned from the forest, they found that the area around the church was dry. Since then, the place has been known as

"Seven Springs".

For centuries, this location has been visited by pilgrims and travellers en route to St Anne's church fair. The water from the spring quenched their thirst and allowed them to wash off the dust after many days of wandering. Before the war, there was an inn, which served trout stuffed with bacon and Oleśno rose dumplings. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, people gathered at the spring on Sundays and holidays to hold dances and parties there. After World War II, the site was forgotten, and it has only recently once again become the most popular forest area.

Water from these springs is said to have healing properties. Wayside shrines dedicated to St. Anne and St. Hubert, as well as Stations of the Cross, are located on the bank. A tourist shelter has been erected nearby, along with benches and a place for a campfire or barbecue. In 2006, Papal Oak No. 57 was planted there, using an acorn blessed by John Paul II. There is also an educational trail with information boards entitled "Seven Springs – Forest Sanctuary" in the area.