9 Best Things to Do in Zielona Gora, Poland

Zielona Gora might not be the most beautiful or exciting city to visit in Poland, but it definitely has its moments. Known as the wine capital of Poland, the place has a pleasant center with some nice Zielona Gora attractions that are worth your time.

It took me years, but I finally had a chance to visit Zielona Gora recently, and I enjoyed it much more than I expected. If you are looking for an unusual place to visit not far from Wroclaw or Poznan (or even Berlin), Zielona Gora might be your answer. Here’s your guide to the best things to do in Zielona Gora!

Where is Zielona Gora, Poland

Zielona Gora, a city of around 140 thousand inhabitants and the capital of the Lubuskie region, is located in the Western part of Poland, not too far from the border with Germany. The nearest bigger Polish cities are Poznan (150 km away) and Wroclaw (190 km away). Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is 450 km away from Zielona Gora, while Berlin, the capital of Germany, is only 190 km away.

A brief history of Zielona Gora

The area of Zielona Gora was first inhabited in the late 10th century, at the very beginning of Polish statehood. With its location on the trading routes, the place developed and was granted town rights in 1323. At that time, German burghers started to arrive, too, helping the town grow even more but at the same time lowering the importance of the Polish citizens.

From the beginning, Zielona Gora had a turbulent history and changed its affiliation many times. Over the centuries, it was part of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Habsburg Empire, and eventually the Kingdom of Prussia from 1742 to the end of World War II, when it returned to Poland.

When Germans left the city, the new inhabitants were Polish people who were displaced from the areas in the east that Poland had lost after the war. Zielona Gora grew rapidly, and now it’s the capital city of the Lubuskie Region and an important place in Western Poland.

How to get to Zielona Gora

The best way to reach Zielona Gora is by train. The city is well connected by train with numerous cities in Poland (Wroclaw, Poznan, Warsaw, Szczecin, Krakow) as well as Berlin. There is also a local airport, but most likely, you won’t find it useful when planning your trip to Zielona Gora, Poland.

How to get around Zielona Gora

The majority of Zielona Gora attractions are located in the center, within walking distance from each other. If you need to reach places a bit further away, such as the Ethnographic Museum or the Zatonie Palace, you can use the local buses. They all depart from the transport hub next to the train station. You can buy tickets via the app or at the ticket machines. The bus no 27 will take you to the Ethnographic Museum in Ochla and the bus no 30 to Zatonie.

Where to stay in Zielona Gora

If you plan to stay overnight in Zielona Gora, here are the recommended accommodation options:

Things to do in Zielona Gora, Poland

And finally, here are the best things to do in Zielona Gora, Poland.

Stroll along the pedestrian center

The most pleasant place in the city and the perfect way to start your trip to Zielona Gora is the center, especially its main street (Aleja Niepodleglosci, which eventually transforms into Zeromskiego Street). This well-kept pedestrian boulevard is where you will get the essence of the city, with numerous beautiful townhouses and buildings of public use along the way, as well as some outdoor cafes and restaurants where you can sit down and enjoy the vibe of the place. It is, in fact, one of the longest pedestrian streets in Poland!

The center is a favorite area for locals to meet up and hang out. The vibrant atmosphere here is really addicting, especially on a warm day with many people outside. But don’t limit yourself only to the main street; venture into some backstreets as well, as you might find some nice, picturesque corners there, too!

Find Little Bacchuses

Zielona Gora is known for its winemaking tradition, and what better way to commemorate this legacy than Little Bacchuses figurines scattered all over the city? The biggest one sits proudly on the crossroad of Zeromskiego and Kupiecka streets and portrays Bacchus – the god of wine and the symbol of the city – in his jolly glory.

But there are around 70 smaller figurines around, so when exploring Zielona Gora, keep your eyes open and look around, as you never know where you can find the next Little Bacchus. They are all really cute and different from each other, dedicated to various professions or situations. You can get the map with the locations of all the figurines in the tourist information on the Old Market Square.

See the Old Market Square

The heart of Zielona Gora Old Town is Stary Rynek – the Old Market Square, with the town hall right in the middle. It dates back to medieval times, but the buildings you can see now are mostly from the 18th to early 20th centuries. The townhouses here are really beautiful and rich in decor in different styles (mainly eclectic, modernist, and neo-Renaissance), and most of them survived the devastating World War II.

The Old Market Square is another vibrant area of the city where you will find numerous restaurants and cafes, always packed with people. There are also a few Little Bacchuses hidden here, so be sure not to miss them.

Visit churches

Even if you are not a religious person, I recommend visiting churches in Zielona Gora as they are a valuable testimony of the city’s past and turbulent history. The two most important ones in the center are St. Hedwig Co-Cathedral and the Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa. Even if they are located not far from each other, they couldn’t be any more different.

The Co-Cathedral is the oldest building in Zielona Gora, with its history dating back to the 13th century, before Zielona Gora was granted the town rights. The Gothic structure is impressive already from the outside, with the interior in the same style (however, most of the decor is from the 19th century).

The Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa, from the mid-18th century, was originally a Protestant temple that was transformed into a Catholic one only after World War II. This change is visible in the building – its architecture is Protestant, but the decor is very much Catholic. This church reflects so well the difficult history of Zielona Gora, especially in the 20th century.

Find the remnants of the city walls

Even if the history of Zielona Gora dates back to medieval times, the place has never been of very important value; hence, its defensive walls weren’t extended. Until this day, only a small part of it has remained in place.

The most important one is the Laziebna Tower – a Gothic structure with a height of 35 meters. You can find it only a few steps away from the Old Market Square, at Krawiecka Street – it’s worth doing this little detour during your Zielona Gora sightseeing to get a glimpse into the medieval past of the city.

Visit the Lubuskie Region Museum

Located on the main pedestrian street, the Lubuskie Region Museum is such an eclectic place to visit. Originally established as the German Heimatmuseum in 1922, the institution is home to a few diverse collections with over 17,000 museum pieces.

You will find there a part dedicated to winemaking (it’s the only Wine Museum in Poland), old tortures, sacred art, modern Polish art, and, of course, Zielona Gora and its history. And that’s not even all! During my visit, there was also a temporary exhibition of art nouveau and another one about ethnic clothing from all over the world.

Even if it seems that everything is randomly put together here, the museum is a really interesting place to visit. I enjoyed it so much more than I expected. I also liked that in the part about the city, they didn’t shy away from the turbulent past but showed how Zielona Gora transformed after World War II. If you would like to learn more about the place, be sure to include the Lubuskie Region Museum in your Zielona Gora itinerary.

Enjoy the Winery Park

A perfect green oasis not far from the center is the Winery Park, with a small vineyard located right in the middle. It’s a perfect place to slow down a little, as you will find numerous relaxing areas here, with benches, water fountains, and even a green maze. If you would like to try local wine, you can do it in the wine cellar, which focuses on produce from the Lubuskie Region.

In the Winery Park, you can also find one of the biggest Zielona Gora attractions—the Palm House. It was built in the place of the wine house in the early 19th century, and today, it’s home to over 150 plant species from the tropical and equatorial zones. Besides the fascinating flora, there is also a restaurant and a cafe inside. If those are reserved for the event, you can still go to the upper part of the palm house and admire the beautiful plants there.

Visit the Ethnographic Museum

I’m a big fan of ethnographic museums, so I knew I needed to visit the one in Ochla, which is just outside of Zielona Gora. And I’m so glad I went there! The open-air museum has around 100 buildings from Lower Lusatia, Greater Poland, and Lower Silesia regions. They were so beautiful and so different from the buildings in Central Poland that I’m used to.

What makes the ethnographic museum in Zielona Gora special is the part about winemaking traditions in the region – there were even a few buildings dedicated to it. I also liked how the museum showed both German items from the region and Polish ones from the areas in the east that are not part of Poland anymore. For me, it was more than a typical ethnographic museum; it was a look into the troublesome past of this region.

You can reach the museum by the city bus that departs next to the train station and passes the center on the way. The museum is a short walk away from the bus stop.

Visit the Zatonie Ducal Park

That’s one place I didn’t have time to see when I visited Zielona Gora, but it was very high on my list. Zatonie Ducal Park and Palace are located a bit away from the center (but you can reach them by the city bus). The palace was built in 1689 in the Baroque style and was one of the most beautiful places in the area until the end of World War II when the Soviet Army destroyed the place.

It was never rebuilt, but recently, the ruin was opened to visitors who could explore it, together with the surrounding park. Today, this is one of the favorite spots for locals to spend a relaxing outdoor day.

Further reading

I published many articles about Poland that you might find useful when planning your trip there. Here are some of them:

If you are looking for articles about a specific destination – check out the map with all the articles I’ve published (and their locations). You can also join my Facebook group about traveling in Central Europe and ask your questions there.

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