Commue’s Characteristics

The Kowal commune is located in the south-eastern part of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodeship 14 km from Wloclawek, which is the seat of the county. It has a very good connection with Torun, Warsaw and Lodz. The commune covers an area of approximately 11,000 ha, inhabited by about 4,000 people in 17 villages.

Dane statystyczne Kowal

The commune has a very good technical infrastructure, which consists of:

  • three water intakes with treatment plants and 147.10 km of water supply network, all residents have water connections,
  • two municipal sewage treatment plants in Rakutow and Golaszew and about 35 km of sanitary collector,
  • over 300 farmyard sewage treatment plants,

A big natural attraction of the commune is the Gostyninsko - Wloclawski Landscape Park, which was created on April 5, 1979 and protected the country's unique areas with high and diverse natural, landscape, cultural and recreational values. Created as the sixth landscape park in Poland, it is a reference to the concept of "Ecological Systems of Protected Areas" and is an ecological corridor connecting the Kampinos Forest with the Bydgoszcz Forest, and then the Tuchola Forests. From the point of view of diversity and fauna resources, the most important biotope is Rakutowskie with the adjacent forest complex and vast meadows. This part of the Park was entered in the register of valuable areas for birds on a Polish and European scale, thus obtaining an international rank.
The Rakutowskie Lake and adjacent areas are part of the European Ecological Network - Natura 2000. 57 species of mammals were found in the Park. Establishing a reserve - Olszyna Rakutowskie and Rakutowskie Lake is evidence of activities aimed at protecting the most valuable natural resources. On the area of the Park there has been established the process of reintroduction of endangered species, which are threatened with extinction: European beaver and peregrine falcon. About 130 species of birds nest here, and an additional 30 species stay during flights. There are also species from the Polish Red Book of Animals: white-tailed eagle, eurasian bittern, grand curlew, black stork, as well as an emigrant from the Kampinos National Park - lynx. There are three single trees recognized as a natural monument in the commune. The Forests of the Wloclawek Forest Inspectorate are a tourist and recreational area mainly for the cities of Wloclawek, Warsaw and Lodz.

Tourist routes lead through the most interesting tourist and cognitive places:

  • yellow "North" Wloclawek - Telazna - Duninow,
  • green "South" Wloclawek - Kukawy - Skrzynki,
  • blue "Connecting" Kowal - Mostki.

The preferred place for mass recreation is Lake Dzilno, with a designated bonfire place and Lake Lubiechowskie with a beach, a camping site and a place for rest and recreation including a stage, gazebos and a place for a bonfire. Places that are also worth seeing are: the "Kukawa" nature and forest path around the Kukawa forest nursery and the "Niecka Klocienska" nature path, leading through the most interesting natural areas from Dębniaki to Świątkowce. There are cultural monuments in the commune. The most interesting are: Manor House in Unislawice, Palace in Wieslawice, Larch Church in Nakonowo and Historic Belfry in Grabkowo.

Manor house In Unislawice<
photo: Manor house In Unislawice

Historic Belfry in Grabkowo
photo: Historic Belfry in Grabkowo

People tired of the hustle and bustle can relax on agritourism farms:

  • "Agrofarma" in the town of Golaszewo
  • "Zielony Gaj" and "Rybakowka" in Krzewent
  • "Rybie Oko" in the town of Kepka Szlachecka

Lake Lubiechowskie and Lake Krzewenckie
photo: Lake Lubiechowskie and Lake Krzewenckie

Setting And Transport Availability

Investment areas included in the local spatial development plan are located in the immediate vicinity of one of the most important communication arteries, i.e. the Kowal junction, which is the intersection of the A1 motorway with the national road No. 91 in the central part of the country.
The distance to the motorway junction in Strykow is about 85 km.
Existing railway siding in Czerniewice - about 6 km
Airport Ingnacy Jan Paderewski in Bydgoszcz - approx. 120 km.
Airport Wladyslaw Reymont in Lodz - about 110 km - access by A1 and DK91.
River port - Bydgoszcz - approx. 120 km.
Sea port - Tricity - approx. 250 km.
railroad Kutno - Pila with the train station in Czerniewice - about 6 km.
Availability of county road No. 2925C and in close proximity to voivodship roads No. 265 Brzesc-Kujawski-Gostynin and No. 269 Szczerkowo-Kowal.

Drogi i kolej

Kowal junction
photo: Kowal junction

The Most Important Investors

In the commune for several years there have been thriving:

  • Road and Bridge Construction Company KOBYLARNIA S.A.  
  • Fresch Froozen Food Park cold store

Fresch Froozen Food Park cold storephoto: Fresch Froozen Food Park cold store

Human Potential, Labour Market, Education

In the commune and in Wloclawek, located about 15 km away, there are vocational education institutions with the possibility of creating specific fields of study.
The Wloclawek county has one of the highest unemployment rates in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. For the month of August 2019 it was 14.1%.

Infrastructure

Water supply network with a length of 147.10 km (100% of the commune)

  • 140 km of municipal roads, of which 80% are asphalt roads,
  • Modern sewage treatment plant in Rakutow (modernized in 2018) with a sanitary collector with a length of 12,029 km
  • Sewage treatment plant in Golaszew together with a sanitary collector 22.5 km long
  • over 300 farmyard wastewater treatment plants (built successively since 2005)
  • three water intakes in Nakonowo, Grabkowo and Debniaki.

Talks are being conducted in the matter of the gasification of the commune, as the DN 500 mm Gustorzyn - Gostynin high pressure gas pipeline runs through its territory. At present, the DN 1000 Gustorzyn - Wronow gas pipeline is being designed, Stage I Gustorzyn - Lesniewice together with the infrastructure necessary for its service.