The viaducts at Stańczyki — the „aqueducts of the Romincka Forest”

The viaducts at Stańczyki are two monumental railway bridges 36 metres high thrown across the valley of the river Błędzianka, on the edge of the Romincka Forest. Their slender, multi-arched spans, modelled on Roman aqueducts, earned them the nickname „the aqueducts of the Romincka Forest” and make them one of the great curiosities of the northern Suwałki region.

The viaducts' history

Both viaducts were built for an East Prussian railway line at the start of the 20th century — the northern one before the First World War, the southern one in the 1920s. Their elegant stone arches, faced with travertine, were thrown across the deep valley of the Błędzianka. The trains have long gone; the imposing structures remain.

What to see

Two parallel viaducts — each about 36 m high, with five arches
The Błędzianka valley — a wooded ravine on the edge of the Romincka Forest
The view — from above and from the valley floor
The Romincka Forest — a vast woodland by the border

Practical notes

Stańczyki lies in the north of the region, about 40 km from Suwałki, close to Gołdap. There is parking and a ticketed entrance to the site. The viaducts can be admired from below, and the woods and paths of the Romincka Forest beckon nearby.

How to get there and practical info

Height: About 36 m — two parallel viaducts
Location: Stańczyki, about 40 km from Suwałki, close to Gołdap
Built: Early 20th century, for an East Prussian railway line
Entry: Parking and a ticketed entrance to the site
Nearby: The Romincka Forest, Smolniki, Wiżajny
Time needed: 1 hour

When to go

Spring

The green Błędzianka valley, few visitors and fresh air.

Summer

The height of the season, the most visitors, warm in the valley.

Autumn

Golden woods around the arches — the most striking season for photographs.

Winter

Snow-covered arches above the valley look monumental and atmospheric.

Other sights in Suwalszczyzna

Straight-line distances from „The viaducts at Stańczyki" — calculated from real coordinates. By road it is often further.

Lake Hańcza — the deepest in PolandThe deepest lake in Poland (108.5 m) in the Suwałki Landscape Park, with stony, steep shor

~2,8 km as the crow flies

Smolniki — the viewpointsThe famous viewing terraces above the post-glacial lakes and hills of the Suwałki Landscap

~5,3 km as the crow flies

The Suwałki Landscape Park and Cisowa GóraPoland's first landscape park (1976) — post-glacial hills, boulder fields and the con

~6,8 km as the crow flies

Suwałki — the regional capitalThe capital of the Suwałki region and the birthplace of Maria Konopnicka — the neoclassica

~22 km as the crow flies

The Czarna Hańcza — kayak tripsThe most famous kayak route in the Suwałki region — a winding, picturesque river from Wigr

~34 km as the crow flies

Lake Wigry and Wigry National ParkA sprawling, winding lake with bays and islands at the heart of Wigry National Park — boat