Stare Bojanowo 2025-03-24

PKP Stare Bojanowo.

Stare Bojanowo is a village in Poland, in the Wielkopolska Province, Kościan County, Śmigiel Commune. In 2016, the town had 1,712 inhabitants. Stare Bojanowo lies on the right bank of the Samica Valley. The elevation is 75-90 m. The village is located east of Śmigiel, about 4 km away.

The village of Stare Bojanowo was and is originally associated with Wielkopolska. The village has medieval records and has existed since the 13th century. Bojanowo first appeared in documents in 1298. In the vicinity of Bojanowo, archaeologists located an old fortified settlement, which is dated to the 5th-10th centuries. The village of Stare Bojanowo was a knight’s property, and later a noble property, belonging to the local gentry of Wielkopolska from the Bojanowski family. In 1409, the village belonged to the Kościan district of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. From 1389, it was the seat of a parish, and in 1510, it belonged to the Kościan deanery. There was a water mill in the village. In the 16th century, there was a farm, an inn, a windmill and three craftsmen in the village. At the end of the 16th century, the news of the Reformation reached the village and a Lutheran church was established, which fell after 50 years. In 1583, Stare Bojanowo was added to the name Bojanowo. This happened because there is also a village called Bojanowo near Rawicz. After the partitions of Poland, the town, along with the whole of Greater Poland, found itself in the Prussian partition and this was the case until the Greater Poland Uprising in 1919. Under the Prussian partition, the town belonged to the Hohenzollern family, then the Birons of Courland and finally the Gernoth family. According to the official census of 1837, Bojanowo Stare had 347 inhabitants, who lived in 39 houses (dwellings). On September 30, 1921, Stare Bojanowo had 73 houses, inhabited by 481 people, and in the manor area there were 26 houses inhabited by 304 people. Ten years later (1931), the village had 93 houses, inhabited by 523 people, and in the manor area 16 houses, inhabited by 231 people. In Germanic times the town was called Alt Boyen.

In 1945, as a result of the agreements of the great of this world, the town returned to Poland. In the period 1934–1954 and 1973–1976, the town was the seat of the Stare Bojanowo commune. In the period 1975–1998, the town administratively belonged to the Leszno province.

The development of the railway.

In 1853, the Wrocław – Rawicz railway line was opened, and in 1856, another section Rawicz – Leszno – Poznań. The line was built by the Upper Silesian Railway (Oberschlesische Eisenbahn) and from the very beginning played an important role in communication between Silesia and Wielkopolska. For unknown reasons, the line was not routed through Śmigiel, but through Stare Bojanowo.

Stare Bojanowo. Address; Dworcowa Street 6, 64-040 Stare Bojanowo. Geographic coordinates: 51.995 N 16.584 E.

The last renovation of the station was carried out in 2018. The track layout was changed. Three through tracks were built. The train speed is 160 km/h. At that time, a tunnel was built for passengers leading to Platform 2. Elevators were installed for passengers in wheelchairs, with prams and with bicycles. A tactile marking system in Braille was installed. The level crossing was eliminated.

Currently (2025) there are two platforms at the station. Platform 1 is single-edged, is next to the station building. Platform 2 is island, double-edged. PolRegio and Koleje Wielkopolskie trains stop at the station.

Śmigielska Narrow Gauge Railway.

It was not until the end of the 19th century that a narrow gauge railway was built in the latitudinal direction, Rakoniewice – Śmigiel – Stare Bojanowo – Krzywiń. The railway was launched in 1900. The Stare Bojanowo Narrow Gauge Station was a key point of the Śmigielska Commuter Railway, connecting the narrow gauge railway with the standard gauge Wrocław-Leszno-Poznań line. Launched on 17 September 1900, it served both passenger and freight traffic. In its heyday, it shared a building with the neighbouring standard gauge station, offering shared ticket offices and a waiting room.

In Stare Bojanowo, the narrow gauge tracks crossed with the standard tracks. As rail traffic was increasing, a viaduct for the narrow gauge railway was built. On the southern side of the station, the narrow gauge tracks towards Śmigiel were left. Distance: Stare Bojanowo – Śmigiel – Wielichowo. Currently (2025) Śmigielska Kolej Wąskotorowa runs occasional tourist transport on the section from Śmigiel to Stare Bojanowo. The Stare Bojanowo Wąskotorowe station, although it no longer serves its original function, remains a testimony to the rich history of narrow-gauge railways in the region.

Śmigielska Kolej Wąskotorowa was part of a larger network of narrow-gauge railways that operated in Wielkopolska. Its main section connected Stare Bojanowo (where there was a transfer station to the standard-gauge railway) with Krzywiń, and further with Gostyń and Kąkolew.

Eastern direction: From Stare Bojanowo the tracks led towards Śmigiel, which was the central point of the network. From here the line branched off: Southeast to Krzywiń. Further east to Lubiń. The longest route led all the way to Gostyń, where there was an important transfer station to the standard gauge railway.

West direction: To the west from Śmigiel the line led to Włoszakowice, where there was another transfer station. From there the train could continue its route towards Leszno.

Most of the lines were closed in the 70s and 80s of the 20th century. Currently, only the short section Śmigiel – Stare Bojanowo is operational, used for tourist trips.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman