Szlaki województw śląskiego i opolskiego

Ruda Forest [Las Ruda] is a vast forest area located in the northern part of the city, along the Ruda River. It is a popular walking and recreational area, especially for residents of the surrounding districts: Wielopole, Paruszowiec-Piaski, and Rybnik-Północ. There are walking and cycling paths, gazebos, benches, a playground, and a fitness trail here. Ruda Forest also has great historical significance. In January 1945, the route of the so-called "Death March" of prisoners from KL Auschwitz ran through this area – in the forest, there is a monument commemorating 446 victims. The forest complex also contains a cemetery. Established in 1922, it was the burial place for patients of the psychiatric hospital in Rybnik. It received the most deceased during World War II. On the cemetery, graves are marked with small concrete markers with numbers, and only a dozen or so have a name plaque. For years, the cemetery was a forgotten place, used as an illegal dumping ground. Today, Ruda Forest combines recreational, natural, and educational functions, being an important sightseeing and historical point of Rybnik.