POWIAT JELENIOGÓRSKI

 

When planning a summer or winter holiday, you should consider visiting the Karkonosze  Mountains, often called “Giants”. Our invitation is tailored to the active traveler, nature and history enthusiasts, and those seeking new and rewarding experiences.

Jelenia Góra County offers a variety of landscapes, and nature abounds. It is also rich in history with many monuments to see. Located in “Europe’s Gate” it’s a great place for  outing to nearby cities and towns in Upper Lausitz, Saxony and golden Prague.

Walking…..

For those interested in trekking and walking, there are 600 km of trails in the Karkonoski National Park and Rudawski Landscape Park of the Bóbr Valley. Mountain excursions allow travelers to reach picturesque rock groups with interesting names such as: 3 Guinea Pigs (3 Świnki), Pilgrims (Pielgrzymy), Sunflower (Słonecznik), Horses Heads (Końskie Łby) and Travel Stone (Kamień Wędrowny) located in the Jagniątkowski Black Cirque.

Incredibly, there is a giant rock called Chybotek which one can push, setting it into motion as it bounces back and forth. There are many surprises awaiting the Karkonosze traveler: Big Lake (Duży Staw) and Small Lake (Mały Staw), left over after the glaciers, lakes in the Snowy Cirques (Śnieżne Kotły) and the Łomniczka Cirque (Kocioł Łomniczki). The Karkonosze Mountains offer plant zones typically located at higher elevations.

The uniqueness of the flora, fauna and inanimate nature, contributed to the opening of the first nature reserves in 1933 as well as the opening of the Karkonoski National Park in 1959. The Karkonoski National Park contains 5562 total ha of which 1718,8 ha are strictly protected. The elaborate mountain ecosystem is one reason why this area was recognized in 1992 as the World Bilateral Biosphere Reserve.

When you visit the Karkonoskie Center for Ecological Education in Szklarska Poręba, you can find a lot of information about the region’s nature – the world of animated nature and the inanimate side of the Polish and Czech mountains. A few rooms provide visitors with  a virtual tour of the post-glacial cirques, moors, fauna, flora, and information about how humans have impacted on mountain life.

On a bike….

Jelenia Góra County is often called the Bike Field of Poland and Szklarska Poręba  the Bike Capitol of Poland! Many bike paths are marked around Jelenia Góra – 100 km of total trails. They take you through the most interesting places in the county. Bike paths in the Landscape Park of the Bóbr Valley or in the area between Staniszów and Podgórzyn are the most picturesque of all. The biggest attraction, are the Podgórzyńskie Lakes where you can stop and taste delicious fried fish. While resting, you can enjoy the idyllic views. In and around Staniszów, for those looking for adventure, we suggest riding up to the Witosza summit by bike. Breath taking views from up there are worth spending the effort. Bike paths in Rudawy Janowickie and Szklarska Poręba are also highly recommended. There are more then 300 km of bike paths, offering various levels of difficulty. The town of Szklarska Poręba is a bike paradise, where there are many bike rental and service shops.

Horse riding….

Jelenia Góra County offers great accommodation in local bed and breakfast cottages. The guests are treated to fair prices, a relaxing atmosphere, and genuinely warm hospitality.

Horse riding through forests, fields and mountains are indisputably the biggest attraction. For the best trails, we recommend nearby Kowary, Jeżów Sudecki, Stara Kamienica, Mysłakowice, Podgórzyn and Szklarska Poręba. The famous Western City located in Ściegny near Karpacz, insures unforgettable experiences offering horse riding to children and adults.

In the sky…..

The area of Jelenia Góra is an ideal place for aviation sport. Jeżów Sudecki and Jelenia Góra are one of the most famous Gliding Centers in all Poland and the World! There are 2 airports in the area; one of them is in Jelenia Góra City; the other, at the top of Szybowcowa Mountain. At the Jelenia Góra Airport, gliders and other small passenger planes are allowed to take off and land. The airport has international status. The Jelenia Góra Airport Association (Aeroklub Jeleniogórski) organizes pleasure flights over looking the Karkonosze Valley.

One of the biggest attractions for glider fans is a famous competition called the “Karkonoska Wave”. Thanks to this event, many high altitude and distance records have been set from Jelenia Góra Airport.

Hang gliders and paraglider fans have fallen in love with Szybowcowa Mountain in Jeżów Sudecki and Wołowa Mountain located in nearby Kowary. Those places offer the best conditions for those types of sport.

On the rocks…..

Mountain climbing is a well recommended discipline for the bravest. The climbing area of  the Sokole Mountains near Jelenia Góra is considered to be one of the best places for mountain climbing in Sudety and Poland. It is very popular, as one can pick and choose the best climbing wall for oneself depending on the difficulty level. Since the early 60s, members of many high climbing clubs have trained in the Sokole Mountains, including famous Himalayan climbers  such as Wanda Rutkiewicz and Andrzej Zawada.

In wet way...

In early spring the Kamieńczyk river offers daredevils unforgettable adventures – fighting the elements and rough currents. The mountain river is fed by melting snow on the western side of Karkonosze and Izerskie Mountains. Between April and May is the best time to face one of the most difficult parts of the river in Poland.

Worth visiting is the storage reservoir in Pilichowice where you can find one of the most beautiful dams in Poland with its hydroelectric power station.

Historical architecture…

Jelenia Góra City and County is a land of palaces, castles and gardens. To feel the history you can stay in one of the many beautiful palace – hotels. In smaller villages, you can find historical relics, defensive churches, houses built in the Lausitz “style” and penitential crosses located on the side of roads. You should pay special attention to the church of Saint Erazma and Pankracego and Saint Cross (Podwyższenia Świętego Krzyża) in Jelenia Góra. Beautiful Wang Temple in Karpacz, known for its unique wooden structure, comes from the XIII century and was actually transported from Norway.

In the Knight’s Tower in Siedlęcin you can find very unique Middle Ages  polychromy with the secular character.

At the Miniature Park in Kowary you can see miniature replicas of these famous attraction, replicated down to the last detail.

For your spirit…..

Jelenia Góra City and County offers a wide range of museums. The Karkonoskie Museum in Jelenia Góra presents a rich collection of artistic glass products. You can take a look inside the old country huts, where you can get to know the ancient history of Jelenia Góra. In the Museum of Nature in Jelenia Góra – Cieplice, one can watch the colorful world of birds and butterflies. In Sobieszów you can visit the Karkonoski National Park Museum. One can find all flora and fauna existing in the Karkonosze area. There is a plastic map presenting the Karkonosze mountains. The Mineralogical Museum and the Earth Museum in Szklarska Poręba offers visitors a rich collection of precious and decorative stones, fossils and minerals from all over the world. Another museum, the Karkonoskie Museum located in Szklarska Poręba, is devoted to Gerhart and Carl Hauptmann and there you can find the art work of Wlastimil Hofmann. Those interested in the work history of Gerhart Hauptmann, should visit his home in Jagniątków, turned into a museum called “Gerhart Hauptmann’s Hause”. The museum exists as an international culture center and is fully devoted to the German Nobel Prize writer. There are many memories left over from his life and work with the Silesian art work of Ivo Hauptmann.

While visiting Karpacz, it is a must to see the Sport and Tourism Museum. All stages of tourism and sport development in the Karkonosze can be seen there. Every 3 months there is a thematical photo exhibition organized at the museum. Another place worth seeing is the City Doll Museum, which contains Henryk Tomaszewski collections. It includes over 2.000 exhibits from all over the world.

For your body……

One of the oldest health resorts in Europe which dates back to 1281, is located in Jelenia Góra – Cieplice, and offers treatments for rheumatism, urinary tract, hearing, kidneys and eye illnesses.

The most important guest in Cieplice was Marysieńka Sobieska – the Queen of Poland and members of her court in 1687. There were other figures such as Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1790), Prussian King Frederic Wilhelm III with his wife (1800), John Quincy Adams later President of the U.S. (1800), Hugo Kołątaj (1792 and 1808), Józef Wybicki (1802) and Izabella Czartorycka (1816).

Many hotels and guest houses offer spa treatments. In well equipped rooms, cryogenic chambers or salt grottos, visitors can renew their strength and vitality.

Numerous restaurants, pubs, coffee shops and roadside pubs are located in towns centers as well as by picturesque roads. It is worth stopping by to delight in double feasts – for your mouth and spirit watching incredible views at the same time.

 It’s impossible to mention all attraction offered by the Karkonosze Region. We hope that the information provided will encourage you to visit this magical place.

 Inviting you to discover your own Karkonosze – unusual land!

History land:

• the Knight’s Tower in Siedlęcin built in XIV century on the banks of the Bóbr river

• Market Square in Jelenia Góra with picturesque tenements houses from XVII-XVIII century

• 2 churches in Jelenia Góra: Saint Erazama and Pankracego (p.w. św. Erazama I Pankracego), Saint Cross (p.w. Podwyższenia Św. Krzyża)

• beautiful palaces of the Schaffgotsches’ Family transformed into the Cieplice Health Resort

• great Middle Ages architecture such as Chojnik Castle from XIV century and ruins of the Bolczów Castle in Rudawy Janowickie

• wooden Wang Temple from XIII century brought to Karpacz from Norwey

• tyrolean’s houses spread all of over the Mysłakowice community

• penitential crosses located on a side of the roads

• houses in the Lausitz style and defensive churches

Picturesque landscape:

• great Karkonoskie trails all over the Karkonoski National Park, Rudawski Landscape Park and part of the Landscape Park in the Bóbr Valley perfect for walking

• rock formations of unique shapes and interesting names (3  Guinea Pigs, Pilgrims, Horses Heads)

• Szklarka and Kamieńczyk waterfalls

• deposits of precious, gold and silver stones

• post-glacial lakes: Big Lake and Small Lake

• Chybotki – giant rocks easily put into motion

• amazing views stretching from Śnieżka - the highest summit in the Sudety

Extreme sport:

• mountain climbing or cable sliding

• enjoying the picturesque region from a plane or a glider

• taking part in canoeing along the Bóbr river

• downhill bike riding from the Grzybowiec or Szrenica Slope

• Active form of spending free time:

• well prepared bike trials for total distance 600 km

• horse riding

• modern system of the sky infrastructure

• ski trails of different difficulty levels

• cross country tracks of total distance 100 km

Magic of sightseeing:

• the biggest collection of glass in Poland in the Karkonoskie Museum in Jelenia Góra

• collection of precious and decorative stones of Karkonosze, fossils and minerals from all over the world in the Mineral Museum and Earth Museum

• Karkonoskie Museum in Szklarska Poręba with the collection devoted to Gerhart and Carl Hauptmann

• Gerhart Hauptmann’s House in Jagniątków

• Tourism and Sport Museum, Doll Museum with a rich collection of 2.000 exhibits in Karpacz

• underground trail of 1200 m in the Kowary’s Minor

• “Park of the Miniature Monuments in the Lower Silesia” with the collection of miniature models exhibited in the park environment

• cowboy’s city called “Western City” where everyone can become a cowboy

• “Valonian Hut” where you can get baptized according to the Valonian’s tradition

• the circus world in Cyrkland, Miłków