Sudetenland, Poland
The Sudetenland is the second largest mountain system in Poland. Its highest point is Mount Snezhka (1603 m) in the Krkonoše mountain range (Giant Mountains). More than a dozen resorts have been opened in the Sudetes – mountain climatic, balneological, and, of course, ski resorts. The most famous among them are the ski resorts Zelenets, Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba, the oldest Polish health resorts Cieplice-Slańské-Zdrój and Kudova-Zdrój, as well as Löndek-Zdrój, Polanica-Zdrój, Dushniki-Zdrój and Swieradow-Zdrój. Check liuxers for customs and traditions of Poland.
How to get there
The nearest airports are located in Warsaw and Wroclaw. The railway network connects Wroclaw with Szklarska Poreba and Kudowa Zdrój. Trains arrive in Duszniki-Zdrój from Warsaw. There is no direct railway connection with Zelenets – you can get to the resort by taxi from Dushniki.
There are regular buses to Karpacz from Jelenia Góra (7-10 PLN, 1 hour). In July and August, daily buses connect Karpacz with Szklarska Poręba (15-25 PLN, 50 min). From Wroclaw there is a regular connection to Kudowa-Zdrój.
The prices on the page are for December 2021.
By car
Szklarska Poręba is easily accessible via the national road 3/E65, which connects northern and southern Europe. Highway E67, connecting Wrocław with Kudowa-Zdrój, and national road No. 8 lead to Zieleniec. Along the way, the cities of Łagiewniki, Ząbkowice-Śląskie, Kłodzko, Polanica-Zdrój, Duszniki-Zdrój flash by, immediately after which you should turn left from the E67 highway towards the Greens.
Resorts Sudetes
The Szklarska Poreba resort is located at the foot of the Szrenica mountain (1362 m) in the valley of the Kamenna river. The resort is located at an altitude of 440-886 meters above sea level between the Karkonosze in the south and the Jizera Mountains in the west. The ski complex is represented by 5 pistes with a total length of more than 20 km and 6 lifts located on the slopes of Mount Shrenica. One of the tracks with a length of 2080 m officially certified by the FIS for holding international ski competitions.
Zelenets is the largest ski resort in the Kłodzko River Valley, located at an altitude of about 950 m above sea level in the Orlické Mountains. 30 lifts unite the local slopes into a single network with a total length of about 15 km.
The ski complex Karpacz is represented by 7 lifts, 6 slopes of varying difficulty and a springboard, which is used as an observation deck in summer.
Treatment
The once independent resort town of Ceplice-Slańské-Zdrój has been a district of the town of Jelenia Góra since 1976 to the present day. The healing springs of Ceplice were known to the ancient Slavic tribes, but their discovery is attributed to Prince Boleslav the High. Documentary mention of Ceplice dates back to the second half of the 13th century. At the end of the 18th – beginning of the 19th centuries. Ceplice hosted many eminent guests, including Johann Wolfgang Goethe, the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III and his wife, John Quincy Adams, Hugo Kollontai, Jozef Wibicki and Princess Isabella Czartoryzska. The resort provides treatment for traumatic and orthopedic diseases, rheumatism, osteoporosis, as well as diseases of the nervous system, kidneys and urinary tract.
Kudowa-Zdrój is the oldest resort located at an altitude of 390-440 m above sea level at the foot of the Park Mountain in the chain of the Table Mountains. The first mention of Kudovskie waters dates back to 1636, when bathing facilities were built. Currently, 8 springs have been opened in Kudov, and clinics specialize in the treatment of diseases in the field of cardiology, pulmonology, endocrinology, overweight and the musculoskeletal system. Thanks to its location, Kudova is an ideal place for hiking, cycling, and, in addition, it is a starting point for exploring the nearby surroundings – the Table and Orlicke Mountains.
A kilometer north of Kudova is an unusual chapel (Kaplica Czaszek), the walls and ceiling of which are decorated with human skulls and bones.
Nearby is the town of Wambezhyce, popular among pilgrims with the miraculous figure of Our Lady of Wambezhytsia, as well as the Baroque basilica.
Entertainment and attractions in Sudetenland
Karpacz is a typical mountain town located at the foot of the Śnieżka mountain. The resort is comfortably located in the wide valley of the Lomnica River at an altitude of 480-885 meters above sea level. The central axis of Karpacz is a street that stretches for 7 km to the Bierutowicka pass, located at an altitude of 820 meters. In the center of the resort is the Museum of Sports and Tourism, the exposition of which is dedicated to the places of pagan worship, treasure hunts and the activities of laboratory assistants and herbalists. And in the city Toy Museum there is a collection of dolls and toys of the founder of the Wroclaw Mime Theater Henryk Tomaszewski. And, nevertheless, the main trump card of Karpacz is sports tourism.
Krkonose National Park
On the territory of the Krkonoše there is a national park of the same name, founded in 1959. The park covers an area of 55 sq. km, of which 17 km² are under strict protection. Most of the park, about 33 sq. km, consists of forest. In 1992, the Polish Krkonoše Park, together with the neighboring Czech National Park, founded in 1963, was recognized by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve within the framework of the Man and the Biosphere program.
The Krkonoše lies on the watershed of two rivers, the Elbe and the Oder, thus separating the basins of the Baltic and North Seas. Many streams and streams originate in the park, forming entire waterfalls, the largest of which is located in the Polish part of the park – this is the Lomnichka waterfall, falling from a 300-meter height. About 200 bird species and 60 mammal species inhabit the park; There are 2 species of fish, 6 species of amphibians and 6 species of reptiles. Moufflons brought here at the beginning of the 20th century give a special attraction to the park.
For tourists in the Krkonoše, 112 km of footpaths, 10 lifts and 12 guest houses are equipped. The “headquarters” of the park is based in the city of Jelenia Góra.
