Jelenia Góra is one of the most picturesquely located cities in Lower Silesia, surrounded by the Giant Mountains (Karkonosze) and Izera Mountains and Rudawy Janowickie ranges. It lies in the heart of the Jeleniogórska Valley, thanks to which it delights with extraordinary panoramas at any time of the year. It is a city where history is intertwined with nature – at every step you can see traces of its former glory, historic houses and atmospheric streets, and at the same time feel the tranquility and proximity of mountain nature.

The city attracts both sightseeing enthusiasts and those seeking relaxation. Tourists will find beautiful spas, historic churches, modern recreation centers, and numerous walking and cycling trails. Jelenia Góra is an excellent base for exploring the Karkonosze Mountains, but it offers so many attractions in its own right that you could easily spend several days here, discovering its charms step by step.

The city is divided into eleven parts. The main ones include the Old Town, which impresses with its restored townhouses, town hall and baroque arcades, which are the center of cultural and tourist life; Cieplice-Zdrój, Poland’s oldest health resort, is known for its hot thermal springs discovered in 1175 by Prince Boleslaw the Tall. Sobieszów, attracted by the ruins of the 14th-century Chojnik Castle (Chojnik Castle), and the unique KPN Nature and Education Center; and Jagniątków – located in the Giant Mountains ( Karkonosze ) – famous for its Municipal Museum, the Gerhart Hauptmann House.

Old Town: The center of life for local residents and visiting tourists

The Market Square in Jelenia Góra is the city’s focal point and most recognizable landmark. It is surrounded by Baroque and Classicist tenement houses with characteristic arcades, which today house restaurants, cafés, and shops. In the center stands the 18th-century town hall, connected to the former cloth hall. The town hall tower offers panoramic views of the city, including the Karkonosze Mountains.

This is where the most important cultural and city events take place – fairs, concerts, exhibitions, and festivals. During the summer season, the market square is bustling with life, and its surroundings invite strolling and relaxing. Strolling the cobblestone streets surrounding the square, you can feel the atmosphere of the former merchant city of Jelenia Góra.

Cieplice-Zdrój: A Spa with Traditions and Modern Infrastructure

Cieplice-Zdrój, a part of the city of Jelenia Góra, has been attracting visitors from all over Europe for centuries. As early as the 16th century, a spa resort developed here, visited by famous figures such as the Prussian King Frederick William III and the poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe.

Today, Cieplice boasts sanatoriums and the modern Termy Cieplickie complex, opened in 2014. The thermal baths utilize natural thermal waters with temperatures up to 87°C, rising from a depth of 1,800 meters—the warmest in Poland. The complex offers recreational and sports pools, jacuzzis, saunas, and a relaxation area, attracting both tourists and local residents.

Sobieszów: Part of the city at the foot of the Karkonosze Mountains

In addition to its picturesque views, Sobieszów boasts many unique tourist attractions. In the center of this area lies the unique Sobieszów Palace, part of the Karkonosze National Park’s Nature and Education Center. Additionally, there’s the unique Chojnik Castle, located just a few kilometers from the city center.

Jagniątków: The southernmost part of the city of Jelenia Góra

Jagniątków is most famous for its municipal museum dedicated to the German writer Gerhart Hauptmann, a Nobel Prize winner. Parts of the town feature typical foothill architecture, with numerous guesthouses.

Top 10 places to stay in Jelenia Góra and the surrounding area

Time Gates
The Time Gates are open-to-the-public air raid shelters from World War II, guided by qualified guides. This attraction, part of the Arado group, is a journey through time and space, focused on uncovering secrets. The goal is to uncover the secrets of the largest underground tunnels in the Karkonosze Mountains and learn about the history of Karkonosze legends. At the Time Gates in Jelenia Góra, tourists enter individual locations/gates, each telling a different historical moment. Here, visitors can see Poland’s largest Tesla coil, a hidden train, come face-to-face with the Spirit of the Mountains, learn about attractions in nearby towns, and participate in demonstrations by a “mad lab technician” presenting experiments with liquid nitrogen, among other things.
Cieplice Health Resort Sp. z o.o. – PGU GROUP
Cieplice Spa, located in the northwestern part of the Jelenia Góra Valley, within the city limits of Jelenia Góra, is one of the oldest spas in Poland. Its history dates back to the 13th century, when hot springs with temperatures reaching up to 90°C were discovered, attracting visitors from all over Europe. Cieplice’s thermal waters are low-mineralized and saturated with fluoride and silica, making them unique in the country. Currently, Cieplice Spa offers a wide range of treatments, including thermal baths, inhalations, hydrotherapy, and kinesiotherapy, specializing in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, urinary and renal system disorders, obesity, osteoporosis, and eye diseases.
Termy Cieplickie (Swimming pool)
A water park located in Jelenia Góra, in the Karkonosze Mountains region, offering a multitude of attractions for everyone, including swimming pools and a spa area. The Cieplice Thermal Baths utilize thermal waters (fluoride-silicon) with a unique composition, distinguishing the complex from other facilities. The entire complex is divided into three zones: an outdoor pool, an indoor pool, and a spa area. In addition to these zones, the pool offers a squash court and many more interesting attractions, with something for everyone. The facility collaborates with numerous entities, including the city of Jelenia Góra, which offers customers benefits such as discounts for Jelenia Góra Resident Card holders.
Jelenia Góra Natural History Museum
A large collection of natural artifacts, the collection of which was initiated by Johann Anton Schaffgotsch – a representative of the most powerful Lower Silesian family of the 16th and 17th centuries. For many years, the Museum has been conducting environmental education activities for the Jelenia Góra region and Lower Silesia, thus contributing to the widespread environmental education agenda. It implements these activities in accordance with the “Environmental Education Program for Lower Silesia.” This work has been recognized, as reflected in the aforementioned Program’s provisions, as follows: “Environmental education is also conducted by museum and research institutions. The most active among them are the Natural History Museum in Jelenia Góra and the Botanical Garden in Wrocław. Their educational activities focus on natural sciences and take the form of thematic exhibitions, publications, training courses, and activities for young people.”
Karkonosze Museum (Muzeum Karkonoskie)
The museum houses numerous collections related to the culture and history of the Karkonosze Mountains, the Silesian-Czech border, and Lower Silesia. However, the most valuable collection is Poland’s largest collection of artistic glass, which has generated widespread interest across Europe. This is because the museum houses over 9,000 glass objects from various historical periods, many of which are unique. Thanks to the collaboration between the Karkonosze Museum and the Czech town of Nový Bor, we can trace the region’s rich glassmaking traditions.
Centrum Przyrodniczo-Edukacyjne Karkonoskiego Parku Narodowego Pałac Sobieszów
Obiekt stanowi nowoczesną placówkę edukacyjną, która łączy historię z przyrodą regionu Karkonoszy. Największą atrakcję stanowią dwie wystawy stałe „Klimatyczne Karkonosze” oraz „Pałac Sobieszów”.
Chojnik Castle (Chojnik Castle)
Located on a rocky mountain in Sobieszow, the site is a 14th-century fortress built during the reign of Bolko II, originally as a hunting lodge and later converted into a defensive castle. The fortress, difficult to conquer due to its location in mountainous terrain, burned down in 1675 from a lightning strike, and the Schaffgotsch family moved their headquarters to Cieplice. Today, in the ruins you can see remnants of the walls, a round tower and a residential section, and in the summer the knightly tournaments “For the Golden Bead of Chojnik” are held here.
Municipal Museum Home of Gerhart Hauptmann
The museum is located in Jagniątków (formerly Agnetendorf), incorporated into Jelenia Góra in 1997. The institution occupies the villa of the German writer and Nobel Prize winner in 1912. The facility makes available to the public seven museum rooms, integrally related to the work of Gerhart Hauptmann. Visitors can see the writer’s study, the former library, the fireplace room, the former dining room and the lobby, fully decorated with polychrome work done in 1922 by J.M. Avenarius, known as the “Paradise Hall” because of the subject matter of the paintings. The museum’s exhibition consists primarily of memorabilia relating to the life and work of the Nobel laureate, such as fragments of correspondence, first editions of books, documents, etc.
Pearl of the West
The Guesthouse is situated on the edge of a cliff in a picturesque area located at the foot of Jelenia Góra, in the picturesque area of Borowy Jar, in the valley of the Bobr (Bóbr) River. It is not only a place to rest in beautiful circumstances, but also an opportunity to discover the still little-known region, which has much to offer to lovers of climbing, hiking and biking, as well as technical monuments. The site was built in 1927, after the creation of an artificial Lake Modre on the Bobr (Bóbr) River. Initially there was an inn there, and since 1950 it has belonged to PTTK and functions as a guesthouse. The architecture of the building is extremely impressive. It is situated on a steep, steep bank, at an altitude of 320 meters. The building has a wood and brick construction, its walls are covered with wooden logs, and a hanging terrace stretches along the side of the lake. Next to the facility is a stone observation tower, reached by a winding staircase. The tower offers a view of the lake. Watching the building from below in all its glory, one can marvel at the grandeur of the Pearl of the West.
Jeleniogórska Kotlina (Jeleniogórska Basin)
The second largest basin in the Sudetenland, it stretches across the Sudeten Foreland at the foot of the Giant Mountains (Karkonosze). It borders the Kaczawskie Mountains to the north, the Rudawy Janowickie Mountains to the east and the Izerskie Mountains to the west. Isolated humps and domes carved in granite are encountered here. During the Quaternary period, a glacier entered the area, after which remnants of ground moraines, stagnant clays and sands remained. There are mainly artificially introduced spruce stands. The uniqueness of the flora, fauna and inanimate nature contributed to the establishment of the Karkonosze National Park, and the above-average values and momentous importance of the mountain ecosystem were the basis for recognizing the area as a World Biosphere Reserve.

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