Karkonosze County includes the cities of Karpacz, Kowary, Piechowice, Szklarska Poreba and the rural municipalities of Janowice Wielkie, Jeżów Sudecki, Mysłakowice, Podgórzyn and Stara Kamienica.
Karkonosze County is located in the south of the Lower Silesian province, its area includes the Jeleniogórska Basin and the surrounding mountain ranges of the Western Sudetes: Karkonosze, Izera Mountains, Rudawy Janowickie and Kaczawskie Mountains. Thanks to its scenic and climatic qualities, numerous monuments and good development, it is counted among the most attractive areas in Poland for tourism. The Karkonosze National Park, the Ore Mountains Landscape Park, the Beaver Valley Landscape Park and nature reserves form a system of protected areas. The Valley of Palaces and Gardens of the Jelenia Góra Valley, medieval fortresses, sacred monuments and numerous museums lead the traces of the rich history of this land.
A Cultural Park has been established in the district. Nearly 600 kilometers of hiking trails and 1,000 kilometers of biking trails of varying difficulty, winter sports centers, horse studs, climbing areas and sports airports – create a number of opportunities for active recreation. Our base is almost 30 thousand beds in hotels, guesthouses, holiday homes, hostels, private accommodation and agritourism farms.

Giant Mountains

The Karkonosze Mountains are the highest range of the Sudetenland, formerly known as the Giant Mountains, with the highest peak being Sněžka (1,603 meters above sea level). It is surrounded by the Izerské, Kaczawskie and Rudawy Janowickie Mountains, and in the heart of the Jeleniogórska Basin lies Jelenia Góra, known as the “Pearl of the Karkonosze” and the cultural and tourist center of the region.

The Giant Mountains are an ideal destination for everyone – from gliders and paragliders, to mountain kayakers and cyclists, to hikers and mountaineers. The region offers more than 600 km of hiking trails and numerous attractions in winter, summer, spring and autumn. Karpacz, Szklarska Poreba, Piechowice, Kowary or Jeżów Sudecki are just some of the picturesque places where everyone will find something for themselves – from extreme sensations to peaceful relaxation.

The Jelenia Góra Basin also stands out for its unique architecture – from Art Nouveau in Jelenia Góra to folk architecture and the monuments of the Valley of Palaces and Gardens. The region is also the site of many cultural events, such as the International Street Theater Festival and the dell’Arte Festival. The Giant Mountains have attracted great artists such as Gerhart Hauptmann and Wlastimil Hofmann, as well as prominent scientists and politicians who have marveled at the beauty of the landscapes.

Each of the municipalities in the Karkonosze District has something unique to offer – from climbing in Janowice Wielkie, to mountain trails in Karpacz, to relaxing in Mysłakowice and hiking in Szklarska Poreba. It’s worth coming here to feel the magic of Karkonosze, discover the history of the region and enjoy unforgettable views.

Karpacz

Karpacz is a well-known tourist destination and winter sports center at the foot of Sněžka (1,603 meters above sea level) – the highest peak in the Karkonosze Mountains, a destination for thousands of tourists. The history of tourism in the Sudetes is inextricably intertwined with the history of the city. It was created by treasure hunters, laborers, shepherds and pilgrims. The Great and Small Pond, Lomniczka Cauldron, Pielgrzymy rock groups are well-known natural attractions on the mountain trails of the Karpacz area. Fans of active recreation will find cross-country skiing trails, climbing rocks or rope parks, while children (and not only) will find a downhill chute on the Kolorowa slope and numerous attractions for the whole family. For inclement weather, we especially recommend visiting the 12th-century Wang Temple, the Museum of Sports and Tourism and the Toy Museum. Karpacz hosts national and international sports competitions, bicycle marathons and mountain runs every year. The city also invites visitors and residents to many outdoor concerts and spectacular recreational events. A very well-developed accommodation base puts Karpacz among the top Polish tourist destinations.

Szklarska Poreba

Szklarska Poreba is a picturesque town located on the slopes of the Karkonosze and Jizera Mountains, known as a center for winter sports and summer recreation for the active. The Szrenica Ski Arena with its perfectly prepared ski slopes and cross-country skiing trails on the Jakuszycka Glade, considered one of the best in Europe, attract ski lovers, and the Bieg Piastów is the largest mass cross-country skiing race in Poland.

The area is home to popular tourist destinations such as Szrenica, Kamieńczyk Waterfall and Śnieżne Kotły. Szklarska Poreba is also a Bicycle Land with 450 km of bicycle trails, and at the Karkonosze Museum you can learn about the region’s artistic traditions. It is also worth visiting the Forest Smelter, the Open Air Museum of Old Mining or the multimedia exhibition at the Karkonosze Education Center. The city is bustling all year round, offering numerous events, such as the “Bike Week” bicycle festival and the “Trollandia” rope park.

Kowary

Situated between the Karkonosze Mountains and the Janowickie Ore Mountains, the former “Royal Mining City” is today investing in its recreational and leisure advantages. The specific microclimate alleviates ailments of the respiratory and circulatory systems, and treatment is supported by the only radon inhalatorium in Poland. We invite you to visit Kowar’s attractions: The Old Town, the Park of Miniature Monuments of Lower Silesia with the Palace Playhouse, the House of Tradition of the Town of Kowary, the Hangman’s House, the Museum of Sentiments and the Underground Tourist Routes: Kowary Adit in the “Liczyrzepa Mine” and “Podgórze Mine”.
The peaks of Volova Gora and Rudnik attract paragliding enthusiasts, cross-country skiing trails lead from the Okraj Pass, and numerous hiking and biking trails have been laid out around the town. The town’s location near the border with the Czech Republic, with which Kowary is linked by tourist traditions, makes it easy to enjoy attractions on both sides of the Karkonosze Mountains. The original winter lure of the Polish side of the mountains is a horned sleigh ride down the valley of the Jelenia Struga River along a scenic route more than 100 years old.

Piechowice

This municipality, located in the Giant Mountains and the Jizera Mountains, has within its borders the Snowy Cauldrons, the Szklarki Waterfall, the “Krokusy w Górzyńcu” Reserve and the 700-year-old yew tree. Piechowice is also famous for its “Julia” Crystal Glassworks, the only one of its kind on the Polish side of the Karkonosze Mountains. Here you can visit artists who decorate and engrave glass, and participate in the event “Crystal Weekend” promoting and restoring Silesian glassmaking traditions, included in the prestigious Calendar of Lower Silesian Days.
The picturesque landscape of the municipality attracts artists. The prominent painter Pawel Trybalski has his studio in Michalowice, and the Cinema Theater and the Our Theater, which offers guests cabaret evenings on its own stage, also operate here. The hotels and guesthouses scattered among the mountain settlements provide an excellent base for biking, hiking and skiing trips.

Mysłakowice Commune

10 sołectwo: Bukowiec, Dąbrowica, Gruszków, Karpniki, Kostrzyca, Krogulec, Łomnica, Mysłakowice, Strużnica, Wojanów-Bobrów. The Mysłakowice commune is the richest corner of the Jeleniogórska Valley in terms of monuments. In Mysłakowice King Friedrich Wilhelm III had his summer residence. Following the example of the ruler, representatives of famous families eagerly came to Lomnica, Dabrowica, Wojanow, Karpniki or Bukowiec, where they also established their residences. Today, together with the Tyrolean houses in Mysłakowice, they contribute to a unique cultural landscape.
In terms of cultural activities, Bukowiec stands out, with its palace and romantic park setting. It is here that the headquarters of the Foundation of the Valley of Palaces and Gardens of the Jelenia Góra Valley is located, as well as the headquarters of the Association of Karkonosze Municipalities. In cooperation with many institutions of the region, they undertake a huge number of activities to strengthen local cultural life.
The proximity of the Ore Mountains Landscape Park creates a number of opportunities for active recreation. The rich agritourism base and elegant palace hotels are places for conferences and family relaxation. The surroundings are conducive to hiking and biking, fishing, mushroom picking, rock climbing, and in winter provide a great opportunity to arrange sleigh rides and games by the fire.

Podgórzyn Municipality

10 sołectwo: Borowice, Głębock, Marczyce, Miłków, Podgórzyn, Przesieka, Sosnówka, Staniszów, Ścięgny, Zachełmie.
Podgórzyn and the other villages of the municipality owe their attractiveness to their charming location, outstanding natural features and numerous monuments. From here trails lead to the most beautiful parts of the Karkonosze, to the Podgórna Waterfall, the Mya Cascades, the Szwedzkie Rocks, to the Good Spring, to Vitosha and the Sunflower rock formation.
Among the monuments noteworthy are the palaces in Miłków and Staniszów, St. Anne’s Chapel in Sosnówka, Prince Henry’s Castle, Sudetic half-timbered cottages, Tyrolean houses and country churches. Attractions for tourists include “Western City” in Ścięgny, “Siruwia Japanese Garden” in Przesieka, “Circusland” and “House on the Head” in Miłków. At the complexes of fish ponds in the vicinity of Podgórzyn, Sosnovka and Głębock we will eat excellent fish at any time of the year.

Municipality of Jeżów Sudecki

8 sołectwo: Chrośnica, Czernica, Dziwiszów, Janówek, Jeżów Sudecki, Płoszczyna, Siedlęcin, Wrzeszczyn.
The municipality consists of eight chain-built villages in the valleys and on the slopes of the Kaczawskie Mountains and partially on the Izerskie Foothills. Many characteristic half-timbered houses and small historic churches have been preserved here. At one of them, in Chrosnica, is the largest cluster of 5 of the 11 crosses of reconciliation located in the municipality.
One of the most valuable monuments of the municipality is the Ducal Tower in Siedlecin with its 14th-
-century polychromes. The paintings depict the legend of King Arthur’s knight Sir Lancelot of the Lake and, due to their secular subject matter and time of creation, are the only ones of their kind in the world.
Glider Mountain in Jeżów Sudecki is the best training and coaching place for gliders, hang gliders and paragliders, while the lifts on Lysa Góra in Dziwiszów serve skiers in winter and cyclists can participate in the “Lysogórki” cycling competition in summer.
In the Bóbr Valley Landscape Park there are technical monuments – hydrological devices on the Bóbr River in Siedlęcin and Wrzeszczyn (dams, power plants, weirs, sluices).

Stara Kamienica Commune

10 villages: Antoniów, Barcinek, Chromiec, Kopaniec, Kromnów, Mała Kamienica, Nowa Kamienica, Rybnica, Stara Kamienica, Wojcieszyce.
The land of Starokamienice is located far from the hustle and bustle of the city, at the gates of Karkonosze and Jizera Mountains. The unique charm of the local landscapes, surprisingly different depending on the season, makes recreation in the Izera countryside gaining more and more supporters. Hiking, horseback rides and ski trips along gentle mountain ridges are a regular offer for local visitors.
Artists and enthusiasts living here, together with the local community, are creating new traditions for this land. One of the municipality’s tourist attractions are the ruins of the medieval castle in Stara Kamienica, considered the former seat of the knightly Schaffgotsch family. Remnants of the castle and palace complex that once existed here are fragments of the castle’s tower and basement, and right next door is the restored Hercules Gate from 1705.

Municipality of Janowice Wielkie

6 socio-districts: Janowice Wielkie, Komarno, Mniszków, Miedzianka, Radomierz, Trzcińsko.
A small commune located between the Rudawy Janowickie Mountains and the Kaczawskie Mountains, where tourists looking for peace and quiet like to visit. Destinations include the ruins of the Piast Castle of Bolczów, rocks with original names (Krowiarki, Piec, Skalny Most), some of which are used for rock climbing, and the nearby Falcon Mountains. It’s worth coming to Miedzianka to visit the local brewery, which brews excellent beer, and to walk the picturesque walking trails between Miedzianka and Mniszkow, where there is a Baroque manor house. There are information boards along the paths describing the very interesting history of both towns. A glance from the viewing tower in Radomierz will allow you to saturate your senses with a wide panorama of the Janowickie Ore Mountains, the Karkonosze and the Kaczawskie Mountains.

Jelenia Góra

Jelenia Gora, a city with municipal rights since 1288, is located in the picturesque Jeleniogórska Basin, surrounded by mountains. The highest point is Bohemian and Silesian Stones (1,416 meters above sea level), and the lowest is Borowy Jar (465 meters above sea level). The city attracts not only by its charm, but also by its rich history, witnessing the mixing of Polish, German and Czech cultures. Today Jelenia Gora impresses with its beautifully preserved buildings, including a classicist market square with a town hall, palaces, churches and parks, and is the cultural, educational and economic center of the region.

Within the city limits are the Cieplice Spa, Sobieszów with the ruins of Chojnik Castle and Jagniątków with the Gerhart Hauptmann Museum. The city offers numerous hiking, walking, biking and Nordic walking trails, as well as places for climbing and gliding. There are vantage points in the vicinity of Borowy Jar, from which one can admire the panorama of the city and the Karkonosze Mountains. Jelenia Gora is also a cultural center, known for its music, film and theater festivals and a rich calendar of events, such as the “Zoom” International Film Festival and the Street Theater Festival.

The city has a long history, dating back to the 5th century AD and the Bobrzanians, who settled in the region. In the Middle Ages the area belonged to the Piast princes, and after 1392 it came under Czech rule. After the Thirty Years’ War, the Counter-Reformation and the Prussian partitions, the region experienced periods of crisis and development. In the 19th century, a railroad connection to the rest of Silesia contributed to the development of tourism. Today, Jelenia Gora is one of the most attractive tourist regions in Poland and is very popular with tourists.

Historic Urban Complexes

Kowary is a town with mining origins, where the oldest part of the town has preserved a street layout that also served as a market. Tenement houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, located between the church and the town hall, form the picturesque buildings of Kowary’s Old Town. It is also worth noting the sanatorium buildings of Wojkow in the former spa complex “Wysoka Łąka – Bukowiec”.

Guest House Development

In Karpacz, Szklarska Poreba, Przesieka and Sobieszów at the beginning of the 20th century many hotels and guesthouses were built. Decorated with glazed verandas, the magnificent villas still impress with their beauty and are a testimony to the style of that era.

Oldest Residential Buildings

Tyrolean Houses
Built by Tyrolean religious emigrants in the first half of the 19th century in Mysłakowice, Głębock and Sosnówka. They are characterized by flattened gabled roofs and balconies surrounding the buildings at the height of the second floor. An example of such construction is the “Szwajcarka” shelter in the Falcon Mountains.

Sudetic Cottages
These are traditional mountain houses of half-timbered construction, found in Szklarska Poreba, Głębock, Sosnówka, Przesieka, Borowice and Staniszów, among others.

Monuments of Medieval Law

Lower Silesia has preserved numerous monuments of medieval law, such as pillories, gallows and stone penitential crosses. Some of them can be seen in Marczyce, Mysłakowice, Kowary, Jelenia Góra and other towns in the region.

Valley of Palaces and Gardens of Jelenia Góra Valley

“Valley of Palaces and Gardens” is a unique complex of architectural monuments in the Jelenia Góra Basin. The area is home to medieval castles, Renaissance mansions and 19th-century palaces. Some of them, such as Chojnik Castle and Paulinum Palace, have been restored and opened to the public. The Miniature Park of Lower Silesian Monuments in Kowary is also worth a visit.

Mountains of Culture

The Giant Mountains became an inspiration for artists at the turn of the 20th century. Brothers Carl and Gerhart Hauptmann established an art colony in Szklarska Poreba, attracting creators of literature and art. After World War II, the town also became a place where many prominent painters and poets lived and worked. There are many cultural events in and around Jelenia Góra, including concerts, exhibitions and theatrical performances.

Walloons and Mining

The Walloons, bullion prospectors, had been digging cavities in the rocks since the 12th century, laying the foundation for the development of metal ore mining. Mines were established in Kowary and Karpacz, and after World War II uranium ores were also mined there. Today, tourists are attracted to the underground tourist routes in the Kowary Adits and the Podgórze Mine.

Glassblowers and Weavers

Szklarska Poreba was once known for its glass production. A glassworks was established here as early as the 14th century, and the products gained European fame. Today, crystal glass production continues at the “Julia” glassworks in Piechowice. In Mysłakowice, on the other hand, traditional linen fabrics are still produced today.

Labor and Herbology

In the 18th century, there was a guild of laborers in the Giant Mountains who collected and cultivated herbs, creating medicines known throughout Europe. Although modern medicine has replaced traditional treatments, the memory of herbalists survives in museums such as the Information Center of the Karkonosze National Park in Karpacz.

Landscape Parks

Karkonosze National Park
Established in 1959, it covers the highest range of the Western Sudetes. The park protects unique flora and fauna, including the Snowy Cauldrons and Szklarki Waterfall. In 2016, its boundaries were expanded, creating a Bilateral Biosphere Reserve under the auspices of UNESCO.

Ore Mountains Landscape Park
The Ore Mountains Park is home to numerous rock groups, such as Sokolik and Starostynskie Rocks. The park is also distinguished by valuable historical values, such as castle ruins and traditional folk architecture.

The Beaver Valley Landscape Park
Includes the picturesque gorges of the Beaver River, dammed lakes and unique flora. It is one of the most beautiful places in the region, full of natural and tourist attractions.

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