Stronie Śląskie and around

Had to attend in person a workshop in our office in Wrocław last Monday. Its timing coincided with the second part of spell of warm autumn. With some tribulations along the way, I eventually took the rest the working week off and headed from Wrocław directly to Stronie Śląskie in Kotlina Kłodzka, a venue chosen deliberately, since the town was severely flooded in September 2024. Also my accommodation was a small hotel partly destroyed by the floodwater, a token of belated support for a business wreaked by cruel forces of nature.

On the first day I took a hiking trip to Śnieżnik. Not a superb route, nor views from the summit, must I say. Besides, trail signage was missing or flawed in some spots, hence I lost my way three times. Upshot: 37 kilometres marched, with elevation gain of 1,159 metres. I can still feel it in my muscles and feet, but the spine endured it perfectly.

On my way back to the lodgings, I pass by the dam which burst on 15 September 2024, causing rainwaters accumulated in a reservoir behind it to violently wash away a central part of Stronie Śląskie. More than two years since the disastrous event, it has not been repaired.

On the second day I set off to the other end of Kotlina Kłodzka to roam around Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych. The forecasters got it wrong in terms of sunshine, but temperature above +15C was perfect for hiking. The rock formation to the right is Szczeliniec Wielki.

The very Szczeliniec and Błędne Skały trails are a kind of demanding and I wonder why tickets are sold to elderly or obese people. I had no problems going through most hardcore (the one to the right is a light one) passages, but it takes some fitness and slimness.

On the same day to Kłodzko for a late lunch and to amble around town. Its market square is typical for lower Silesian municipalities – post-German architecture mixed with blocks built in 1980s or 1990s. Eclectic, though with debatable charm.

A photo which takes me back to 1970s, when the office building of Violetta glassworks was erected. The very factory went bankrupt in 2018, in 2019 its facilities were dismantled, but this edifice stands still and overlooks Stronie Śląskie.

Ulica Nadbrzeżna in Stronie Śląskie was the most damaged during the flood. Two years later, it is rebuilt, but weeds overgrow the spot where a small shopping mall used to be. Almost not a living soul around.

This is how some houses in Stronie Śląskie still look like more than two years past the disaster. The bare bricks indicate how high the flood wave was. Locals have no choice, but to carry on.

The back gardens of some properties inundated in 2024 still contain traces or remnants of what was destroyed then. I wonder why the heaps have not been cleaned up. Is it a matter of money or another tragedy, such as mental breakdown?

On the third day I popped in on Lądek Zdrój. The town seemed dreadfully desolated, with few people or cars on its streets. The only noises were made by construction machines, since the town is still being rebuilt after the flood. I wonder if the house on the river bank is inhabited. I hope not, but would not be surprised, if somebody still lived inside.

The post-German housing in the centre of the town brings out a depressing mood. Out there, people definitely reside, as signs (flowerpots, laundry hung out to dry) of life are evident. Towns like this will be slowly dying out.