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.

Karkonosze

The two-week period off work is drawing to a close, time is up to share some snaps from a yet another foray to Dolny Śląsk and to Czech Republic. It has been a long-awaited trip, taken after 11 months without holidays (chasing the promotion, getting things done in my previous position, then shaking down in the new role), a time which has borne brunt on me and left me in deep fatigue.

Although places where I stayed were familiar with me, I aimed to conquer some new venues located higher above sea level. The first surprise on my was the paved over trail from Szklarska Poręba towards Szrenica. Cobblestone was laid here in 2025 in pursuit of making it accessible to the disabled and childminders with prams. I am in two minds about the development. On one hand more visitors might take it, on the other, it has lost part of its character.

Flat or nearly flat are most trails on top of Karkonosze. Here a shot from a brisk trekking between Szrenica and Śnieżne Kotły, some 1,400 metres above sea level. Note dwarf flora typical for such altitudes. High above temperature was 10 Celsius degrees below +25C recorded at that time in valleys.

Śnieżne Kotły is a rocky basin famous for snow lingering in northern crevices even until July. This year, despite snowy winter, the range of snow strips is far smaller than average which means what was there on 25 May might have melted by now.

When snows melt, Nordic skiing routes close to Jakuszyce become perfect cycling trails. Here, one of the landmarks one can pass – a rundown stone processing plant between Szklarska Poręba and Jakuszyce. Those are just ruins, but without them the area would lose part of its charm.

Cesky Raj (literally the Bohemian Paradise) is nature reservoir full of rock formations, located some 60 kilometres from the Polish border. Breathtaking, worth visiting over a longer weekend, since the formations are scattered around several spots in the area and some have historic castles on top of them.

Harrachov, a village known for ski-jumping competitions and being a skiing resort, in the summer is not a major attraction. Trails in forests east of it are enjoyable, yet boring. Note the central spot of Harrachov was anything, but chock full of people (on a working day in late May).

I (proudly) shy away from having an account on Instagram, but can tell you the building close to the Pravcicka Brana is an exemplary “instaspot”. You march uphill a few kilometres to snap this picturesque edifice, look around and tick it off as “popped by”. Some visitors (including me) also take hats down to builders who erected this building in a place with virtually no access from a regular road.

The very Brana (in English, a gate) is an amazing natural rock formation, here clumsily snapped by me, as I had set sharpness on a mountain in the distance which resembles a dormant volcano. Pay attention to trees growing on top of rocks, proving might of the nature.

Zamek (castle) Chojnik is a venue to which the ascent was the shortest, with elevation gain of mere 300 metres. Strong wind has precluded me from scrambling up the castle’s tower, but from a terrace beneath it, one can contemplate the panorama of Jelenia Góra: Sobieszów in the foreground, Cieplice Śląskie Zdrój further behind, the city centre in the distance.

For a dessert, another proper climb, to Śnieżka (literally: the snow hill), the highest peak of Karkonosze, 1,602 (some sources quote 1,603 or 1,605) metres above sea level. Started out from Karpacz, on altitude of 700 metres above sea level and amble with green and then blue trail, to pass by all scenic mountain huts on the way towards Śnieżka. Samotnia (literally: hermitage) is the most legendary one, located in a basin, photographed (by me again, clumsily) from above, with a pond next to it.

Strzecha Akademicka (literally: scholars’ thatch) further up the trail looks the least splendid of the huts en route to Śnieżka, maybe for that reason I did not witness crowds hanging around outside it.

Dom Śląski in turn looks much better on photographs. As one approaches it, the yellow facade strikes with sleaziness. The past-German spirit of the place of spoilt by solar panels (OZE-srOZE) on the roof. To the left – a proper 4WD pickup in a place, where its presence and use is justified. Toilet payable, PLN 4 (or CZK 30) with cash only.

The last snap is one of several views from the top of Śnieżka. The summit is free of clouds or precipitation only for some 60 days in a year and in mid-May there was some fresh snow there. I consider myself lucky, as the weather was fine enough not to put on a jacket kept in a rucksack just in case.

Off to Wrocław in business tomorrow. The upcoming three weeks will be bring travels to places located between 350 and 600 kilometres from Warsaw, hence I am likely to be sick of moving about for a while.

Góry Świętokrzyskie for a weekend

Spent the last weekend away, yet not far away from Warsaw in Góry Świętokrzyskie, a hilly area closest to Warsaw, which does not deserved be named mountains. Ventured there with almost the same circle of friends, all current or former volunteers in Szlachetna Paczka with whom I took a trip to Sardinia three years ago.

The quite short time spent in a group of seven people reminded me I had got used to travelling on my own or in a couple. Or maybe it just highlighted divergencies between my friends and me (where the six of them are quite similar to one another). Travelling with my girlfriends, optionally also with their friends seems a whole lot easier.

With my friends for a long time I have noticed two major moot points. Firstly - sleeping habits. I am the only early bird in this group, while others prefer to sit up late (which I don't mind, but get up early next morning anyway). Secondly - eating. I am the one who eats to live, not the other way round and do not take delight in dining. Besides, I eat a large breakfast and a proper lunch and then take up little until going to sleep. They in turn all adore tasty food and a dinner is their main meal over the day. I like their company, but each time I am surrounded by them for more than a few hours, I repeat to myself I am not marrying them, hence my frustrations are useless.

Now a few snaps from the trip. On Saturday we climbed a short trail to Święty Krzyż church. Had I travelled on my own, I would have reached the peak by 10:00 a.m. With my friends we got there in full heat at 1:00 p.m.

The church has a viewing tower (entrance charge: PLN 10), which lets visitors behold splendid panoramas of nearby hilly landscapes. I am fond of looking at the world from above, hence joyfully forked out a tenner to take delight in it.

On Sunday we scrambled up Łysica, the highest hill around, mere 612 metres above sea level. We marched up just past a rainfall, so the ascent, though short, was a bit of nasty. Predictably, droves of tourists on rocks on top.

Later on we drove to Zagnańsk to pass by apparently the oldest tree in Poland, oak Bartek, whose age is estimated at between 700 and 1,000 years. The very tree needs to be fenced off and solidly propped up to retain its monumental nature 

The area is abundant in several tourist attractions and we could have seen more of them, had it not been an overly lazy weekend ;-)

Pieniny

Back from a nearly week-long foray into the Polish mountains, first non-business trip far beyond Warsaw since November 2024. Given my health-related tribulations, I feared how my lumbar spine and other vulnerable parts of body would endure the strain, but to my surprise, they got on well with it, much better with work-related sitting several hours a day. Over five days I cycled 120 kilometres and hiked 50 kilometres, with elevation gain of almost 3,000 metres in total, a quite something.

On the first day I took my new bike for a first ride longer than 50 kilometres. Velo Czorsztyn, a cycling trail around Jezioro Czorsztyńskie, at times is challenging, as one needs to cycle uphill. The section on the northern shore of the lake is most picturesque and flattest. All in all, one-third of the route is enchanting, the remaining kilometres are to be covered to reach the enjoyable spots.

On the second day I drove to Nowy Targ, to climb Turbacz, the highest peak in Gorce. The ascent involved change in altitude of some 650 metres and took me a bit more than two hours. I hiked with hiking sticks, which is an absolute game-changer. My arms were a bit sore after the hikes, but splitting the body load into four limbs brings a tremendous relief to the lumbar spine. The view from the top of Gorce turned out to be impressive, yet my expectations had been inflated by those claiming panorama of Tatry is break taking. It has not taken my breath away.

On the third day I took a break from major strain, drove to Nowy Targ and took a train to Zakopane, a town I had, shame to admit, never visited before. I considered getting there by public transport only, yet in provincial Poland combining two connections is a risky exercise. But even finding trains is a bit of an exercise, as Google shows you services you can choose from, but does not divert you to specific railway operator. As a result I got there by Luxtorpeda fast train operated by Koleje Małopolskie (PLN 7.20 for a single ticket) and returned by Polregio service (same ticket price). In the very town I have not understood what makes it a tourist hangout. Unless somebody explores Tatry mountains, there are very few reasons to spend holidays there.

On the fourth day the bike came into more intensive use, although the Velo Dunajec trail was shorter and easier than Velo Czorsztyn. The route runs also in a wilder area and is far more scenic, especially on bright, sunny days in warm part of the year when greenery is lush.

On the fifth day I did not have to get anywhere to start out a hike, as my lodgings was next to a tourist trail. I climbed to conquer Trzy Korony and Sokolica – two highest peaks in Pieniny. Although the hike was not long – less than 15 kilometres in total, it involved elevation gain of almost 900 metres, at times with steep ascents. Hot and humid air made this trip most tiresome of all.

After the recent election some have posited not to visit regions where Mr Nawrocki won. I am not into such forms of punishment. In Krościenko nad Dunajcem where I had an accommodation the newly elected president received 69% of votes in the run-off, while in nearby Szczawnica only 55%. I would hazard a guess by merely looking at locals around and on standard of housing, one could guess (with a margin error of some 10 percentage points) whether the local community was in favour of Mr Trzaskowski or of Mr Nawrocki. 

Worth also mentioning provincial Poland follows a different clock than large cities. On June evenings streets of Warsaw are full of people. The market square (note the excess concreted over area) in Krościenko nad Dunajcem at 8:34 p.m. was empty.

The foray was the first long-distance trip for my Skoda Octavia since November 2024. I strived to drive as economically as possible, however conditions (rain on my way to Pieniny, aircon on my way back, hilly landscapes along the way, traffic jams near Kraków) were not conducive. I made it there and back without filling up and the “low fuel” gauge went on after 967 kilometres. The car computer is accurate with respect to actual appetite for petrol. I am quite satisfied with it. In flat terrain, drier and cooler weather and lower speed (I drove 105 kmph on expressway) the engine consumption could drop even below 4 litres per 100 kilometres.