Kowary: Mining History, Museums and Cycling Routes

Kowary offers several reasons to explore the town: underground visitor routes lead through historic mining areas, museums focus on the past, and walking and cycling routes have their own appeal. The places and routes below provide practical guidance, without requiring you to focus on just one theme for your trip.

Experience mining history underground

The underground visitor route at Sztolnie Kowary – Liczyrzepa Uranium Mine leads through authentic tunnels that formed part of the historic Liczyrzepa uranium mining complex. Another underground visitor route, Kopalnia Podgórze, runs through the excavated chambers of the former mine of the same name. It is about 1,600 metres long. Both routes offer access to Kowary’s mining history, but describe different historical sites. If you would particularly like to focus your trip on this subject, you can use these place names as specific points of reference for your planning.

The red-marked Szlak Tradycji Górniczych (Mining Traditions Trail) also explores the region’s mining heritage. It is just over seven kilometres long, and the walk takes no more than two and a half hours each way. This duration applies to one direction. Together with the underground visitor routes, it gives you a clear choice between a route through a historic mining area and a marked outdoor trail. When planning, you can therefore consider whether you would rather include an underground visit or a longer walk in your itinerary.

Museum experiences and architectural models

At the Museum Sentymentów, the exhibition is housed in a former carpet factory building. It features artefacts from past decades. Visitors can also enjoy interactive retro experiences, including a landline telephone with a rotary dial and vintage Atari or Commodore computers. The museum visit thus combines historical objects with things visitors can try out for themselves.

The Park Miniatur Zabytków Dolnego Śląska (Lower Silesian Monuments Miniature Park) offers a different perspective on the region. It features scale models of Lower Silesian castles, monasteries, churches and historic town centres at a scale of 1:25. The miniatures focus on buildings and townscapes, while Museum Sentymentów centres on everyday artefacts from past decades and interactive retro experiences. If you are comparing cultural activities for your trip, these offer different points of focus: architectural models on the one hand, and memorabilia and technology on the other.

Getting around on foot or by bicycle

For a walk within Kowary, Leśny Park Miejski (Municipal Forest Park) offers paths among trees and shrubs, including both common and rarer species. The park therefore offers a different focus from the Mining Traditions Trail: here, it is about walking paths and plant diversity, while the trail follows a marked route connected with mining. Which suits your day better depends on whether you would prefer a park stroll or a longer hike.

There are also two different options to consider for cycling. The Liczyrzepa Euroregional Cycling Route ER-2 passes through Kowary. Obwodnica Kowarska, by contrast, is a circular route of about 33 kilometres around Kowary. The difference is between a route that passes through the town and a loop that takes Kowary as its reference point. Check the route details when planning your specific ride.

Kowary as a destination when looking for accommodation

If you are looking for a hotel in Kowary, you can base your decision on the themes you would like to explore during your trip: mining history, museum visits, architectural models, walking paths or cycling routes. The destinations mentioned here differ in their focus and in the type of experience they offer. First choose the activities that matter most for your trip, and factor them into your choice of where to stay. This way, Kowary is more than just a name in a hotel search: it is a destination with specific historical, cultural and active attractions.

Other places

Szklarska Poręba, Milków, Marczyce, Mysłakowice, Przesieka, Janowice Wielkie, Wojanów, Borowice

For the regional travel overview: Jeleniogórski.