Glatz (Kłodzko): Fortress, Old Town and Underground Passages
Accommodation in Glatz
Glatz (Kłodzko) can be explored through several layers of history: the fortress tells the story of the complex, paths beneath the town lead into the past, and museums and churches preserve further traces. These themes offer different focal points for planning a trip: a visitor route at the fortress, an underground tour, and cultural sites such as the museum or parish church. If you are planning a visit with children, you can also choose between miniature worlds and a walk full of puzzles.
The fortress and underground history
The upper visitor route at Twierdza Kłodzko presents the history of the complex from the 10th to the 20th century. The underground defensive system comprises around seven kilometres of passageways beneath the entire Stok bojowy. The complex’s history thus spans the period from the 10th to the 20th century; at the same time, its underground defensive system comprises around seven kilometres of passageways beneath the entire Stok bojowy.
In summer, events recreating episodes from the Napoleonic campaign are staged on the Stok bojowy. If you plan to attend a reenactment, check the event dates in advance.
The “1000 Years of Poland Underground Tourist Route” was created in the 1960s in Kłodzko’s underground labyrinth. It runs for about 600 metres from ul. Czeska at the foot of the fortress to ul. Zawiszy Czarnego. On the underground tour, city music, tavern visitors and fairground sounds evoke the atmosphere of Kłodzko in the past.
Museum and historic architecture
The Muzeum Ziemi Kłodzkiej is housed in a Baroque building that was once a Jesuit college. Its most significant collections include pewter, numismatics, Silesian clocks from the industrialisation period in Lower Silesia, and distinctive glassware. These include works by artists who were active in the Ziemia Kłodzka region after 1945. The collections thus range from metalwork and coins to the history of clocks and glassworks with a specific regional and historical connection.
Visitors can also see underground rooms dating from the Middle Ages. They lie more than six metres below ground and present the everyday life of Kłodzko’s former inhabitants. In this way, collection objects and depictions of life in the past offer different approaches to history.
The Parish Church of the Assumption of Mary is the oldest surviving church in Kłodzko. Late Gothic and, especially, Baroque styles shape its architecture and interior. The Baroque Marian Column in Glatz is a votive offering commemorating the city’s deliverance from plague and fire, and recalls two tragic events that struck Glatz.
The Gothic bridge is dated to sometime between 1281 and 1390, though its exact date is uncertain. It replaced an earlier wooden bridge and is adorned with six votive statues. The Rynek, or market square, is an integral part of the historic Old Town. A 17th-century palace belonging to the Wallis family, originally from Ireland and Wales, also survives on ul. Czeska.
Discoveries for young visitors
Minieuroland Miniature Park is a leisure and entertainment destination for the whole family. It features miniature landmarks and famous buildings from Poland, Europe and around the world. The sights on display range from Polish landmarks to buildings from a much wider geographical area.
The “Szlakiem kłodzkich zabytków: dla dzieci” route invites young visitors to explore Kłodzko on a walk filled with puzzles, secrets and surprises. It offers a different focus from the miniatures: rather than viewing buildings in miniature, visitors explore the town on a puzzle trail. Together with the underground tours, the fortress and the museum exhibits, it offers a range of ways to explore history without making any one theme the sole focus of a visit.
Discover more destinations: Stronie Slaskie, Bad Reinerz, Jugów, Szczytna, Idzików, Międzylesie, Raszków, Ołdrzychowice Kłodzkie.
Go to the wider travel overview: Kłodzki.
