Miedzygorze: Waterfall, Hiking Trails and Wooden Architecture

Waterfall, gorge and dam

The Wodospad Wilczki nature reserve covers 2.75 hectares. Together with the gorge of the Wilczka stream, it protects the highest waterfall in the Sudetes. The area lies within the Góry Bialskie i Grupa Śnieżnika Natura 2000 site (PLH020016) and the Śnieżnicki Park Krajobrazowy landscape park; Międzygórze is also within this landscape park. The waterfall and gorge are therefore at the heart of a protected landscape that helps define the natural character of the village.

Downstream from the waterfall and gorge, a flood-control reservoir lies along the Wilczka. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century. The stone dam is more than 29 metres high and 108 metres long. A metal footbridge runs across it at a height of 30 metres, offering views of the mountains. A green hiking trail also leads from the dam towards Igliczna. The waterfall, the structure and the trail offer different ways to experience the Wilczka landscape.

Hikes for different timeframes

One of the shorter listed routes follows the red hiking trail for three kilometres from Międzygórze towards Igliczna. The walking time is about one hour and may vary depending on conditions. The trail runs above Wodospad Wilczki and passes the Baszta rock on its way to a mountain hut below Igliczna. A longer section of the Way of St. James, by contrast, leads via Igliczna, Marianówka and Pławnica to Bystrzyca Kłodzka: the approximately 20-kilometre section is estimated to take around 4.5 to 5 hours.

The hike to Śnieżnik can also be planned by time: the route, marked blue and then green, leads from Międzygórze via Smrekowiec and Mariańskie Skały to the summit. The one-way journey is estimated to take about three hours and 30 minutes. The route options therefore include a hike of about one hour, a longer section of the Way of St. James and a hike of several hours to Śnieżnik. The Way of St. James, marked in 2013, connects Międzygórze with Krzeszów, the starting point of the Sudetic Way of St. James.

Village character, wooden architecture and culture

Międzygórze’s village character combines features of a 19th-century spa resort with regional Sudetic architecture. The wooden spa and guesthouse buildings around Sanatoryjna were built from the mid-19th century onwards in the Swiss and Tyrolean styles, and feature pronounced Scandinavian elements. One particularly striking building is the “Gigant”: it is one of the largest wooden buildings of its kind in Europe and is distinguished by elaborately designed façades and spacious interiors.

The Church of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also preserves significant furnishings. These include a Baroque altar and pulpit, sculptures by Michał Ignacy Klahr the Younger, and Late Baroque polychrome decorations. The church and the wooden buildings offer different ways to explore the village’s history: one through its sacred furnishings, the other through the architectural styles of the spa resort.

Ogród Bajek between Toczek and Igliczna

Ogród Bajek is located at an elevation of 780 metres between the mountains Toczek and Igliczna, on the yellow hiking trail from Międzygórze to Maria Śnieżna. At 0.23 hectares, it is a small, clearly defined spot within the hiking area. Visitors can view fairy-tale figures and linger among trees, shrubs and flowers. The garden was created after the First World War by forester Izydor Kriesten, who made the figures from tree roots, cones and bark. These handmade figures offer a different focus from the waterfall, summit hikes and historic buildings: they make the garden a place where fairy-tale motifs and nature come together.

More destinations: Kąty Bystrzyckie, Konradów, Goworów, Altheide-Bad, Gorzanów, Bystrzyca Kłodzka, Jodlow, Bielice.

For the overview of the wider region: Kłodzki.