Kamiennogórski: Mountains, Nature and Culture

The Kamiennogórska area is in southwestern Poland, in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in the Central Sudetes and on the border with the Karkonosze, the Rudawy Janowickie, the Kaczawskie Mountains and the Wałbrzyskie Mountains. Kamiennogórski County covers around 396 km². Rivers and streams wind through basins between mountain ranges, rocks, meadows and forests. For travel planning, this means that, alongside the mountain landscape, waterways, protected natural sites and historic buildings also shape the options. This diversity is reflected in the range of destinations.

Hiking and climbing between mountains and lakes

Zadzierna is 724 meters high and rises above the village of Bukówka. The mountain has numerous hiking trails and climbing routes. This makes hiking and climbing different activities to choose from at the same destination.

The Kolorowe Jeziorka are in Rudawski Landscape Park and comprise three lakes in former pyrite mines. Hiking trails from Wieściszowice and Raszów lead to them. There is also the “Zielonym szlakiem przez Kolorowe Jeziorka” educational trail, with four stations. Unlike Zadzierna, this destination combines a lake landscape formed by former mines with an educational trail; at Zadzierna, hiking and climbing routes take center stage.

Landscape and protected habitats

Rudawski Landscape Park encompasses the Rudawy Janowickie, including the Góry Sokole and Wzgórza Karpnickie, as well as the Góry Ołowiane in the Kaczawskie Mountains and the Góry Lisie in the Kamiennogórska Basin. Its conservation aims include mountain and river geocomplexes as well as natural ecosystems. This takes the view beyond individual hiking destinations to a landscape whose protection also encompasses geological and natural connections.

The Kruczy Kamień Nature Reserve is on the southwestern slopes of Krucza Skała (681 m). It protects rare Sudeten pioneer communities of neutral-loving plants on natural rock outcrops and landslides. The specific focus here is therefore on rare plant communities in a named nature reserve.

The Sztolnia Wapienna in Ciechanowice is a former mine in a calcite vein. Today, it serves as a refuge for bats that hibernate there and for rare fungi. Together with the lakes in former pyrite mines, it illustrates two different connections with past use: at the Kolorowe Jeziorka, the mines shape the lake landscape, while the Sztolnia Wapienna serves as a refuge for animals and fungi.

Architecture, history and regional cuisine

The wooden pavilion “Na wodzie,” also called “Opacki,” stands on stilts in the middle of a small pond in Betlejem near Krzeszów. It was built there between 1674 and 1680. The name “Na wodzie” means “on the water” and suits this distinctive construction; the dates also place the pavilion in its period of construction.

The visitor office at the minor basilica dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located at Plac Jana Pawła II 3. It handles reservations, accepts Mass intentions and sells admission tickets. At the “Stara Wozownia” restaurant in Krzeszów Abbey Square, individual visitors and organized groups can enjoy hot meals, including home-style dishes and cakes made using recipes passed down through generations. These visitor services and regional cuisine complement the landscape and architecture themes.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Czarnów, Chełmsko Śląskie, Lubawka, Kamienna Góra, Marciszów, Szarocin, Leszczyniec, Ciechanowice.

For the overview of the wider region: Lower Silesia.