Travel Guide Szklarska Poreba

A large tourist resort in the Giant Mountains, the most famous cross-country skiing center in Lower Silesia, at the foot of Mount Szrenica, Szklarska Poręba is a pleasant, young town with many tourist facilities. Competing with Karpacz, from which it is 20 km to the west, it is more attractive. However, it is possible to reach the two towns via the Karkonosze National Park by superb hiking trails. There are many cirques (glacier basins) and it is possible to cross the border into the Czech Republic at a few points, where the scenery is just as attractive. It is necessary to have a good and detailed map of the region, because the national park covers an area of 56 km² (to which must be added the Czech parts), and the cirques sometimes impose long detours. The map shows the location of the refuges, which are spread over the entire site. Finally, it is advisable, even in summer, to bring warm clothes, because the climate can be harsh, and especially rainy. For the most courageous, there is still the possibility of walking to Jelenia Góra. The scenery is well worth the effort. In 1281 the Duke of Lwówek gave the surrounding lands to the Order of St. John (the Knights of the Order of Malta!) and they bought the lands covering the area of today's Szklarska Poreba, because of the gold and gemstone mines that are extracted there.