Stolowe Mountains
The Stolowe Mountains in English known as the Table Mountains are a 42-kilometres-long mountain range in Poland and the Czech Republic, part of the Sudety Mountains. The Polish part of the range is protected by the Stolowe Mountains National Park that covers an area of 63,4 square kilometres of which 91% are forests. The highest peak of the range is Szczeliniec Wielki at 919 m above sea level that offers breathtaking views over Sudety and Karkonosze mountain ranges.
The principal attraction here is the wild landscape of rocky plateaux with sheer cliff drops, which have developed as a result of the specific tabular geological structure of these mountains. Nature has formed labyrinth-like passages among the rocks. The slopes and foothills of the plateau contain spruce and beech forests, while the high moors are covered with marsh plants growing in protected areas on the flat, table-like tops of the mountains.
The range is formed of sandstone and, as the only one in Poland, presents plated structure with sheer mountain ledges. Among the tourist attractions there are two massifs: Szczeliniec Wielki on which the labyrinth of rock formations could be found, and Skalniak on which the labyrinth Bledne Skaly (Errant Rocks) amazes thousands of visitors every year. In this area there are several notable rock formations, among them Hen, Camel, Monkey, Horse Head or Great Grandfather's Armchair.
Kudowa Zdroj
Klodzko Valley, surrounded by 7 mountain ranges including the Stolowe Mountains, is reach in mineral waters and many spa cities could be found here. One of them is Kudowa Zdroj that dates back to 1354. But it was not earlier than in 17th century when the first organised spa activities started here by launching of wooden bathing facilities. By the middle of the 19th century the resort was considered the leading cardiac centre in Germany (in that time) and further impetus of its development was the opening of the railway line from Klodzko, through Kudowa and onto Czechoslovakia in 1905. The luxurious treatment facilities, clubs and restaurants, coffee houses, villas and guest houses all added to the splendour of Kudowa Zdroj and attracted new visitors. Thankfully the war rolling across Europe spared the resort and all buildings survived intact. Eventually the town became part of the Polish State and its German population relocated to Germany. At this time Kudowa also received its civic rights. The resort reopened almost immediately after the end of the war but not until the 1960's were the facilities modernised along with its urban infrastructure. Kudowa Zdroj is also a tourist and a recreational resort. Increasingly health and recreational facilities are combined as in all modern spa resorts. Today treatments at Kudowa Zdroj include those for haematological, traumatic orthopaedic, cardiovascular, rheumatic and gastrointestinal diseases and obesity and also the rehabilitation treatments of children.
The main tourist attractions that can be found in Kudowa include the renovated Spa Park with mineral water pump and tap room that was opened in 2002 and the Scull Chapel in Czermna district of the town which is one of only three in Europe. The chapel’s walls and ceiling are lined with skulls and bones of people that have died during the Thirty Years War and from the plague in 18th century. This is an amazing place to visit, although could be a bit scary for some too sensitive travellers.
