Our fourth day of the hike began in Karpacz and the target was about 22 km further around Średnica Pass. Not a very demanding day from the physical point of view, but sometimes it’s just nice to take it slowly. The red track was only a few hundred meters away from our accommodation so we joined it without wasting the time for passing through the city.
Route: Karpacz to Średnica Pass
Distance: ~ 22 km
Don’t get me wrong, Karpacz is a nice town and very pleasant to walk around but we already did that the day before. Take your time to check out Wang Church, Wild Waterfall, Dam on Lomnica or the view from Karpatka. Sooner or later I will make a dedicated post about that popular town in Karkonosze Mountains so stay tuned!
Meanwhile, let’s come back to Main Sudetes Trail. The weather wasn’t good. Light rain accompanied us for the first two hours but the forecast was right and it improved around noon. We passed Płóczki – the oldest area of Karpacz and pushed towards Przełączka pod Grabowcem (~ 2.5 km).
From there it was downhill all the way to Radzicz (~ 3km) and at some point, we saw quite cool ruins of old preventorium on the left side. From Radzicz the track continued to Mysłakowice (~ 6km) on a flat and mostly asphalt surface.
What you may find interesting in Mysłakowice are the houses in Tyrolean style. In 1837, the Austrian emperor issued an order according to which infidels had to decide whether they would convert to Catholicism and stay in the country or they would remain with their faith and leave Austria. Over 400 Evangelicals decided to move to Jeleniogórska Valley, thanks to the Prussian king Frederick William III, who let them settle there. The largest group stayed in Mysłakowice building houses and making the city their home.
4-5 km further we reached Bukowiec which was the highlight of the day. We got out of the forest to the meadows and saw the picturesque ruins of the abbey on our right side. Then, surrounded by several ponds we passed through the village checking out the palace and the tea house pavilion in Athena Temple in the gardens.
Bukowiec was once owned Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden, who was a German pioneer in mining industry. He and his wife turned the town into a significant cultural centre of Prussia, with the status of a summer resort.
Mysterious Forest Museum is located in a former brewery building and presents in an interactive way flora and fauna of the region. We didn’t visit it but if you have more time, it looks like a nice stopover and has good reviews.
From Bukowiec, the track ascents gently through the forest for about 5 km to Średnica Pass. Here, we left the red track and walked to Wojków where our accommodation for tonight was.
To sum up, it was a very different stage compared to the previous ones. It leads mostly through the forest and typical Polish countryside, which provided an extra variety to the experience.
