Sudeten Cycle Route

You will travel by bus through the Lower Silesian countryside (approx. 3 hours) to the Czech border and the ski resort of Zieleniec/Grunwald. The bus journey offers beautiful views of the passing landscape with its characteristic table mountains. Grunwald, situated at an altitude of 860 meters, was once the highest village in Prussia. There, you will first visit the extensive raised bog, located on the watershed between the Baltic and North Seas. We will then cycle downhill through forests to Duszniki/Bad Reinerz, one of the oldest and most famous spa towns in the Sudetes Mountains. Following the Weistritz stream, we will then cycle down through quiet avenues and on small side roads into the Glatzer Neisse Valley to Klodzko/Glatz. This town is the economic and cultural center of the region. It is known for its charming location, numerous sights and monuments, most notably the 18th-century fortress and the Gothic bridge, the so-called little sister of Prague's Charles Bridge.

Overnight stay in Glatz

Continue your journey through idyllic villages and descend along the Glatzer Neisse Gorge to Bardo/Wartha, a popular pilgrimage site and one of the most important Marian shrines in Silesia. Winding cycle paths lead you through narrow avenues of fruit trees until you catch sight of the magnificent Kamieniec Zabkowicki/Kamenz Castle, an eccentric design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel. Follow the Glatzer Neisse River to the historic town of Paczkow/Patschkau. Visit the old town of Patschkau, the so-called "Silesian Rothenburg," which owes its nickname to its almost completely preserved 14th-century city walls. Then bid farewell to Polish Silesia and cross the Polish-Czech border to visit Jansky Vrch Castle in Javornik/Jauernig. The castle, dating from the 13th century, was converted into a palace during the Baroque period and established itself as a center of Silesian musical life.

Overnight stay: Jauernig

Today you continue cycling along the border through the villages of Bohemia. Near Vidnava/Weidenau, you cross the "Green Border" again and arrive at our hotel in Glucholazy/Ziegenhals, in the heart of the Altvater Mountains Landscape Park. The market square here is particularly beautiful, with its Renaissance and Baroque houses, in the center of which stands a linden tree planted in 1648, commemorating the end of the Thirty Years' War.

Overnight accommodation: Ziegenhals (Głuchołazy)

Along the way, you'll frequently see stone crosses and wayside shrines, which once marked pilgrimage routes and are still closely associated with the Sudetenland landscape. Today's hike takes you along small paths via Prudnik (Neustadt) to the Czech village of Osoblaha (Hotzenplotz). Who doesn't know Hotzenplotz the Robber? Countless children love the stories by author Otfried Preußler, who named his robber character after this small Czech village. Here, you'll visit a well-preserved Jewish cemetery. Then, a completely different kind of attraction awaits: You'll travel part of the way on a narrow-gauge railway that still operates regularly. Afterward, the journey continues along the Oppa River valley to your hotel in Krnov (Jägerndorf). The charming old town is dominated by colorful, recently renovated Art Nouveau buildings.

Overnight location: Jägerdorf

From Krnov, you'll first cycle south to a hilltop with a Baroque pilgrimage church and a Neo-Gothic observation tower, then descend through the Moravian region back into the Oppa River valley. The river forms the border here, and you'll cycle sometimes on the Polish side, sometimes on the Czech side. The highlight of the day's ride is a visit to the town of Opava (Troppau), the historical capital of Czech Silesia. In the afternoon (or the following morning), you'll cycle along the Moravice (Mohra) River valley to Hradec (Grätz). Two impressive castles and a beautiful park there are well worth a visit.

Overnight stay in Troppau (Opava)

They slowly bid farewell to the Sudetes Mountains and cycle north through the Hultschin region to Kraware/Krawarn Castle, dating back to the 17th century. This was the longtime seat of the noble von Eichendorff family. Just across the border, they dismount in the pretty town of Krzanowice/Kranowitz and begin their return journey to Wrocław.

Overnight stay: Kranowitz

Departure from Wrocław or individual extension of the stay.