Must-see: Armchair of Great Grandfather

It is an early fresh morning in Kudowa-Zdroj, a small village in the Table Mountains. I get up at the crack
of dawn. The sunbeams look like golden threads piercing clouds and the air is filled with different
birdsongs. The whole area is surrounded by undulating lush green hills. No city noise, no horns blaring,
no crowds. I pack my rucksack and head for Karlow to unravel the secrets of one of the most awe-
inspiring natural wonders in Poland – Great Szczeliniec. If you are bored with the mundane travel
destination and are looking for something really out of the ordinary, put on your climbing shoes, don
your sun hat and join me on my tour.

To get to to Great Szczeliniec, I would highly recommend the route from Karlow leading over 665 stars
built in 1804 which is less wild and ideal for those less fit, walking with children and when weather
conditions are bad. The trail is fitted with handrails, and goes to the pass between the Little and Great
Szczeliniec first, and then leads to the summit and the viewing terraces. Your walk should take circa up
to 40 minutes.

Great Szczeliniec is the highest peak (919 m) in the Table Mountains National Park. These mountains
are considered to be one of the most beautiful places in the Sudetes thanks to the cracks and fissures
that formed in the Szczeliniec massifs during centuries of erosion of sedimentary rocks. You will gaze
wide-eyed over amazing rock formations, gorges, not to mention labyrinths here. Before reaching the
flat top, you will pass such attractions as the Bear, the Needle’s Ear, the Ringing Stone and the Lamb.
Finally, you achieve the highest point of Great Szczeliniec, the Grandfather Armchair, from which there
is breathtaking view of the Karkonosze and the Bystrzyckie Mountains. While descending from the top,
the most attractive is the path through a narrow gap to Hell (Piekło) which is the deepest chasm in the
massif.

Great Szczeliniec is home for very unique plant species which adopted to unfavorable conditions and
successfully trive rocky ridges, small rock ledges, damp chasms and dark crevices. The area abounds in
ferns as well as rare mosses including luminous moss containing cells that glow green. Surprisingly, you
can even spot pine forests on the rocks, however of significantly smaller heights than in lowlands.