In May 2023, I am in Silesia, where we spend one week in the castle Staniszów to explore the area around Jelenia Góra.

Now we spend a day on the Szrenica above Szklarska Poręba.

 

Szklarska Poręba is surrounded by mountains

Szklarska Poręba is a resort surrounded by mountains, the main landmarks being the Szrenica (right) and the Śnieżne Kotły (left). 

The Śnieżne Kotły (“Schneegruben” or “Snow Pits”) still carry a bit of snow in the western snow pit. The pits are in geological terms “cirques” (in German: “Kare”) left by a glacier.

Chair lifts and ski lifts take hikers and – in winter – skiers up to the Szrenica, as the straight lines in the forests indicate.  

Szrenica is called “Reifträger” in German. Both in German and in Polish, this mountain carries frost (“Reif” and “szron” mean “frost”).  

German painters have been inspired by the panorama around Szklarska Poręba (Schreiberhau). In summer 1920, they founded the Lukasgilde (guild of Saint Luke) and built the Lukasmühle as a place to meet and to exhibit their paintings. 

Georg Wichmann is one of the founders of the Lukasgilde.

 

Source: Hans Wichmann, “Georg Wichmann 1876-1944)”, Bergstadtverlag Wilhelm Gottlieb Korn 1996.

In winter 1922/23, my grandfather Hermann Radzyk was at Schreiberhau (Szklarska Poręba) and painted the Reifträger (Szrenica) with the church Kościół pw. Bożego Ciała (Corpus Christi).

Source: Polska.org – this painting has in the meantime disappeared from the website polska.org.

In addition, Hermann Radzyk painted the Schneegruben with the same church in the foreground.

Source: My own photo taken in the house of the grand-son of a friend of my grand-father.

 

Exploring the Szrenica with the gorgeous view

We take the chair lifts to the Szrenica – there are two sections, one after the other. 

A special experience. The small chairs  are hard to sit on and they move in “slow motion”. Slowly, but safely, we arrive on the top.

The view of Lower Silesia with Szklarska Poręba in the foreground is gorgeous.

We walk up to the top view point.

We look west, where a hiking path follows the border between Poland and the Czech Republic.

We look south east, where we can see granite rock formations. They are called Svinské kameny (“Pig stones”). They have a Czech name, as they stand already in the Czech Republic. Such granite rocks can be found all over in the Giant Mountains. In German these rocks are called “Wollsackverwitterung”, in English “spheroidal weathering”.

We look east to the Śnieżne Kotły. The former mountain hut (Schneegrubenbaude, it can  be seen from far) is now a radar station (Radiowo-Telewizyjny Ośrodek Nadawczy – RTON Śnieżnymi Kotłami). 

We look north towards the Isergebirge (Góry Izerskie), Szklarska Poręba and Lower Silesia.  

We have a snack at the Reifträgerbaude (Schronisko na Szrenicy)…

… and look at the fotos. They show that, indeed, the Reifträger or Szrenica does carry frost in winter. 

It must be cosy in the hut, when it is that frosty outside.

On a panorama walk,…

… we reach the shelter Hall Szrenicka located below the top.

We return to the chairlift station,…

… admiring some more of these rock stones (these are called Końskie Łby or horses). This is, where the ski run “Lolobrygida” starts – what a name for a ski run. 

We return to “our” castle Staniszów and enjoy another excellent dinner.

 

Sources:

• wikipedia entry for Wollsackverwitterung https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wollsackverwitterung
• wikipedia entry Śnieżne Kotły ( for https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Anie%C5%BCne_Kot%C5%82y
• Hans Wichmann, “Georg Wichmann 1876-1944)”, Bergstadtverlag Wilhelm Gottlieb Korn 1996.