Sudeten Highway (Road 389)

It was meant to run the length of the Sudetes, from Zittau to near Opava – about 300 km of mountain road. Only two sections were ever built, and the longer one is the Sudeten Highway (Autostrada Sudecka), today regional road 389 from Polskie Wrota Pass near Duszniki-Zdrój to Międzylesie. The only thing it shares with a motorway is the name: it is a narrow, winding route through the Orlické and Bystrzyckie Mountains, where views matter more than speed.

History: the Sudetenstraße and its secrets

The road was built between 1931 and 1938 as part of the German Sudetenstraße – a tourist road intended to bring life to mountain villages along the border with Czechoslovakia. Apart from this section, only the stretch from Świeradów-Zdrój to Szklarska Poręba, with its famous "Death Bend", was completed. Over time the road also acquired military significance: bunkers and other fortifications survive near Przełęcz nad Porębą, and the route was unofficially nicknamed "Göring's motorway".

After 1945 the road lost its importance: it lay in a border zone with strict travel restrictions and served mainly the villages in the Orlica valley. Repairs came only with EU funding – by 2006 the Polskie Wrota – Zieleniec – Rozdroże pod Hutniczą Kopą section had been renovated, and in 2013 one of the most damaged stretches, in Gniewoszów, was rebuilt.

The route

The whole route is about 42 km long and crosses two mountain ranges. Section by section:

• Polskie Wrota Pass (660 m) – the start, off national road 8 between Duszniki and Kudowa.
• The Orlica Road – the section climbing the slopes of Orlica to Zieleniec, where the road reaches 925 m above sea level. It is one of the highest paved roads in Poland.
• The Dzika Orlica valley – the villages of Lasówka and Mostowice, meadows and old pastures along the Czech border.
• Spalona Pass (811 m) – crossing the ridge of the Bystrzyckie Mountains, then traversing the slopes of Jagodna.
• Przełęcz nad Porębą and Gniewoszów – from here the road drops steeply into the Upper Nysa valley and continues via Różanka to Międzylesie.

Where to stop

• The viewpoint at Sołtysia Kopa – views over Duszniki-Zdrój and the Table Mountains, and in good weather as far as Śnieżka.
• The lookout tower on Orlica – reached by the green trail near the highest point of the road.
• The "Jagodna" mountain hut at Spalona Pass and the lookout tower on Jagodna.
• Pod Gniewoszem – from here the yellow trail leads to the tower on Czerniec, and a longer hike continues to the Solna Jama cave and the ruins of the 14th-century Szczerba Castle.
• Różanka – the Baroque Church of the Assumption and 17th- and 18th-century houses.

Tripto tip

Driving the road takes about an hour, but with stops and short walks plan a full day, ideally a weekend. In winter many sections are not cleared of snow and the road can be impassable – the exception is the stretch from Polskie Wrota to Zieleniec, used by skiers. The surface is poor in places, so drive carefully and only stop where it is safe. Before setting off, check the road authority's notices about roadworks and closures.