Chełmiec, Wałbrzych Mountains

Chełmiec made it onto the Crown of Polish Mountains list thanks to a mistake: the survey point was once placed on top of the observation tower, so the mountain "grew" to 869 m. Modern surveys give 850 m above sea level, and the title of highest peak in the Wałbrzych Mountains went to nearby Borowa. Even so, this dome-shaped mountain above Wałbrzych and Szczawno-Zdrój is the area's most distinctive landmark, with a 19th-century tower built to look like a ruin and a 45-metre cross.

A mountain born of a volcano

The whole Chełmiec massif lies within the boundaries of the spa town of Szczawno-Zdrój and is its highest point. It owes its separate shape to volcanic activity: it is a laccolith, magma that solidified below the surface. The massif also includes Chełmiec Mały (776 m) and Mniszek (711 m). The dome is so distinctive that it can be recognised from Wrocław, 70 km away. Its slopes are covered with montane forest including valuable beech and sycamore woods, protected as a Natura 2000 site.

The 1888 observation tower

In 1887–1888, on the initiative of the Wałbrzych Mountain Society and funded by the Hochberg family, owners of nearby Książ Castle, a stone tower about 22 m tall was built on the summit. Designed to look like a ruin, it included an inn and a mountain hostel. It opened on 5 August 1888. After the Second World War it fell into disrepair; today it is managed by the European Amateur Radio Centre, which is gradually restoring it. The tower opens from spring to autumn in good weather, mostly at weekends.

Did you know?

• After the Second World War, the building on the summit housed transmitters used to jam Radio Free Europe, with aerials on wooden masts around a fenced compound. You can still find remains of the concrete posts and anchor blocks.
• In 1973 a broadcasting station with a 69-metre mast was built here; a new mast followed in 2012.
• The 45-metre Millennium Cross was consecrated on 23 September 2000. It is floodlit at night, and since 2001 the Miners' Way of the Cross has led up to it from Boguszów.
• In 2004, the European Mountain Bike Championships in downhill were held on the slopes of Chełmiec.

Trails

Marked trails lead to the summit from Szczawno-Zdrój, Wałbrzych and Boguszów-Gorce, and the long-distance European trail E3 crosses Chełmiec. Szczawno-Zdrój recommends the black trail, which starts at the Mineral Water Pump Room. Since 2024 Chełmiec has also been part of the Crown of Lower Silesian Mountains.

Tripto tip

Access is free, and shelters and fire pits are available all year. For a return hike from Szczawno-Zdrój allow 2.5–3 hours. Even when the tower is closed the walk is worthwhile for the forest and the cross, but you only get the panorama of the Sudetes from the tower terrace, as the summit is wooded. Combine the hike with a stroll through the spa park in Szczawno and a sip of mineral water in the pump room.