Wild Waterfall (Dziki Wodospad), Karpacz

Dziki Wodospad – the "Wild Waterfall" – looks like a work of nature, but it is in fact a stone debris dam on the Łomnica river, built between 1910 and 1915. Water pours over its crest in a broad curtain, and the name refers to the violent temper of the river the dam was meant to tame. The cascade sits right next to the lower station of the chairlift up to Kopa, which makes it a good first stop on the way towards Śnieżka.

History: a river that wrecked its valleys

The Łomnica rises at about 1407 m above sea level, near the Równia pod Śnieżką plateau. It drops 927 metres over roughly 19 km and flows along the floor of a deep, steep-sided valley. After heavy rain and during the thaw it would swell fast, carrying stones and trees. In 1816, after a cloudburst, the damage across the Jelenia Góra Valley came to 109,496 thalers, according to the town council.

Twenty-eight years later, in 1844, a huge avalanche crashed into Wielki Staw lake, smashing the ice and forcing the water out. The resulting wave carried ice floes, uprooted trees and boulders and destroyed a mill in Karpacz. The flood of 1897 was particularly tragic, and afterwards the authorities decided to tame the stream. One of the structures built was this dam above Karpacz, later named the Wild Waterfall. The early 20th-century defences proved their worth during the great flood of 1997.

What to see

• The cascade over the dam crest – most impressive after rain and in spring, when water flows across the full width of the weir.
• The stone blocks of the dam, built to hold back debris – boulders, gravel and logs carried down by the swollen river.
• The Łomnica valley with its wild, rocky bed above and below the weir.

Don't confuse this spot with the Łomnica Dam, which is a separate structure. You can tell the Wild Waterfall by its position right next to the lower station of the Kopa chairlift.

Tripto tip

The waterfall is free to visit all year round, and 15–30 minutes is enough. The stones by the water are slippery and the current can be strong after rain – keep an eye on children and don't walk onto the dam crest. The ground right by the cascade is rocky and awkward for pushchairs. Afterwards you can take the chairlift up to Kopa and continue towards Śnieżka.