Park Hill in Kudowa-Zdrój and the Love Gazebo

Above the Spa Park in Kudowa-Zdrój rises a wooded ridge whose southern paths were already used by spa guests in the 18th century. Park Hill (Góra Parkowa, German Schlossberg, 477 m) hides the wooden Love Gazebo, a viewpoint over the town and a small church built by descendants of the Bohemian Brethren. It is the closest uphill walk from the spa centre — short but steep.

A hill above the spa

Park Hill lies about 0.6 km north-east of central Kudowa, in the western part of the Table Mountains. Built of Upper Cretaceous sandstone, it forms a small ridge with steep southern slopes covered by spruce forest mixed with broadleaved trees. The southern slope is an extension of the Spa Park, laid out in 1787 by Baron von Stillfried, and shelters the resort from the north along Moniuszki Street. In the 1970s an 88-metre radio and TV mast was erected on the summit, which today makes the hill easy to recognise from afar.

The Love Gazebo and Chapel Hill

The wooden Love Gazebo stands on the southern slope at about 440 m and is the most popular goal of walks. The western part of the ridge is called Chapel Hill after the Church of Christ the Lord, built in 1798 in late Baroque style by members of the Bohemian Brethren community; after 1763 many Czech religious refugees arrived in the Kudowa area. Beside the church, in the old cemetery, stands the imposing Neoclassical tomb of Count F. W. von Götzen. The eastern, precipitous part of the ridge is known as Beata's Cliff.

What to look out for

• The Love Gazebo — a wooden viewing shelter, perfect for a rest after the climb.
• The Church of Christ the Lord with its wooden turret, hidden among the trees on Chapel Hill.
• Count von Götzen's tomb in the former churchyard.
• The panorama of Kudowa and its surroundings — a hiking trail crosses the summit with views over the town.

Tripto tips

The climb starts right by the Spa Park and is short but steep — sturdy shoes help. Allow about an hour for the walk to the gazebo and the church and back. The trail from Pasterka via the Błędne Skały rocks, Pstrążna and Czermna to Kudowa-Zdrój crosses Park Hill, so the walk is easy to extend into a full-day hike in the Table Mountains. Combine your visit with the Skull Chapel in Czermna and a rest in the Spa Park.