All Saints' Hill, Nowa Ruda

The round red-sandstone tower on All Saints' Hill carries a relief of a Prussian field marshal above its door, a reminder of the Moltke family, who helped pay for it in 1913. From its gallery, about 15 metres up, you can even see Śnieżka in good weather.

History

The 648-metre summit lies in the Włodzica Hills, south-east of central Nowa Ruda, above the district of Słupiec. Walkers came here as early as the 19th century – in 1889 a wooden mini-tower 2.8 metres high stood on the top. The foundation stone of the present tower was laid on 12 June 1913, and it was finished the same year. It was built by the Słupiec section of the Kłodzko Mountain Society and named after field marshal Helmuth Karl von Moltke, whose family from Krzyżowa (Kreisau) supported the project financially.

In the 1980s the tower began to decay – its small balcony and stairs collapsed. It was later partly restored and is open to visitors again; the balcony has not been rebuilt.

What to look for

• The tower, round in plan and narrowing slightly towards the top, with a gallery and a round lantern under a conical roof.
• The Moltke relief on a stone panel above the entrance.
• The ruins of the Lucasbaude hostel – a few fragments of wall from a small building that stood here before 1945.
• The panorama from the gallery: the Śnieżnik massif, the Table, Stone, Owl and Bardo Mountains, the Broumov Walls on the Czech side and, in clear weather, Śnieżka in the Giant Mountains.

Tripto tip

The access road leaves Radkowska Street in Słupiec, on the road to Ścinawka Średnia. The summit is open meadow, so bring a hat on sunny days. The Main Sudetes Trail crosses the hill, and a town trail links it with the tower on St Anne's Hill. Allow about an hour for the climb and the view.