Sobieszów Palace

When fire destroyed Chojnik Castle in 1675, the Schaffgotsch family needed a new seat – and found it at the foot of the same hill. Work on the palace in Sobieszów began in 1705; according to the European Route of Castles and Palaces, it was placed so that the ruins of the old castle could be seen from its windows. Today the restored complex houses the headquarters of Karkonosze National Park and its Nature and Education Centre.

History: from Chojnik to the national park

Sobieszów (German: Hermsdorf unterm Kynast) belonged to the Schaffgotsch family from the 14th century until 1945. The palace was their main residence until they moved to their seat in Cieplice, after which it served as a summer residence. After the Second World War the building housed a school. Sobieszów itself was a separate town from 1962 to 1976, before it became part of Jelenia Góra on 2 July 1976. A thorough renovation completed in 2023 prepared the complex for its new role as the national park's headquarters.

What to see

The three-storey palace, rectangular in plan, stands at the top of a slope at ul. Cieplicka 196A. Below it lies the former estate farm around a large courtyard, with an annex, farm buildings, a granary and cowsheds. Most visitors come for the two permanent exhibitions:

• "Climatic Karkonosze" in the former Great Stable – about 1,600 m² in six large rooms covering the geological history of the Karkonosze (Giant Mountains) and the rocks and minerals they are made of. Touching the exhibits is allowed.
• "Sobieszów Palace" on the palace ground floor – about 550 m² in eight rooms: the history and genealogy of the Schaffgotsch family, copies of documents in the steward's office, a room on the hard work of past lumberjacks and a fotoplastikon, a historic stereoscopic viewer showing old prints. The last room is about the national park, which now manages the family's former lands and is in a sense its heir.

Tripto tip

There is free parking on site, including for coaches. MZK Jelenia Góra buses 7, 9 and 15 stop at the gate, and Jelenia Góra Sobieszów railway station is about 800 m away. Check current opening hours and ticket prices on kpn.gov.pl. The exhibitions make a good rainy-day plan; in fine weather, combine them with the climb to Chojnik, reached from Sobieszów by the red and black trails. Allow at least an hour and a half for both exhibitions.