Opawskie Mountains Landscape Park

Opawskie Mountains Landscape Park (Park Krajobrazowy Góry Opawskie, roughly "PAHRK krah-yo-brah-ZOH-vee GOO-ry oh-PAHV-skee-eh") is the Polish part of the Eastern Sudetes between the towns of Prudnik and Głuchołazy, right on the Czech border in Opole Voivodeship. Spruce and beech forests, mountain streams and Biskupia Kopa with its stone lookout tower make it one of the best things to do for a quiet hiking day in southwestern Poland. It is far less crowded than the Karkonosze.

Where it is and how to get there

The park lies at the southern edge of Opole Voivodeship. The nearest larger cities are Opole and Wrocław, and the closest airports are in Wrocław and Katowice; allow roughly two hours by car depending on the route. The park's information office is in Pokrzywna near Jarnołtówek. Prudnik and Głuchołazy have bus connections, so check timetables, but a car is the easiest option. Parking is available at the main trailheads.

What makes it special

The park was established on May 26, 1988 and covers about 49 square kilometers (19 square miles), with a 50.33 km² buffer zone. Around 80 percent of it is forest, mostly spruce and beech, with over 500 vascular plant species and 163 protected animal species recorded. The area includes a Natura 2000 site of about 5,520 hectares. Gold was mined here in the 12th and 13th centuries, and old mine adits survive.

What to see and do

• Biskupia Kopa (890 m / 2,920 ft) – the highest point of Opole Voivodeship, on the Polish-Czech border. The very top lies on the Czech side.
• Stone lookout tower – about 18 m tall, built in 1898 to mark the 50th anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph I's reign. It fell into disrepair after World War II and reopened to visitors in 1996.
• PTTK hut "Pod Kopą Biskupią" – opened in 1924, following an earlier hut called Rudolfsheim that stood from 1893 until its demolition in 1954.
• Cicha Dolina – a nature reserve with an educational trail from Pokrzywna to the hut.
• Złoty Potok dam and the palace park in Jarnołtówek – attractions named in the park description.
• Sanctuary in Prudnik-Las – an 18th-century site, partly in ruins.

Trails to Biskupia Kopa

Four marked trails reach the summit: red from Głuchołazy and Prudnik, yellow from Jarnołtówek, and green and blue from Zlaté Hory in Czechia. Part of the Main Sudeten Trail runs through the park, and a red cycling route crosses the mountain. A road from Prudnik to the summit was completed in 2017. A tourist border crossing between Jarnołtówek and Zlaté Hory operated until December 2007, when the Schengen rules closed it; today you can cross freely on foot.

How to explore

Plan 2 to 3 hours each way for the summit from Jarnołtówek or Pokrzywna, or half a day for a loop through Czechia. Is it worth visiting? Yes, if you like forested ridges, a tower with panoramic views and quiet trails. Trail signs are mostly in Polish, and English is rare, so use an offline map. We found no confirmed opening hours for the tower, so check with the operator.

Practical information (as of October 2026)

The park is open year-round, with no gates. It is managed by the Opole Landscape Parks Complex; the Opawskie Mountains office is at Pokrzywna 11, 48-267 Jarnołtówek, tel. +48 77 439 74 56, go@zopk.pl. Prices in Polish zloty (PLN) and hours for the tower and hut should be confirmed with their operators. Bring ID or a passport if you plan to cross into Czechia.

Nearby

Nearby are Biskupia Kopa and the Upper Gate Tower in Głuchołazy.