Spa Park in Kudowa-Zdrój

Just beyond the pond at the western end of the Spa Park in Kudowa-Zdrój runs the border with the Czech Republic – that is how close to the border the green heart of this Sudeten spa town lies. The historic park, covering 12.97 hectares, was founded in 1787 on the initiative of Baron von Stillfried, where mineral springs rise at the foot of Góra Parkowa (Park Hill). It is still the town's main drawing room, with a pump room, a promenade, a concert shell and a pond.

History: from springs to festivals

The park was enlarged in the early 19th century, and its heyday is considered to be the 1920s. That is the look the restoration completed in November 2011 set out to recreate: the paths were restored, the old trees pruned and tidied, new trees and shrubs planted, large flower beds laid out and lighting added. A music garden was also created, with plants climbing frames shaped like a piano, a harp, a double bass and a conductor's stand. The restoration received a commendation in the "Poland Is Getting More Beautiful" competition, and the park now hosts major events including the International Moniuszko Festival.

What to see

• The pump room from the early 20th century, decorated inside with paintings by the Hungarian artist Árpád Molnár showing the old spa and Lower Silesia of that era.
• The cast-iron promenade hall attached to it, known as the "Teatr pod Blachą" (Tin Roof Theatre), where spa concerts are often held.
• "Zameczek" (Little Castle) – a guest house for spa patients from 1772, now a sanatorium – and the former spa house "Polonia" of 1905, home to the Spa Theatre.
• Protected trees: a copper beech over 200 years old, a Sudeten spruce and the park's oldest tree, a common ash about 300 years old.
• The concert shell, an illuminated fountain and the pond that closes the park to the west.

Did you know?

The trees include native species as well as specimens from North America and the Middle East that do not grow naturally in Poland. In summer, potted palms line the main avenue to the pond, and every spring carpets of flowers are planted – they look best in photos taken from above.

Tripto tip

The park lies between ul. Moniuszki, ul. Zdrojowa and al. Jana Pawła II; admission is free. Half an hour is enough for the promenade from the pump room to the pond; a loop around the pond with a stop at the pump room takes about an hour. It is at its best from late spring to autumn when the beds are in bloom, and in the evening the fountain, the concert shell and the old beech are lit up. Afterwards you can walk up the wooded Góra Parkowa next to the park.