Gediminas Hill Observation Tower in Szczawno-Zdrój

Spa guests in Szczawno-Zdrój were already climbing Gediminas Hill for the view in 1823, when the resort doctor August Zemplin had a wooden pavilion built on the summit. The old tower collapsed at the end of the 20th century, and in 2022 a new one rose in its place: an open steel structure 30.04 m high, where instead of stairs a 300-metre spiral ramp leads to the top. That means you can reach the upper platform with a pushchair or a wheelchair.

History of the hill

Park Hill (532 m), known as Gediminas Hill, rises between Szczawno-Zdrój and Wałbrzych within the Spa Park. It was once called Weavers' Hill and Hospital Hill, as it belonged to the Knights Hospitaller's hospital in Świebodzice. The wooden pavilion of 1823 was joined in 1838 by a building with a camera obscura and in 1841 by an arcaded belvedere. The complex housed a restaurant, a museum and a viewing tower, and the slopes had a ski jump and a shooting range. The new tower was funded by the government's Local Investment Fund and built by a firm from Myślenice that had also built the towers on Trójgarb and Borowa.

Structure and views

The tower has three levels linked by a gentle ramp spiralling around its perimeter. The platforms are decked with European larch. The intermediate terrace at 16.43 m sits at treetop level and is good for watching wildlife, while the upper platform at 26.85 m opens a panorama of the Sudetes. You can see the Wałbrzych Mountains with Chełmiec, the Stone and Owl Mountains and the city of Wałbrzych, and in clear weather also the Giant Mountains (Karkonosze), Mount Ślęża and the Sky Tower skyscraper in Wrocław. Metal panorama boards help you identify peaks and towns. The structure weighs about 100 tonnes, and no more than 80 people may be on it at once.

Tripto tip

The easiest start is the free car park at Słoneczna Polana (ul. Narciarska) in Szczawno-Zdrój: about 1 km along a forest track with a gentle climb. The blue, green and black trails also lead up the hill, the black one from Wałbrzych. Entry is free. Allow 1–1.5 hours for the walk from the car park, the ramp and the views. To see the Giant Mountains and the Sky Tower, come on a cool, clear day, for example in autumn or after a weather front has passed. There are benches by the tower, and on the hillside nearby you will find ponds and a heritage trail with boards about the old belvedere and ski jump.