Viewpoints

The Death Bend in Szklarska Poręba

On the Sudeten Road leading from Szklarska Poręba to Świeradów-Zdrój, the highway at an altitude of 775 m describes a bend of almost 180 degrees. The name Death Bend comes from the numerous car accidents, but today it is above all one of the most photographed viewpoints of the Karkonosze — a sharp, rocky terrace over the Jelenia Góra valley.

History of the bend

The descent was laid out on the slope of Czarna Góra in 1935–1937, during the construction of voivodeship road no. 358, known as the Sudeten Road. Together with the highway, mining galleries were built, intended for a possible demolition of the road with explosives — a trace of the military route planning of the Third Reich era.

The viewpoint and the pyrite adit

From around the bend stretches a panorama of the Karkonosze and the Jelenia Góra valley. The rock basement here is a contact zone of the Karkonosze granitoid massif with mainly carbonate rocks; the main rock is black, “burnt” hornfels with cordierite and biotite. By the trail to the Zbójeckie Skały rocks remains an adit of an old pyrite mine, where beside pyrite and chalcopyrite occurs pyrrhotite — a memento of the old mining that preceded tourism here by centuries.

In practice

You will reach the bend from the centre of Szklarska Poręba via Buczka, Dworcowa and Armii Krajowej streets towards Świeradów-Zdrój. The spot is accessible around the clock and all year round; it is best to look for a parking bay in the lay-bys by the road. The black circular trail around Szklarska Poręba and the yellow trail from Szklarska Poręba Dolna via the Zbójeckie Skały to Wysoki Kamień run through the area — combining a walk with a drive is the safest way to visit. Drivers: the bend is sharp and preceded by only a short straight.