Fairy Tale Garden in Międzygórze

The Fairy Tale Garden in Międzygórze is a small open-air museum with wooden sculptures of characters from fairy tales and legends, laid out at a height of about 700-710 m above sea level in the Śnieżnik Massif. It covers a quarter of a hectare and has been one of the symbols of Międzygórze for decades.

How the collection was created

The garden was created by Izydor Kriesten, a forester and botanist, who began making the sculptures shortly after the First World War as a tribute to the figure of the Spirit of the Mountains, known in the Sudetes as Liczyrzepa. He worked in the root sculpture technique, using the natural shapes of tree roots and trunks, and built the collection over about twenty years.

The garden's fortunes after the war

After 1960 the collection fell into decline and deteriorated for years. Care of it was taken over by ZHP Scouts, who looked after the garden from 1974 to 1981. In 1985 the site was taken over by the PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society), which carried out a thorough rebuilding of the exhibition.

PTTK member Jerzy Drążkowski and sculptor Czesław Zawojski, author of the wooden plaques with aphorisms placed among the sculptures, also contributed to expanding the collection. The sculptures were restored and repainted in 2008.

What you'll see in the garden

Among the wooden figures you can recognise Pinocchio, Hansel and Gretel, Puss in Boots and Koziołek Matołek. The central figure of the whole composition is the Spirit of the Mountains, known in the legends of the Sudetes as Liczyrzepa, regarded as the patron of the whole region.

Nearby and trails

Since spring 2009 a marked Gnome Trail has led from the bus stop in Międzygórze to the garden, and a yellow tourist trail runs alongside it towards Igliczna.

Less than a kilometre away are also the Wilczka Waterfall and the nature reserve surrounding it, a popular destination combined with a visit to the garden.

Who it's for

The Fairy Tale Garden is a typical example of the folk-sculpture open-air museums, several of which were created in the Polish Sudetes in the twentieth century. Its small area and fairy-tale theme mean a walk through it is short and easy to combine with sightseeing in Międzygórze itself or with a longer trip towards the Wilczka Waterfall nature reserve, one of the most frequently visited places in this part of the Sudetes.

Practical information

• Address: Międzygórze, Kłodzko County (it is worth confirming the exact address on site)
• Getting there: the bus stop in Międzygórze, from where the marked Gnome Trail leads directly to the garden
• What to expect: a walk among wooden sculptures of fairy-tale characters in a small, picturesque area
• Opening hours should be checked before visiting, for example at the PTTK tourist information point in Międzygórze, since the garden's website was unavailable at the time this description was written