Places with character
the only surviving part of the medieval town gate of Jelenia Góra, today a viewing platform
Theatre and opera
one of the oldest still-operating theatres in Lower Silesia, in an Art Nouveau building from 1904
Museums
a collection of art glass and mementoes of the Jelenia Góra Basin, gathered since 1889
Viewpoints
an elevation above the Bóbr river with a historic observation tower known as the Little Mushroom and a free terrace
Places with character
a 19th-century fountain with Neptune on plac Ratuszowy, a reminder of the city's old trading ties with the world
Museums
a branch of the Karkonosze Museum with weapons, a T-34 tank and a helicopter on the grounds of a former military unit
Places with character
a 5.5-kilometre trail through the belts of the Karkonosze forest, from Jagniątków to the dwarf pine at Czarna Przełęcz
the crossing of the green trail from Śnieżne Kotły and the black trail from Koralowa Ścieżka at 1,110 metres
Jelenia Góra for couples: a theatre in an Art Nouveau building, a stroll through the old town, a view from a tower and a forest path. Pick a plan for two.
With a walk through the old town. The Neptune Fountain on the Town Hall Square is a good meeting point: open at any hour, and close to two historic gates. One of them is the Castle Gate Tower of 1584, now a viewing platform.The tower has a cylindrical lower part and an octagonal top, with a weather vane showing a deer, the city's symbol. Neptune recalls the old trade of local merchants with overseas countries.
Krzywoustego Hill is 375 metres high andlies in a bend of the Bóbr, near the mouth of the Kamienna. On top stands a 22-metre lookout tower from 1911, called the Mushroom. Entry to its terrace is free, so it is a cheap idea for a shared afternoon.
The Coral Path is about 5.5 kilometres long and leads from Jagniątków to the Black Pass. You walk through successive zones of the Karkonosze forest up to dwarf pine, along the Wrzosówka stream, past the Paciorki rocks, and at the end you see the floor of the Jagniątków Black Cirque.The lower section passes through the houses of Jagniątków, then the route enters the forest and is steep in places. The altitude grows from 630 to 1,350 metres, so bring comfortable shoes.
A shorter way up leads to the Rozdroże pod Jaworem crossroads, a node of forest paths on the Jawor Meadow, at 1,110 metres. The Path above the Spruce Zone passes here, and the green trail links the spot with the Snowy Cirques and the Karkonosze Pass. The black trail comes from the Coral Path, so you can join both goals into one route.
The Cyprian Kamil Norwid Theatre is one of the oldest working drama theatres in Lower Silesia. Its Art Nouveau building on Aleja Wojska Polskiego, at the corner of Sudecka Street, opened in 1904 as the House of Arts and Associations and was designed by Alfred Daehmel.The theatre has worked without a break for over a hundred years and has carried Norwid's name since 1974. The building represents the Jelenia Góra Art Nouveau, a local variant of the style. Check the current repertoire and tickets in the events calendar.
When it rains, choose a museum. The Karkonosze Museum has worked since 1889and is known for its art glass collection. Its collections cover Jelenia Góra, the Karkonosze and the Izera Mountains, and the building at 28 Matejki Street was put up specially for the museum. The Open-Air Museum of Polish Army Armament shows a T-34 tank, a Mi-2 helicopter andradar equipment, plus an exhibition on intelligence activity in the Jelenia Góra Valley. It is a plan for those who prefer hardware to art.
More ideas for time together are in the architecture of Jelenia Góra, on the page beautiful views and in the overview of city attractions.
