Owl Mountains Landscape Park

The Owl Mountains Landscape Park covers 81.41 km² in the Central Sudetes, across the municipalities of Pieszyce, Bielawa, Dzierżoniów, Głuszyca, Walim, Stoszowice and Nowa Ruda.

When it was created and how it grew

The park was established in 1991, and in 1996 its area was expanded to the current 81.41 km². It is managed by the Lower Silesian Landscape Parks Authority.

What it protects

The park was created primarily for its landscape and tourist value, not for an unusually rich biodiversity. It preserves fragments of the primeval Sudetes forest with beech, sycamore, larch and hornbeam, as well as spruce forests. The park contains the Bukowa Kalenica nature reserve, protecting beech woodland with dwarf forms. Animals found in the park include mouflon, badgers, pine martens, deer, hazel grouse, black storks, capercaillie, fire salamanders and alpine newts.

Main peaks and viewpoints

The highest peak within the park is Wielka Sowa, at 1015 metres above sea level, with an observation tower on the summit. The second important elevation is Kalenica, which also has an observation tower. The range also includes the peaks of Słoneczna, Czarne Kąty and Sokół.

Historical sites within the park

Within the Owl Mountains, inside the park boundaries and in its immediate vicinity, are the remains of an unfinished complex of underground tunnels from the Second World War, built as part of the Riese project - these include sites in the area of Włodarz and Osówka.

Practical information

• Location: Central Sudetes, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, the municipalities of Pieszyce, Bielawa, Dzierżoniów, Głuszyca, Walim, Stoszowice and Nowa Ruda
• Getting there: the park stretches between Dzierżoniów, Bielawa, Wałbrzych and Nowa Ruda, with access possible from many surrounding towns and villages
• What to expect: mountain trails to Wielka Sowa and Kalenica with observation towers, the Bukowa Kalenica nature reserve, beech and spruce forests; it's worth checking the detailed trail routes and reserve access rules before setting out