Welcome to the Riesengebirge

A few glimpses into a mountainous area situated between Czechia and Poland--whose northern ranges once were located in Silesia, Germany

And from the shores of the Baltic I’ll take you to the Riesengebirge today (source):

The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše, or Karkonosze are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetesmountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif). The Czech–Polish border, which divides the historic regions of Bohemia and Silesia, runs along the main ridge. The highest peak, Sněžka (Polish: Śnieżka), is the Czech Republic's highest natural point with an elevation of 1,603 metres (5,259 ft).

And with that being said, let’s go and take a hike, shall we?

The Riesengebirge a Hundred Years Ago

The Schneekoppe—known today as Sněžka (in Czech) and Śnieżka (in Polish) is the most prominent point of the Silesian Ridge in the Giant Mountains and stands 1,603.3 metres (5,260 ft) tall.

Sněžka was one of the first European mountains visited by many tourists. This was mainly due to the relatively minor technical difficulties of the ascent…

The first building on the mountaintop was the Chapel of Saint Lawrence (Laurentiuskapelle), built c. 1665–1681 by the Silesian noble Schaffgotsch family to give thanks to God and shelter to travellers as it also served as an inn for a brief period of time. The territory including the mines were the property of the Schaffgotsch family until 1945. The so-called Prussian hut(Preußische Baude) was built on the Silesian (now Polish) side in 1850, followed by the Bohemian hut (Česká bouda) on the Bohemian (now Czech) side in 1868, both built with the purpose of providing lodging.

Above, you may see the Samotnia Hut or Kleine Teichbaude (in German) is located at an altitude of 1195 metres above sea level in Poland in the Krkonoše Mountains, a mountain range of the Sudeten Mountains, with the Mały Staw (Small Pond) lake in front.

Behold—below—Chojnik Castle stands on top of the Chojnik hill (627 m (2,057 ft)) within the Karkonosze National Park, overlooking the Jelenia Góra valley. Some 200+ years ago, Chojnik Castle was visited by the Prussian royal family and poets like Heinrich von Kleist and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as well as Theodor Körner, who immortalised the ruin in one of his poems and made it famous all over Germany.

Let’s move on, shall we? To, say, the Prince Heinrich-Baude (in German):

These mountain huts (Baude) are quite dispersed throughout the Riesengebirge, much like the one below on the Schneegruben (Śnieżne Kotły in Polish):

Finally, we’ll spend the day at the Reifträgerbaude, erected in 1922 at 1,362 metres above sea level. It sits atop Mt. Szrenica (in Czech: Jínonoš, German: Reifträger), situated in the western part of Giant Mountains and very close to the Polish-Czech border, within the Karkonosze National Park.

In the next posting, we’ll continue our southward trek—stay tuned!