THE GOLD MINERS’ TRAIL IN GŁUCHOŁAZY

The Gold Miners’ Trail has been laid out in the Parkowa Mountain massif in Głuchołazy and leads through places where gold was mined in the past. The trail is marked with yellow signs. The route, approximately 8 km long, starts at the Amorek fountain in Głuchołazy and runs through the following locations: Góralska Grotto – Beech Forest Nature Reserve – Nad Białką Nature Reserve – Świńska Road – Hanging Rocks – St. Anne’s Chapel – mountain shelter – Przednia Kopa – the dam on the Sarny Stream – Sarny Stream Valley – the clearing above the “Górnik” (Zacisze II) – Upper Pond (Swan Pond) – Spa Park – Głuchołazy SPA (square with the Amorek fountain).

The trail runs through the Nad Białką Nature Reserve, whose purpose is to preserve the landscape and geological values of the Biała Głuchołaska River gorge, including traces of former gold mining activity. Relics of historical mining operations from the 12th and 15th centuries have been preserved here, in the form of adits, washing sites, surface excavations, and spoil heaps. Thanks to these sites, visitors can experience the unique atmosphere of the “gold rush”. To this day, around 80 mining shafts still exist, and on the Sarny Stream there is one of the oldest hydrotechnical structures in Silesia – an earth-and-stone dam, once used to impound water needed for gold washing. Another attraction is the passage through a former adit (the Góralska Grotto), which forms a short tunnel.

In 2022, the trail was renovated. Six life-size wooden sculptures depicting former gold miners were installed along the route. Each miner shows a different activity. One miner is digging a tunnel, another is lighting the way, and yet another is washing gold. Informational boards describing the trail, complete with maps and photographs, have also been installed along the route.

The route is not very demanding. Walking time: approximately 3 hours.