Sowie Mountains
Situated on lower Silesia’s oldest rock formation, the Sowie Mountains are a sublime, 36-kilometre-long mountain range with the highest peak being Wielka Sowa (Great Owl). Characterised by their unique shape and considerable steepness, the Sowie Mountains offer some of the most challenging slopes in the region. Apart from superb hiking and climbing opportunities, the Sowie Mountains also offer historical sights such as the castles in Ksiaz and Kamienice. Nowadays, tourists can also visit two sections of the 9-kilometre-long tunnel, built by the Nazis during World War II. The Sowie Mountains also constitute a good starting point for your tour around the Lower Silesia region, as well as the Czech Republic. Also, visitors can choose to spend a day in the nearby cities of Wroclaw, Swidnica and Jelenia Gora. What's more, Karpacz and Szklarska Poreba, the chief skiing resorts in the Karkonosze region, are less than 1˝ hours away from Wielka Sowa. Western City
Unlikely as it seems, 2,500 miles away from the state of Colorado in the heart of western Poland, there lies a village which has more in common with the myth of the Wild Wild West than the majority of contemporary American metropolises. Located between Karpacz and Sciegny, Western City is a unique, life-size model of an early American settlement, which at the same time serves as an interactive museum of American history. While here, you can dress up like cowboys or cowgirls, and take part in activities such as shooting, gambling and drinking in saloons. You can also become an eyewitness to the Western-style bank robbery which takes place thrice daily. Other attractions offered by the village include lessons in rinsing gold, riding a horse and throwing a lasso. Inhabited by craftsmen, wranglers and Indians, every year the city comes to life, when locals and tourists meet to enact the daily life of America’s first settlers. The history of Western City goes back to July 4, 1999 when the town was founded by Mr Jerzy Pokój, who had always dreamed of visiting the Wild West as known from famous Westerns and adventure books. Today, the story of Western City is being co-created by the audience, who bring twists and turns to the storyline of Poland's wildest city. Cieplice Spa
Cieplice is a locality famous for its springs, specific climate and a unique location right at the foot of a mountain range. The city has been a renowned spa center since the Middle Ages, when the healing properties of the local springs were discovered and described in one of the chronicles. In 1607, the locality became internationally famous after Kaspar Schwenckfeld promoted the place as a healing resort. In the year 1810, Cieplice was taken over by the Schaffgotsch family, who successfully modernised the center, turning it into one of the best spas in Eastern Europe. In 1891, the city of Cieplice was granted its first railway connection, which certainly added to the growth of its popularity. Today, like centuries ago, the curative properties of the region draw numerous tourists and patients, who visit Cieplice to recuperate or simply to relax in one of Poland's best spas.