In this episode of Explore Poland, travel filmmaker and Youtuber Eva zu Beck guides us through Lower Silesia, uncovering spa towns, castle hotels, gingerbread traditions, and breathtaking mountains in this magical Polish region.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00A little known land of legends, fairy tales, mountains, and castles.
00:05And if you visit, you might just be the only foreign tourist around.
00:09I'm Eva Zubek, and Lower Silesia is my home.
00:12Today I want to show you around this magical corner of southern Poland.
00:16We'll visit picturesque little towns, eat to our heart's content, and learn what it
00:20means to own a castle.
00:23But first, a quick morning hike on a beautiful autumn day in the Sudety Mountains.
00:29This was quite the hike, but honestly, the views really make up for it.
00:37Right now, we're standing on top of Śnieżnik, which is the tallest mountain in this central
00:42corner of Poland.
00:44Śnieżnik is also home to this watchtower, first built over a century ago.
00:48If you climb to the top on a clear day, you can see as far as the Alps.
00:54But we have a whole bunch of places to visit much closer here in the Polish Sudety Mountains.
00:58Okay, I'm pretty sure that is where we're going next.
01:03To kick off our road trip, I want to point you to a couple of charming towns.
01:07One look at the architecture, and it's so easy to see that Lower Silesia is a true melting
01:11pot of cultures and histories.
01:14Our first stop is Lądek Zdrój, which I personally think is one of the prettiest towns in the
01:19region.
01:20Lądek Zdrój isn't just pretty.
01:22It actually happens to be the oldest spa town in all of Poland.
01:26And the mineral waters around here are believed to have healing properties, which is why spa
01:31goers have been coming here for about 700 years.
01:35But water can be healing as well as destructive.
01:39Lądek Zdrój was actually severely affected by the recent Central European floods, but
01:44the locals have been rebuilding fast, and they're ready to bring tourists back into
01:49town.
01:50The floods caused a huge amount of damage, but Lądek Zdrój is a resilient town, and
01:55it's still definitely worth a visit.
01:57If I were you, I would come here for the thermal spa and the local mountain trails.
02:02There's another spot around here that I'd love to take you to.
02:05It's a very special cafe in a tiny little town called Bardo.
02:10Bardo is a tiny town, but it has two major claims to fame.
02:14It's 300-year-old basilica, and it's equally historic liaison with gingerbread.
02:20After all, the pilgrims that flocked here needed to eat something, and gingerbread happened
02:24to be the cheapest, most filling option that the local bakers could offer.
02:28There's one last shop in town that nurtures this tradition, and it happens to look like
02:32it sprung out of a fairy tale.
02:34This is Magdalena Topolanyk, and we are in her famous gingerbread cafe.
03:04It is nothing like the gingerbread I've ever had in my life before.
03:27It's so moist and so rich, and so full of spice and flavor.
03:32It honestly tastes like Christmas.
03:36Some of the best travel experiences are bound to be shared with inspiring people.
03:40So next stop, I headed out into the so-called Golden Mountains to meet up with Meg Szumska,
03:46a friend who runs a very special guest house.
03:48Cześć!
03:49Cześć!
03:50Chodźcie, zapraszam do środka.
03:51Welcome!
03:52Oh my gosh, it's gorgeous!
03:53Jesteśmy w Złotym Jarze, to jest villa, która w przyszłym roku będzie obchodziła
03:54w 2021 roku.
03:55Znajdujemy się w Górach Złotych nad Złotym Potokiem, w Złotym Jarze, i od geograficznego
04:08Złotego Jaru jest też nazwa naszego budynku, w Złotym Stoku na ulicy Złotych.
04:12No dobrze, ale dlaczego wszystko jest tutaj takie złote?
04:15Złoty Stok ma tysiącletnią górniczą tradycję.
04:17Już tysiąc lat temu wydobywano tutaj złoto, i dookoła nas w tych wszystkich górach
04:21jest ponad 300 kilometrów wydrążonych chodników.
04:23Wow!
04:24Czy dzisiaj można sobie pochodzić i poszukać złota?
04:27Można zwiedzić 3,5 kilometra z przewodnikiem, ale tak naprawdę ponad 300 kilometrów jest
04:32ciągle wielką tajemnicą i staramy się odnajdować nowe miejsca, szukamy tam skarbów, szukamy
04:37no przeróżnych rzeczy, które tam ukryte są pod ziemią.
04:41You know, being here you almost want to speak in a whisper, because you're in this beautiful
04:47mountain hut at the end of the road, in the middle of the forest.
04:51I feel really magical.
04:59It's been such a long day.
05:01I think I'm ready to eat.
05:03Traditional Polish cuisine tends to be heaven for carnivores, but more and more restaurants
05:07cater to veggies and vegans, and I have a feeling like this one won't disappoint.
05:12Celery steak.
05:22I know that we've been spending a lot of time in nature, but today we'll do something different.
05:28This region actually has one of the highest concentrations of castles in all of Europe,
05:33and I want to show you one that honestly looks like it's straight from a fairy tale.
05:38Oh, wow!
05:40Hey, Martin!
05:41Hi, Ivo!
05:42Nice to meet you!
05:43Thanks for coming.
05:44Yeah, thank you.
05:45What's that?
05:46This is the key to the castle.
05:47Let me show you around.
05:48Let's do it.
05:49Let's go.
05:50Staden Castle was first built in the 16th century for a German aristocrat.
05:54Afterwards, it changed hands and countries as the borders of Lower Silesia shifted over
06:00the centuries.
06:01And most recently, it ended up with Martin, who started the back-breaking work of restoring
06:06it to its former glory and running a hotel here.
06:10We need a stable.
06:12We also have the Literary Festival.
06:14This year, we had about 20,000 people here in just one week during the festival.
06:20So how does it feel to be a part of that?
06:23It's a great feeling.
06:24It's a great feeling.
06:25It's a great feeling.
06:26It's a great feeling.
06:27It's a great feeling.
06:28It's a great feeling.
06:29It's a great feeling.
06:30It's a great feeling.
06:31It's a great feeling.
06:32It's a great feeling.
06:33It's a great feeling.
06:34It's a great feeling.
06:35It's a great feeling.
06:36It's a great feeling.
06:37It's a great feeling.
06:38It's a great feeling.
06:39It's a great feeling.
06:40How did it feel to buy a castle?
06:42I was terrified.
06:44At first, it was strictly business.
06:46But now, I cannot really imagine my life without this.
06:50There are so many castles all across Lovers' Elysia.
06:53Do you know more or less how many?
06:54It's close to a thousand.
06:56I think there's a number of them that are operational.
06:59And we're very happy to form our little society of castle owners.
07:06Wow.
07:07This is amazing.
07:09Yeah.
07:10It's a chapel built in the early 18th century.
07:13The painting was finished in 1738.
07:16So these are, in fact, the original paintings from the 18th century.
07:21Yes.
07:22The castle is slowly reclaiming its beauty.
07:24And alongside cultural events, you can come here and spend the night at the Swiss House,
07:29which is part of the castle complex.
07:31Oh, so cool.
07:34Oh, my God.
07:36This is so beautiful.
07:38Look at this wallpaper.
07:40I feel like royalty tonight.
07:42Wow.
07:44And this is the Lovers' Elysia I love.
07:47Everywhere you go, you feel its enduring spirit of culture and history.
07:52Truly one of the most magical corners of Poland.