Garden of the Mountain Spirit

The historic garden at the Karkonosze Museum - Carl and Gerhart Hauptmann House in Szklarska Poręba was renovated in 2011. In terms of nature, landscape and history, it is one of the most interesting parks in the Western Sudetes. Over an area of approximately 4.5 hectares, over a kilometer of mountain nature trails have been designed, leading visitors along the trail of the most interesting specimens of park flora.

Created over 100 years ago by two outstanding writers, brothers - Carl and Gerhart Hauptmann - the park has become both a family haven and a place for their creative work. Gerhart Hauptmann (1862-1946) - the father of German naturalistic drama, honored in 1912 with the Nobel Prize in Literature for lifetime achievement, created his greatest works in Szklarska Poręba: "The Weavers", "Beaver Fur", "The Coachman Henschel", "The Assumption of Hanusia". ” or “Fellow Crampton.” Carl Hauptmann (1858-1921) became famous primarily for the "Book of the Mountain Spirit", which is a collection of nine adventures of the legendary Lord of the Karkonosze Mountains. Thanks to Carl's passion for nature, who imported seedlings of trees and shrubs, the park gained its unique character and diversity of plant species. When establishing the park, natural plant and rock formations were used, including beeches growing on granite rocks, to which further tree formations were planted in groups of several trees together. The main part of the forest stand consists of coniferous trees supplemented with purposeful plantings, among which silver spruces, larches and pines predominate, and particular attention is paid to white pine, lime pine, giant arborvitae, Canadian hemlock and blue spruce of the blue spruce variety, which should be considered natural monuments. .

When creating the park, great importance was paid to the views towards the Karkonosze massif, the shape of the clearings and the free, loose planting of tree specimens, which were properly exposed, as well as the maintenance of a mixed type of tree stand. Until the end of World War II, the park was considered a tourist attraction in Szklarska Poręba and was mentioned in guidebooks as a place worth visiting.