Discover Kłodzki: Fortress, Old Town and Culture

The fortress and historic Old Town make Kłodzko a destination for anyone who wants to explore military history, religious buildings and urban life in their original settings. There is also plenty to discover beneath the city: from underground chambers in the museum to a dedicated tourist route. When planning your trip, consider whether culture and history or a family outing should be the main focus.

Fortress, Old Town and hidden passageways

Kłodzko Fortress stands on Zamkowe Wzgórze hill, west of the Nysa Kłodzka River. Together with the city walls, it formed a complete defensive system. An underground defensive system with around seven kilometres of passageways extends beneath the combat hill. This is distinct from the Podziemna Trasa Turystyczna, which runs for 600 metres through underground chambers that evoke times gone by. Kłodzko therefore offers two distinct attractions: the extensive defensive complex and a separate underground walking route.

Fort Owcza Góra is also a historic structure of particular historical and architectural significance. Check visitor access before your visit. In the Old Town, the Market Square is one of the main landmarks. Its town hall is the square’s most representative and imposing building, but no longer serves its former commercial functions. The only surviving part of the former town hall is a square tower dating from the transition between the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

The historic townhouses around the Market Square were once homes to artisans, merchants and nobles. Six votive figures can be seen on the Gothic bridge. Ulica Czeska is considered the city’s oldest thoroughfare and was part of the former route between Prague and Wrocław. These buildings and streets tell different chapters of the city’s history, and no single viewpoint can capture them all.

Museum and churches from different centuries

The Muzeum Ziemi Kłodzkiej is housed in a Baroque building that once belonged to the former Jesuit college. Its extensive regional collections cover the history, archaeology, ethnography, art and natural history of the Ziemia Kłodzka region. The museum’s underground rooms offer a particularly vivid glimpse into the everyday lives of earlier residents: visitors can explore medieval rooms more than six metres below ground, where life in Kłodzko in the past is depicted.

The parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the oldest surviving church in the city. It is first mentioned in 1194, and the foundation stone for the present building was laid in 1344. A walk among the religious monuments begins at the foot of the fortress. Another church is Kościół św. Jerzego i Wojciecha, founded in the 15th century and rebuilt and extended several times. In 2015, frescoes by Karol Dankwart were discovered there beneath layers of paint; specialists are uncovering, conserving and studying them.

The present-day Baroque church of Matki Bożej Różańcowej was built between 1628 and 1631. Frescoes by Feliks Antoni Scheffler survive on the ceiling of its refectory. Together with the churches from different periods, they offer a varied perspective on religious architecture and art. If you particularly appreciate historic details, you can plan your stay to make time for these religious buildings as well as the Old Town.

A family outing and practical information

Minieuroland Miniature Park features miniature monuments and famous buildings from Poland, Europe and around the world. The site covers more than 20,000 square metres and also includes an arboretum, with more than 40 intricately crafted models and plants from Polish, Belgian and Dutch nurseries. The park is described as a leisure and recreation destination for families, with activities suited to different age groups. Wide paths make it possible to walk with a stroller and get around in a wheelchair. As access information may change, check the details before your visit.

The city game “W grę miejską gram, Kłodzko dobrze znam” invites visitors to discover interesting places in Kłodzko. Maps and guidebooks for the game are available free of charge from the Tourist Information Centre; check their availability before your trip. For anyone planning an additional walk, a 0.7-kilometre connecting section runs from Kłodzko Miasto railway station via Moniuszki, Chełmońskiego and Kolejowa streets to the Dookoła Gminy Kłodzko circular trail. The specific route and distance make it easier to include this connection in your plans.

When choosing a holiday apartment, you can first decide what you want your stay to centre on: the Old Town and historic buildings, churches and art, underground history or a visit to Minieuroland. The wider Kłodzko County belongs to the Sudetes. The geographical subregions of Kłodzko County include, among others, the Nowa Ruda Basin, the Ścinawka Basin and the Kotlina Kłodzka. This regional context complements the picture of Kłodzko, whose urban attractions make it possible to plan a cultural trip of its own.

Discover more destinations: Jodlow, Miedzygorze, Jugów, Lądek-Zdrój, Polanica-Zdrój, Stronie Slaskie, Ludwikowice Kłodzkie, Kudowa-Zdrój, Kłodzko, Bystrzyca Kłodzka, Radków, Międzylesie, Nowa Ruda, Raszków, Szczytna, Stojków, Gorzanów, Nowa Morawa, Nowy Gierałtów, Radochów, Konradów, Lasówka, Goworów, Kletno, Młynowiec, Sienna, Poręba, Trzebieszowice, Leśna, Lewin Kłodzki, Duszniki-Zdrój, Wójtowice, Sokolec, Długopole-Zdrój, Ołdrzychowice Kłodzkie, Bielice, Kąty Bystrzyckie, Domaszków, Idzików, Potoczek.

See the wider travel overview: Lower Silesia.