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Park Górny

Leisure | Szczawnica Zdrój

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The Upper Park is the oldest spa park in Szczawnica. The initiator of its construction in the first half of the 19th century was Jan Kutscher. The park is located around a small bottling plant for healing waters, and its expansion was continued by later landowners. Thanks to the efforts of Josef Szalay, today we can stroll there among unique tree species with health-promoting effects. The Upper Park is a place of rest, walks and meetings for all visitors to this spa town.

Health pathway
The health path with larches in the Upper Park in Štiavnica is a unique place where you can enjoy walks surrounded by beautiful larches, whose essential oils have a beneficial effect on health.
Panorama of the Pieniny Mountains
From the 13th floor of the Pienin Grand Hotel, you can see the panorama of the Dunajec Valley, the Pieniny Mountains and Szczawnica.
Art
In the Upper Park you can admire remarkable architectural objects: The Counts Spa Chapel, the concert shell and sculptures, statues and busts.

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Story

Pears in the willow tree

Natural Monument

Upper Park is famous for its unique vegetation: beech, lime, maple and larch trees, the seeds of which were brought from Tokyo, and even willow pears. These are fully actual willow pear trees. These spreading shrubs are characterised by narrow, grey-green leaves that are confusingly similar to willow leaves. Small, green fruits about 2-3 centimetres in diameter appear on the shrub in late summer. They are inedible, but this makes it possible to admire these fully viable willow pears in the Upper Park.
Concert shell

A PRL artefact

The Concert Hall, built in 1950, is located in the northern part of the Upper Park in Szczawnica. The structure is covered with white boards and the entrance is decorated with a wooden railing and an arcade decoration characteristic of the Zakopane style. Also called the 'shell', it stands on a plinth made of wood and is covered with green sheet metal, which harmonises with the vegetation around it. Its purpose was to host concerts to pass the time of the visitors, which is why it was placed just below the Inhalatorium.
During summer evenings, the concert shell becomes the stage for nightly jazz concerts, during which one can enjoy improvisations and music from years gone by. From time to time, symphony orchestras also perform, presenting both classical and contemporary pieces. However, this is not the only musical attraction in Szczawnica. The Dietel Square, located at the top of the Upper Park, often hosts Music Festivals, which attract both local audiences and tourists.
Statues

Sculptures scattered around the park

What is unique about the Upper Park is not only the works of nature, but also the arts and crafts. Turning into the alley below the Inhalatorium, we can come across sculptures of musicians carved in stone. One plays the trumpet and the other the flute, although without sound, they make the walk more pleasant for tourists and visitors. Their character matches the vegetated landscape. They are unpolished, showing scratches and discolouration from the rain, so that their skin somewhat resembles the texture of bark.
In the park we can also encounter the bust of Jozef Szalay - the founder of the Štiavnica Spa - who brought in dozens of species of trees and shrubs to make the time more attractive for visitors.
Counts' Spa Chapel

Vocations of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Counts' Spa Chapel in the Lower Park in Szczawnica is a unique monument. It was built by the Mycielski counts in the mid-19th century, according to a design by Jozef Szalaya, at the request of visitors who could no longer accommodate themselves in the much more remote and small wooden church. The new place of worship was built of white stone, with the inscription 'BOGU' above the main entrance. Its architecture combines elements of the Neo-Gothic style with the characteristic Zakopane ornamentation, giving it a unique and picturesque appearance.
The interior of the chapel impresses with the 1848 altarpiece "Saviour of the World", a painting of the Virgin Mary with Child, religious paintings, stained glass windows and a decorative vaulted ceiling. The Counts' Spa Chapel is not only an important point related to Štiavnica's history, but also a place of prayer and reflection where everyone can stop for a moment and calm down in the natural surroundings of the park. It is a symbolic place that links the past with the present and remains the heart of this beautiful corner of Poland.
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Health pathway

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The Upper Park in Štiavnica, which was created on the initiative of Josef Szalaya, is a unique place for patients visiting the spa. Szalaya specially planted tree species there, whose essential oils are beneficial to health, to create a healing environment. That's why it's also worth taking advantage of the mountain air to go for a walk along the 1 km larch forest trail. This health-promoting route extends by the "Nauczyciel" Sanatorium and Recreation Centre (14 Połoniny Street).
Pieniny Grand

Hotel towering over Szczawnica

Just behind the inhalatorium is a path leading to the Pieniny Grand Hotel. At the top of this building is the unique Sky Bar, which towers over the valley at a height of 55 metres. From this vantage point you can admire the beauty of the Pieniny landscape, the Dunajec River and Szczawnica itself.
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