Place and date

XXX ISFP
14 - 18, September, 2009

Przesieka, Poland

Place and date

Date of Conference: September 14 – 18. 2009

Place of Conference: Przesieka is situated in the south-western part of Poland, almost at the triple point of frontiers of three neighbouring countries: Poland, Czech Republic and Germany. Przesieka lies between

Karkonosze and Izery mountains, in Jelenia Góra district and Lower Silesia Province.

“Markus” hotel in Przesieka is situated almost halfway between two most popular Karkonosze spas:

Karpacz and Szklarska Poreba,

The most interesting places in Przesieka are: the Podgórna Waterfalls, three-step falls with an enchanting

bridge, and the mysterious Walloon Stone, a 7-ton stone called “Wobbler” (“Chybotek”).

There are many attractive places of interest in the neighbourhood as well. Namely,

1. Szklarska Poręba: the Mineralogy Museum, crystal glass-works, the Szklarka Waterfalls, the

Kamienczyk Waterfalls (27 m), a chair-lift to the peak of Szrenica (1362 m above sea level);

2. Karpacz: the Wang Shrine, 2-hour walk. (a unique piece of the medieval Scandinavian architecture,

brought from Norway), the Toy Museum, the Sports and Tourism Museum, a summer toboggan-run

(1060 m), the chair-lift to Kopa (1377 m above sea level), a beginning of your trip to Sniezka, the

highest peak of the Karkonosze (1602 m above sea level);

3. Chojnik Castle, 1.5 hour walk, near Sobieszów;

4. Podgorzynskie Ponds and a fish restaurant at their shore offering gourmet fresh fish;

5. Karkonoska Pass, the frontier pass to the Czech Republic, 3-hour walk;

6. Western City, an entertainment park in the Wild West style (very close to Karpacz and Sciegny);

7. The Falcon Mountains with climbing routes and picturesque views;

8. Jelenia Góra, the Old Town;

The conference place is a great location for:

mushroom picking, birds observation, history studies, hunting, paragliding, trips with children, rock climbing,

mountain hikes, biking hikes.

Accommodation: Participants will be accommodated at „Markus” Hotel

Przesieka, Dolina Czerwienia 14,

58-563 Podgórzyn

(www.przesieka.pl/markus)

Natural values

The Karkonosze National Park (Karkonoski Park Narodowy) is a huge park in the Karkonosze Mountains.

The park was created in 1959 and today it covers 55.76 km2, most of it under a strict protection. The majority

of the park consists of forests. The character of the flora is dependent on the elevation. The lower mountain

forests are made up of beech while the upper portions consist of spruce, with dwarf pine appearing at the

higher elevations. The uppermost reaches, which belong to the alpine zone, are enriched with a large variety

of moss and lichen species. There are about 100 various birds living in the park, the most numerous of

animal species living there. The park has four species of fish, six species of amphibians, and five species of

reptiles. The park's attraction are mouflons, brought here at the beginning of the 20th century. The topography

of the Park is exceptionally diverse and entails lakes in post-glacial depressions, steep cliffs, lively streams

forming numerous cascades and waterfalls, and sub-crown plateaux. The most characteristic features of

Karkonosze landscape are flattened bare tops with a large plateaux below postglacial cirques, and

picturesque groups of rocks.

Przesieka, Poland, 14-18 September, 2009