Leśna Castle is one of the most striking landmarks in the Central Sudetes — a neo-Gothic residence built into the rocky cliffs of Szczytnik hill (589 m a.s.l.), with sweeping views over the Duszniki Basin and the town of Szczytna below. What makes it truly special is the contrast: the castle looks authentically medieval, yet it was only built between 1831 and 1837.
The four-sided structure with four corner towers, a dry moat and defensive walls looks impressive in every season. Spring brings vivid green forest all around, summer offers the best panoramic views across the Table Mountains, and autumn turns the rocky crags of Orlie Skałki into a spectacular display of colour. A stone Way of the Cross runs near the castle, featuring original sandstone bas-reliefs set directly into the natural rock — it's well worth a slow walk along it.
How to get thereLook out for the statue of St. John of Nepomuk by the castle gate — it carries a chronostich dated 1723, predating the castle itself by over a century. The design of the building was sometimes (without firm evidence) attributed to the famous Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel.