On Stara Polana meadow, right along the trail from Karpacz to Strzecha Akademicka shelter, you'll find a place that once buzzed with life and today invites quiet reflection amid the Karkonosze landscape. Once one of the most beautiful mountain shelters in the entire range stood here – now only an empty clearing and a story remain.

Stara Polana is an open meadow surrounded by forest, formed back in the 17th century after trees were cleared for charcoal production. In summer it's a great spot to rest and take in views across the Karkonosze Mountains, while in winter, blanketed in snow, it recalls the dramatic events of December 1966, when a fire destroyed the shelter here and firefighters couldn't reach it in time due to snow-blocked roads. There's something melancholic yet inspiring about this place – a stop where you can feel the history of the Karkonosze.

• Karpacz – trail (the so-called Silesian Trail) to Strzecha Akademicka shelter, walking time depends on fitness, moderately demanding route
• Option to continue toward Strzecha Akademicka or return to Karpacz

• Elevation: 1067 m above sea level
• No buildings remain today – the site has been undeveloped since the early 1980s
• Other former shelters once stood nearby: Hasenbaude and the youth shelter Berghänlein

Worth knowing: the original shelter was called Schlingelbaude in German and was built in a Swiss architectural style – nothing of its former elegance remains, but the story still lives on among hikers.