Kowadło (988 m a.s.l.) is a rewarding border summit in the southern part of the Góry Złote (Golden Mountains) range in the Eastern Sudetes — a quiet, off-the-beaten-path peak that offers surprisingly far-reaching views for relatively modest effort. If you enjoy uncrowded trails and a genuine sense of the Polish-Czech borderland, this one is for you.
The rounded summit is covered with young spruce trees, with occasional gneiss rock outcrops breaking through the green canopy. From the top, you can take in sweeping views over the Góry Złote and the northern part of the High Jeseník range, as well as the Sudeten foothills stretching all the way to Nysa and, on a clear day, as far as Opole. The atmosphere changes beautifully with the seasons — misty autumn mornings in the valleys below, crisp winter silence on the summit, and fresh spring greenery along the trails.
How to reach the summit:The name 'Kowadło' means 'anvil' in Polish — a nod to the peak's rounded, anvil-like shape as seen by the imaginative eyes of the people who once settled these border hills.