Szczeliniec Wielki is the highest peak in the Table Mountains (922 m a.s.l.) and one of the most remarkable hiking destinations in the entire Sudetes. Its flat-topped, forested silhouette is visible from miles away — and once you reach the summit plateau, you step into a labyrinth of sandstone corridors, sweeping viewpoints and rock formations shaped like animals and mythical figures. It is the kind of place that stays with you.
The summit plateau feels like a different world. Millions of years of weathering have carved deep gorges known as the 'Little Hell' and 'Devil's Kitchen,' along with sculptural rocks called the Camel, Mammoth, Elephant, Owl and the Grandfather's Armchair — the highest point of the peak. Two so-called rocking stones — the Princess Emilka's Cradle and the Heart of the Mountain Spirit — can actually be gently moved despite their enormous size. Inside the narrow corridors a cool microclimate persists, and snow can linger here well into July. Summer brings welcome shade along the trail, while winter transforms the whole plateau into a snow-dusted rocky maze.
How to reach the summitIn August 1800 the summit was visited by both Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and the future US President John Quincy Adams — quite a guest list for a sub-1000-metre peak!