Wołek is a modest but characterful peak in the Rudawy Janowickie range, crowned with a thanksgiving cross dedicated to Pope John Paul II. It's the kind of summit that rewards a quiet forest walk with a sudden, memorable view of the Karkonosze Mountains.

The summit and slopes are covered in dark spruce forests and mixed spruce-beech woods. The southern slope opens into meadows and young thickets, while the northern slope holds a surprising patch of dwarf mountain pine, planted here back in the 19th century — a rare sight in this part of the Sudetes. Summer brings cool shade under the trees, autumn paints the forest in warm colors, and winter turns the trails quiet and snow-covered. From the top, through a small clearing in the woods, a panoramic view of the Karkonosze Mountains unfolds — well worth the short wait.

• Janowice Wielkie — yellow trail, moderate difficulty
• Szwajcarka — blue trail, alternative approach

• Wołek lies within the Rudawy Landscape Park
• A thanksgiving cross dedicated to Pope John Paul II stands at the summit
• The Karkonosze view is only visible through a small clearing at the top

A geological curiosity: the summit itself is made of hornfels, rock formed when older shales were transformed by the intruding Karkonosze granite — making this small peak a miniature geology lesson in the Sudetes.