Forstbaude in Budniki

Over 5km northeast of Śnieżka, in a valley at about 900m on the north slope of the Kowarski Ridge, there used to be a tiny settlement whose last extant buildings fell into ruin in the 1950s. The original name of the hamlet, which was founded by people hiding from the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), was Forstbauden (Forest Huts). This name was later changed to Forstlangwasser. Today's Polish name of the place is Budniki, which is a reference to its original name. It was quite a unique site for a village, since – due to its location on the slopes of a deep valley – sunrays do not reach it for 113 days, from the last days of November to the middle of March. Thanks to a group of lovers of this place there is now an interpretive trail around it. The photo shows where the first inn or mountain hut - opened in 1889 and named Forstbaude - stood.