Sankt Annaberg: Pilgrimage Site, Geopark and Nature Trails

Sankt Annaberg is a choice for travellers who want to combine religious culture and nature. The Shrine of St. Anne, the national geopark and several trails in the surrounding area offer different focal points for your stay. You can tailor your trip to whether you want to visit a place steeped in pilgrimage history, explore the landscape on foot or plan a leisure activity.

Landscape and geology

At 404 metres, Góra Świętej Anny is the highest elevation of the Silesian Upland. This elevation places the destination within a clearly defined landscape unit. Another distinctive feature is the Góra św. Anny National Geopark, established because of the area’s exceptional geological value and covering more than half of the area in question. It is also one of three geoparks in Poland. This means your visit need not focus solely on pilgrimage history; geological and landscape themes are also among the perspectives to explore.

Walking trails in the surrounding area

A 14.8-kilometre circular walking trail starts in Góra Świętej Anny, in the surrounding area. It runs mostly through forests, passes through the Lesisko nature reserve and then goes past the Ligota Dolna and Biesiec nature reserves. Ligota Dolna nature reserve includes dry grasslands; Biesiec is characterised by old beech stands and rare plants. The trail is intended to showcase the diversity of flora and fauna in the landscape park.

A second route in the surrounding area runs from Ligota Górna to Góra Świętej Anny and is around 7 kilometres long. Its first section runs mostly through woodland. Compared with the 14.8-kilometre circular trail, this is a shorter route with named endpoints; the circular route and sequence of nature reserves are key distinguishing features of the longer tour. The distances help you choose based on your preferred length and route: a loop with nature reserves or a connection whose first section runs through woodland.

Pilgrimage history and leisure

The Shrine of St. Anne is considered an important Silesian pilgrimage site. Inside, you can learn about the shrine’s history and the experiences of the pilgrims who came here over many centuries. This is a clear cultural focus for planning your trip: the visit turns your attention to a pilgrimage tradition that has developed over a long period and complements the destination’s nature and geology themes. If you are interested in religious history, you can set aside a dedicated place for this visit in your day’s itinerary.

Another activity on Góra Świętej Anny is the Harcówka summer toboggan run, an Alpine Coaster with a 600-metre circuit. It is considered a family attraction and is open year-round; check its operating status before your trip. The toboggan run offers a different focus from the walking trails: while trail length, woodland routes and nature reserves provide the points of reference there, Harcówka is all about the coaster circuit and leisure activity.

Discover more destinations: Jemielnica, Ujest, Strzelce Opolskie Municipality, Leśnica, Colonnowska, Zimna Wódka, Raschowa, Stubendorf.

Go to the overview of the wider area: Strzelecki.