A few words about the history of Zelenec

The year 2019 was a special time for the Zieleniec region. Why? As this once charming village, today an important center of winter sports and active recreation, including summer, celebrated its 300th anniversary. A lot happened here years ago, a lot is happening today. Given all the advantages of this place, a lot is likely to happen in the future.

From the article you will learn:

• Who and when founded the Greenhouse, and what theories relate to its origins
• How tourism and winter sports developed in this part of the Sudetenland
• Why Zieleńec's microclimate has become its greatest asset even today

‍What happened 300 years ago? As we read in the guidebook “Land of Kłodzko” by Waldemar Brygier and Tomasz Dudziak, the village was founded precisely in 1719 by a deserter from the Czech Republic named Grun. Everything would generally agree, because before 1945 this place was called Grunewald. However, this is not the only theory concerning the origin of Zelenec. Some documents say that it was founded by the royal foresters, and still others that it was originally an ironworks founded by Dusznice councilor Zimmerman. All of them, however, are consistent with when Zieleniec was founded, and it was in the year 1719.

In 1762 the first wooden church was built here, in 1840 there was already a school, a mill and a quarry. However, already in those years, the tourist qualities of this place began to be appreciated, to which visitors came not only from the surrounding villages and towns.

Zieleniec tourism stood, stands and will stand!

Grunewald attracted tourists with its unique terrain, lush vegetation, beautiful forests and gentle mountains, ideal for walking. Residents of Bad Reinerz (Dusznik-Zdrój), but also of the towns further afield in Lower Silesia, came here.At the end of the 19th century, very active Germans began to notice that this is a place perfectly suitable for winter sports. It was not only about the great slopes, but also the climatic qualities. However, it should be emphasized that at the turn of the century winters were much more severe in general, however, even in Zieleniec there was a noticeable above-average length of frost and snow cover.

It was not long before the construction of the ski infrastructure began. At the dawn of the 20th century, the first ski slopes, a jumping hill, a toboggan run were built - supposedly as long as 1.5 kilometers. The intensive development of Zieleniec as a ski resort fell on the interwar period, especially since a beaten road was laid here, which made it much easier to get to this mountain resort.

The difficult post-war reality

As with many other places in Lower Silesia, the period after 1945 is a time when many of them declined significantly. Most of the indigenous people expelled from here often left almost everything behind. However, they did not have the opportunity to pass on the craft they had developed over the years, which today would probably be described as business know-how. Therefore, after 1945, a difficult time also came for Zieleniec. Local boarding houses, post-German hostels have deteriorated, skiers, tourists have forgotten about their place. Only... the Warsaw AWF came to the rescue, which began to appreciate the qualities of the local microclimate and terrain, starting training and meetings here. Soon after, representatives of the AWF from Wrocław took over the town, thanks to which Zieleniec slowly began to regain its former glory.

A resort not only for winter sports

The breakthrough period for the development of Zeleniec was first the 70s, then the very beginning of the 21st century. First (after 1970), the local ski infrastructure and the accommodation and catering base began to be dynamically expanded. The local climate became more and more important, which was the subject of detailed studies conducted primarily by Professor of the Wrocław AWF, Marek Zaton. Winters were above average long and snowy, ski conditions excellent for up to 150 days throughout the year. This result is significantly above the national average, resulting in further development of ski infrastructure, which peaked between 1975 and 1990 and the first and second decades of the 21st century until today.

Today Zieleniec is already part of Dusznik-Zdrój, but above all an extremely important holiday resort. And not only in winter, but also at other times of the year. A common denominator for all of them is a unique microclimate that promotes regeneration and effective rest. You can read more about this in the book “Zieleniec yesterday, today and tomorrow”, published especially for the 300th anniversary of Zieleniec, which can be purchased at the hotels and guesthouses located here.

Zieleniec has come a long and fascinating journey — from a mountain settlement to a modern resort of international renown. Thanks to the determination of the local community, the support of the academic community and the favorable microclimate, it was possible not only to restore the former potential, but also to develop a year-round sports and tourist offer. If you want to know more details, reach for the book “Zieleniec yesterday, today and tomorrow”, available in local hotels and guesthouses - and best of all... visit Zieleniec in person!