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Szklarska Poręba
Wielki Szyszak rises to 1509 m above sea level in the western part of the Silesian Ridge, on the Polish-Czech border near Szklarska Poręba. Only Śnieżka is higher on the Polish side of the range. The peak neighbours the Śnieżne Kotły cirques, Śmielec and Łabski Szczyt, and its dome is treeless, covered with a blockfield of granite boulders. On clear days the panorama takes in the whole ridge and the valleys on both sides of the border.
The summit holds the ruins of a monument to Emperor Wilhelm I, erected in 1888. Subalpine plant communities, peat bogs and glacial cirques visible from the nearby paths are equally striking. The name Wielki Szyszak came into use only after 1945; earlier the mountain was known as Wielkie Koło.
The approach follows the red trail from Szklarska Poręba and takes more than three hours. No marked trail runs onto the summit itself, which is reached by a stone-block road branching off the ridge. The route is long and calls for mountain footwear and a supply of water.
