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Wieś Chałupki
The Border Meanders of the Oder are a roughly seven-kilometre stretch of river near Chałupki in the Racibórz district, where the Oder marks the Polish-Czech frontier. The channel here was never regulated, so the river freely changes shape, undercuts its banks and forms loops — a sight that is exceptional by Polish standards. The stretch runs from the former Chałupki-Bohumín crossing to the mouth of the Olza.
Riverside meadows and woods form a compact ecosystem of willow-poplar riparian forest, osier beds and oxbow lakes. Beavers and otters live here and waterfowl appear in numbers. The area was placed under protection in 2004 as the Meanders of the Oder River, and in 2009 it was included in the Natura 2000 network as the Border Meander of the Oder.
A walking route follows the meanders and gives a clear view of successive loops and undercut banks. The best vantage point is the 27-metre observation tower, reached by 114 steps — from the top you take in the whole pattern of the river and the borderland fields. The paths have a natural surface and can be muddy after rain.
