Mountain Hut

Gross-Iser, a small village in the Izera Mountains, had about 240 inhabitants before World War II, organized in 43 houses, with inns, shelters, a school, and other facilities. In 1938, a new school building was erected in the village, equipped with a classroom, a library, a workshop for boys, and a kitchen for girls. After the war, on May 10, 1945, the village was occupied by Soviet soldiers, and the owner of the shelter, Paul Hirt, was murdered. The school, modern for its time with complete plumbing and sewage systems, was vandalized and stripped of its equipment. After the war, the entire population was displaced, and the houses were demolished; only the school building survived. In the 1980s, after being adapted by students from Zielona Góra, the former school building was converted into a tourist shelter. Today, the facility is run by Wiesława and Sławomir Polańscy and their family. Gross-Iser is also an attractive destination for tourists, with numerous hiking trails, including the red trail leading to Jakuszyce, and cycling routes such as the Izera Loop. The history of this settlement, completely destroyed after the war, sparks interest as it recalls bygone times when it was bustling with life, serving as a place for meetings, learning, and work for the local community. Today, the only remnants of Gross-Iser are the tourist shelter and a woodshed, which stand as testaments to the rich yet tragic history of this place.