Poland’s Little-Known Land of Dormant Volcanoes
In south-west Poland lies an amazing region known as the Land of Dormant Volcanoes. It’s best known for its fabulous remnants of prehistoric volcanic activity which include a number of former volcanoes, lava cushions and rare minerals. But there’s also plenty of great historical architecture in this area which makes it interesting on more than just a geological level.
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Devil’s Rock near Pomocne, photo: SchiDD / Wikimedia.org
Unlike Iceland and Italy, Poland isn’t a European country that’s associated with volcanoes. All the volcanoes in today’s Poland ended their activity at least a few million years ago so nowadays there are no spectacular eruptions. However, there is a region in Poland that’s famous for its volcanic formations. In the country’s south-west you can find the Kaczawskie Hills and Foothills otherwise known as the Land of Dormant Volcanoes. Here there’s a 1290 square kilometre geopark (an area that protects geological heritage) centred around the village of Dobków, which includes plenty of intriguing traces of volcanic activity. Most notably, the area includes a dozen or so former volcanoes, a trace of the region’s explosive history. During three main periods – 500, 250 and 20 million years ago – volcanic eruptions in this region created unique geological formations which we can still admire today.
But apart from natural wonders, the region also has plenty to offer in terms of architectural monuments. Let’s go on a quick tour through some of the most important sites you can encounter in the Land of Dormant Volcanoes.
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Mount Ostrzyca near Proboszczów, photo: Łukasz Korzeniowski / East News
The tallest former volcano in the Kaczawskie Hills and Foothills is Mount Ostrzyca near the village of Proboszczów, which reaches up to 501 metres above sea level. Surrounded by rapeseed fields, this stand-alone hill has a classic volcanic shape and is an undeniable symbol of the region. Due to its characteristic conical form it’s called the Silesian Fujiyama (the Land of Dormant Volcanoes lies in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship). The hill is a volcanic plug, meaning a formation created from lava that cooled down in a volcano’s neck. Ostrzyca’s slopes are covered with a beautiful wood and over 400 steps carved in rock lead the way to the hill’s top. The summit is made of picturesque basalt rocks and offers a marvellous view of the Karkonosze and Izera Mountains.
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Halfway through the trail the climb becomes rather steep. […] The volcanic rocks form rocky hillsides dotted with bushes. The summit made up of black rocks brings to mind the fortified nest of a giant eagle or maybe the nest of a pterodactyl. The volcano may be dormant but the imagination explodes with associations.
Author
From ‘Wulkany w Polsce – Gdzie się Znajdują?’ an article at national-geographic.pl, trans. MK
Another prominent former volcano in the region can be found near the village of Pomocne. There stands the lone Devil’s Rock which reaches 463 metres above sea level. Like Mount Ostrzyca, Devil’s Rock is also a volcanic plug. It features a characteristic, 40-metre tall conical summit made of basalt. The summit’s accessible to climbers and devoid of trees; it offers a great view of the Kaczawskie Hills. In the past, Devil’s Rock was used as a quarry and that’s when certain parts of the hill were uncovered that put its amazing basalt formations on display. Today you can admire the pole-like structures of the hill that form a shape bringing to mind a reversed fan. Devli’s Rock is estimated to be 25-30 million years old.
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Wielisławka Organ near Świerzawa, photo: Marek Skorupski / Forum
Another intriguing formation uncovered due to the operations of a no longer active quarry is the Wielisławka Organ near the town of Świerzawa. This impressive precipice in Mount Wielisławka is, as the name implies, shaped like a pipe organ. The Wielisławka Organ was created about 250 million years ago and its unique form is the result of magma solidifying within a volcano’s neck, decreasing its volume and cracking. Today the 80-metre tall precipice consists of numerous pole-like elements that make up what looks like a giant musical instrument! The eye-catching red tint of the Wielisławka Organ is caused by the iron compounds present in the rocks (known as rhyolites) that make up this special formation.
Some of the oldest volcanic rocks in the Land of the Dormant Volcanoes can be found in the Myśliborski Ravine located to the west of the village of Myślibórz. This aesthetically-pleasing ravine is about 3.5 kilometres long and through its bed flows the Jawornik stream. Here you can find what’s referred to as pillow lava or lava cushions. These rocks were formed into a pillow-like shape approximately 500 million years ago during a submarine eruption. Back then the area of the Kaczawskie Hills and Foothills was covered by an ocean and the lava that came from beneath the ocean’s bed immediately came in touch with cool water forming what looks like pillows. The lava cushions in Myśliborski Ravine can be encountered in a few places, near the stream and in the ravine’s slopes.
The Land of the Dormant Volcanoes is also an area where you can find various rare minerals. It’s especially well-known for its deposits of agates and amethysts. You can go searching for these two minerals, for example, at the former quarry in the village of Lubiechowa. There, among the solidified lava streams that make up the rocks of the old quarry, you can find geodes and nodules (stones that have a cavity filled with minerals or crystals) containing agate and amethyst. But there are more rare deposits in the Kaczawskie Hills and Foothills:
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Due to geological processes, including earth movements and volcanic eruptions, a great variety of precious rocks and minerals came into existence here. In the region you can find: pyrite, azurite, malachite, galena, native silver, agate, amethyst, quartz, rubies, zircon, garnets, corundum, topazes, tourmaline, titanite, emeralds, gypsum and more. Even gold is known to be contained in river sediments.
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From ‘Kraina Wygasłych Wulkanów’ at polskieszlaki.pl, trans. MK
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Grodziec Castle, photo: P. Dziurman / Reporter / East News
As already mentioned, you can find not only natural wonders in this region but also intriguing architectural monuments. One of the most important of the latter is Grodziec Castle which stands on top of… a former volcano! This historical building dating back (at least) to the 12th century was raised on top of Mount Grodziec, a standalone hill in the north of the Kaczawskie Foothills. Mount Grodziec has an altitude of 389 metres and is made up of nephelinites, or volcanic rocks similar to basalt, formed about 32 million years ago.
In the 16th century, Grodziec Castle underwent a reconstruction when it was given its current Renaissance-Gothic shape. Throughout its long history, this sizeable building was battered by war a couple of times, but fortunately has been rebuilt. Today you can admire its impressive residential buildings, chapel, walls and towers. Taking a walk through the castle’s numerous galleries, passages and terraces is said to be a real treat. But watch out to stay clear of the ghost!
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It’s a phantom skeleton – the naked bones are covered with steel armour, but the white skull glows in the dark as the apparition doesn’t wear a helmet. It walks slowly, like a warrior whose moves are hindered by heavy armour, and disappears suddenly. The Red Phantom has been haunting Grodziec Castle for ages.
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From ‘Czerwony Upiór z Grodźca’ at wilanow-palac.pl, trans. MK
The Red Phantom is said to be the ghost of one of the knights that resided in the castle in the Middle Ages. More recently, the castle was used by the celebrated Polish theatre director and theoretician Jerzy Grotowski. In 1977, he organised a para-theatrical event here called Góra Płomienia (Flame Mountain) which was meant to put its participants in a special psychological state, one that Grotowski identified as the historical root of all theatre.
Another curious site that combines volcanic and architectural history is located in the town of Wleń. Here you can find the hilltop ruins of the mediaeval Wleń Castle, which was built on… clearly visible lava cushions. The remains of this building aren’t as well preserved as Grodziec Castle but still constitute a major attraction – Wleń Castle dates back to the 10th century and is therefore one of the oldest castles in all of Poland. A characteristic element of Wleń Castle is the cylindrical 15th-century tower that has survived into our times mostly intact. From there you can enjoy a wonderful view of the Kaczawskie Hills and Foothills as well as the Izera Mountains.
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Złotoryja’s Old Town, photo: Bartlomiej Kudowicz / Forum
A very interesting architectural monument in the area of the Kaczawskie Hills and Foothills can be found in the village Siedlęcin. There stands a fabulous Gothic residential tower dating back to the 14th century. This building measures over 33 metres in height and is one of the largest mediaeval residential towers in Central Europe. The Siedlęcin tower is splendid on the outside but also its interior is very interesting as it contains absolutely unique polychromes depicting the tale of Sir Lancelot. These polychromes were created between the years 1330-1350 and are the only historical wall paintings showing the story of Sir Lancelot, remaining in their original location.
A whole array of historical buildings can be enjoyed in Złotoryja, a picturesque town in the north of the Land of the Dormant Volcanoes. The town is located on the Kaczawa river and historically its economy was based on extracting gold from river sediments. Złotoryja gained city rights in the year 1211 and today its beautiful Old Town is a reminder of its long history. Among the town’s amazing historical structures you can find plenty of old tenement houses, the mediaeval Kowalska Tower and the 13th-century Church of the Birth of Saint Virgin Mary which exhibits Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance traits.
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Złotoryja has a beautiful market square and a charming, recently renovated Old Town. As you walk along the main boulevard you can easily become enchanted with this place. Between the colourful tenement houses you can see subsequent fragments of the magnificent city walls and the Kowalska Tower standing in the end of Basztowa Street is a sight to behold.
Author
From the 2015 article ‘Zamek Godny Jesieni’ at kobieta.gazeta.pl, trans. MK
An interesting attraction, although not a historical one, is located right in the heart of the Land of the Dormant Volcanoes, in Dobków. Here you can find the Sudecka Zagroda Edukacyjna (Sudety Educational Farmstead), a great institution that aims to educate its visitors about geology in a family-friendly way. At the farmstead you can browse a collection of minerals from the Kaczawskie Hills and Foothills, take a look at models of volcanoes or hop onto a mechanical platform that simulates an earthquake. The institution also has a special room devoted to the geological and architectural wonders of the region. It’s worth adding that there’s way more of them than are described in this article. If you’re curious what these other wonders are you may want to visit the Land of the Dormant Volcanoes to find out for yourself…
Written by Marek Kępa, Apr 21
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