Land of Extinct Volcanoes

The Kaczawskie hills west of Legnica carry the remains of Cenozoic volcanism - eruptions in the Oligocene and Miocene whose cones have been entirely eroded away, leaving what was underneath: basalt plugs standing as isolated conical hills, sills, and quarry faces showing columnar jointing where the lava cooled and cracked into hexagons. Ostrzyca Proboszczowicka, at 501 metres, is the best-known plug and is called the Silesian Fuji for its shape; Wilcza Gora at Zlotoryja has a quarry with a fan of columns exposed; Wielislawka has similar. The area was designated a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2024. Around the volcanic sites the district has other things: gold was panned and mined at Zlotoryja from the medieval period and there is a working gold-panning museum and championship, and there are basalt caves and old mines. It is quiet, rural, and needs a car and a plan.

What you'll find

• Eroded volcanic plumbing - basalt plugs standing where the cones have gone entirely.
• Columnar jointing - hexagonal columns exposed in quarry faces at Wilcza Gora.
• Ostrzyca - a conical 501-metre plug called the Silesian Fuji.
• Gold panning at Zlotoryja - a medieval trade with a museum and a championship.

When to go

April to October. Two days, with a car.

Practical notes

Sites are scattered across a rural district and need driving between. Interpretation is uneven despite the geopark designation. Some quarries are working or fenced. Public transport is inadequate.

Nearby

Zlotoryja and Jawor are the district towns; Legnica is east.