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Łysica
614 m a.s.l.
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The lowest of the Crown
Łysica, commonly called Góra Świętej Katarzyny, is the lowest peak of the Crown of Polish Mountains. It has two summits about 700 m apart: the eastern one – a rocky crest called Skała Agaty or Zamczysko – and the western one, with a replica of a cross from 1930.
Source: Polish Wikipedia – Łysica (Góry Świętokrzyskie) (CC BY-SA)
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Firs and boulder fields
The mountain is built of Cambrian quartzites and shales; the summit is surrounded by boulder fields, gołoborza, to the north and south. It is entirely forested – with fir near the top – and lies in the strictly protected zone of Świętokrzyski National Park. Among the birds nesting here is the lesser spotted eagle.
Source: Polish Wikipedia – Łysica (Góry Świętokrzyskie) (CC BY-SA)
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Stones from the Ice Age
The boulder fields formed during the last glaciation, roughly 74,000–8,500 years ago, when water freezing in cracks split Cambrian quartzite sandstones – some of the oldest rocks exposed in Poland. They no longer form today, only very slowly become overgrown; the first tree on their edges is the rowan, whose roots grow through the gaps between the boulders.
Source: Świętokrzyski National Park – the Świętokrzyskie boulder fields
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Relief
The lowest point in the 8 × 8 km square around the summit lies at 272 m a.s.l. – 342 m below the peak.
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Trails
8 marked trails run through the 8 × 8 km square. 3 trails lead to the summit itself: 1 red and 2 blue.
- red2
- blue4
- green1
- black1
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The summit
In 2019 it was confirmed that the highest point of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains is Łysica’s eastern summit, Agata (613.96 m a.s.l. against 613.33 m a.s.l. for Łysica).