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Szczeliniec Wielki
919 m a.s.l.
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A sandstone labyrinth
Szczeliniec is a cracked table mountain of Upper Cretaceous sandstones that formed in the sea. Weathered rocks form shapes resembling people and animals – the Camel, the Monkey, the Brooding Hen – and a labyrinth of gorges and passages such as Piekiełko, Little Hell. The passages have their own microclimate, and in places snow lies until July.
Source: Polish Wikipedia – Szczeliniec Wielki (CC BY-SA)
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680 steps
680 steps lead to the summit, laid in 1814 by Franz Pabel, the village head of Karłów and the first guide. In 1576 the inscription IHSV 1576 was carved on a rock called Fotel Pradziada, the Great-Grandfather’s Armchair – the oldest known trace of people on the summit. Visitors included Goethe and John Quincy Adams.
Source: Polish Wikipedia – Szczeliniec Wielki (CC BY-SA)
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The top level of the Table Mountains
A hundred million years ago there was a shallow sea here, on whose floor alternating layers of sandstone formed. The uplifted rocks wear away unevenly, so the Table Mountains have several levels – Szczeliniec Wielki is a remnant of the highest one. Water seeps into vertical cracks, washes out loose material and breaks blocks off the edges of the plateau; this is how the local rock forms arose over the last million years.
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Relief
The lowest point in the 8 × 8 km square around the summit lies at 371 m a.s.l. – 548 m below the peak.
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Trails
39 marked trails run through the 8 × 8 km square. 2 green trails lead to the summit itself.
- red3
- blue14
- green13
- yellow8
- black1
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The summit
The 919 m on the Crown list is a geodetic survey point below the viewing terrace. The highest point of the peak is the Fotel Pradziada rock – 922 m a.s.l. In the GUGiK digital terrain model the summit is 921.5 m high – 2.5 m higher than on the Crown of Polish Mountains list.