Lysa Góra
Encyclopedia
Łysa Góra ' is a well-known mountain in Świętokrzyskie Mountains
, Poland
. With a height of 595 meters (1,952 ft), it is the second highest mountain in that range (after Łysica at 612 meters or 2,008 ft). On its slopes and atop its summit are several hiking trails, the ruins of a pagan wall from 9th century, the Benedictine
monastery
Święty Krzyż from the 11th century (destroyed during the Second World War, now partially restored), and a Święty Krzyż TV Tower
. The mountain also features prominently in a local legend
about witches' sabbaths
.
and Cambrian
slate
s, lies in the eastern part of the Łysogóry range, and is the second largest peak of the larger Świętokrzyskie Mountains
(after Łysica). A notable mountain within the Świętokrzyski National Park
, it is a vital point in many sightseeing trails of the region. The blue path to Pętkowice begins here, and the red path from Gołoszyce to Kuźniaki
passes through here.
temple
of three gods, mentioned in the Annals of Jan Długosz. There are remains of a quartzite U-shaped wall surrounding the higher part of the mountain, with length of about 1.5 km and height of 2m from 8th-10th centuries. The temple was abandoned after the baptism of Poland
. The legend
about witches' sabbath
s is likely related to the old cult.
On the site of the pagan temple the Benedictine
monastery of Holy Cross
(Święty Krzyż) was founded (according to a legend, in 1006, by king of Poland, Bolesław Chrobry, but most sources give the 11th century). The monastery was named after a fragment from Christ' Cross
which was supposedly enshrined there, and was a site of frequent pilgrimages. The monastery was destroyed and rebuilt several times throughout its history, with the most significant destruction taking place in the 19th and 20th centuries. After partitions of Poland
, the Russian Empire
took over the building in 1819 and converted it into a prison
. Partially restored during the interwar period
after Poland regained independence
, it was taken over by the Nazi Germany
and used as a prison and execution site of Soviet prisoners of war (about 6000 perished here). Afterwards, the Polish communist government
transferred the building to the Świętokrzyski National Park, which renovated parts of them. Currently the National Park has a museum in some of the former buildings, while a part has been taken over by another religious order
(Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
). The abbey, although now past its Golden Age
, has given its names to the Świętokrzyskie Mountains
range as well as the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
itself. The abbey also holds some mummified bodies; one of them is rumored (but not confirmed) to belong to Prince Jeremi Wiśniowiecki
.
Another notable building found on the mountain is the Święty Krzyż TV Tower
; the tallest free-standing TV tower in Poland. Built in 1966, it is a 157 metre tall concrete tower.
The Soviet prisoners executed by the Nazis are buried in a mass grave
near the peak. At the bottom of the mountain, there is a monument to Poles who died in the Katyn massacre
.
Swietokrzyskie Mountains
Świętokrzyskie Mountains , are a mountain range in central Poland, in the vicinity of the city of Kielce. The mountain range consists of a number of separate ranges, the highest of which is Łysogóry . The two highest peaks are Łysica at 612 meters and Łysa Góra at 593 meters...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. With a height of 595 meters (1,952 ft), it is the second highest mountain in that range (after Łysica at 612 meters or 2,008 ft). On its slopes and atop its summit are several hiking trails, the ruins of a pagan wall from 9th century, the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
Święty Krzyż from the 11th century (destroyed during the Second World War, now partially restored), and a Święty Krzyż TV Tower
Swiety Krzyz TV Tower
Święty Krzyż TV Tower is the tallest free-standing TV tower in Poland. . Święty Krzyż TV Tower, which was built in 1966, is a 157 metre tall concrete TV tower situated near the monastery on Łysa Góra...
. The mountain also features prominently in a local legend
Lysa Hora (folklore)
Lysa Hora or Bald Mountain is a concept of East Slavic, and particularly Ukrainian, folk mythology related to witchcraft. According to legends, ravens, black eagles, witches and other paranormal creatures periodically gather on the "bald mountains" for their "Sabbath"...
about witches' sabbaths
Sabbath (witchcraft)
The Witches' Sabbath or Sabbat is a supposed meeting of those who practice witchcraft, and other rites.European records indicate cases of persons being accused or tried for taking part in Sabbat gatherings, from the Middle Ages to the 17th century or later.- Etymology :The English word “sabbat”...
.
Location
Łysa Góra, composed primarily of quartziteQuartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
and Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
s, lies in the eastern part of the Łysogóry range, and is the second largest peak of the larger Świętokrzyskie Mountains
Swietokrzyskie Mountains
Świętokrzyskie Mountains , are a mountain range in central Poland, in the vicinity of the city of Kielce. The mountain range consists of a number of separate ranges, the highest of which is Łysogóry . The two highest peaks are Łysica at 612 meters and Łysa Góra at 593 meters...
(after Łysica). A notable mountain within the Świętokrzyski National Park
Swietokrzyski National Park
Świętokrzyski National Park is a National Park in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in central Poland. It covers the highest ridge of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains – the Łysogory – with its two highest peaks: Łysica at and Łysa Góra at . It also covers the eastern part of the Klonowski...
, it is a vital point in many sightseeing trails of the region. The blue path to Pętkowice begins here, and the red path from Gołoszyce to Kuźniaki
Kuzniaki
Kuźniaki is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Strawczyn, within Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Strawczyn and north-west of the regional capital Kielce....
passes through here.
Notable landmarks
During the times of prehistory of Poland, Łysa Góra was likely a sacred mountain and a site of a pagan-cultCult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
of three gods, mentioned in the Annals of Jan Długosz. There are remains of a quartzite U-shaped wall surrounding the higher part of the mountain, with length of about 1.5 km and height of 2m from 8th-10th centuries. The temple was abandoned after the baptism of Poland
Baptism of Poland
The Baptism of Poland was the event in 966 that signified the beginning of the Christianization of Poland, commencing with the baptism of Mieszko I, who was the first ruler of the Polish state. The next significant step in Poland's adoption of Christianity was the establishment of various...
. The legend
Lysa Hora (folklore)
Lysa Hora or Bald Mountain is a concept of East Slavic, and particularly Ukrainian, folk mythology related to witchcraft. According to legends, ravens, black eagles, witches and other paranormal creatures periodically gather on the "bald mountains" for their "Sabbath"...
about witches' sabbath
Sabbath (witchcraft)
The Witches' Sabbath or Sabbat is a supposed meeting of those who practice witchcraft, and other rites.European records indicate cases of persons being accused or tried for taking part in Sabbat gatherings, from the Middle Ages to the 17th century or later.- Etymology :The English word “sabbat”...
s is likely related to the old cult.
On the site of the pagan temple the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery of Holy Cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
(Święty Krzyż) was founded (according to a legend, in 1006, by king of Poland, Bolesław Chrobry, but most sources give the 11th century). The monastery was named after a fragment from Christ' Cross
True Cross
The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.According to post-Nicene historians, Socrates Scholasticus and others, the Empress Helena The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a...
which was supposedly enshrined there, and was a site of frequent pilgrimages. The monastery was destroyed and rebuilt several times throughout its history, with the most significant destruction taking place in the 19th and 20th centuries. After partitions of Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
, the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
took over the building in 1819 and converted it into a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. Partially restored during the interwar period
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
after Poland regained independence
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, it was taken over by the Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and used as a prison and execution site of Soviet prisoners of war (about 6000 perished here). Afterwards, the Polish communist government
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
transferred the building to the Świętokrzyski National Park, which renovated parts of them. Currently the National Park has a museum in some of the former buildings, while a part has been taken over by another religious order
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
(Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782. The congregation was given recognition by Pope...
). The abbey, although now past its Golden Age
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline...
, has given its names to the Świętokrzyskie Mountains
Swietokrzyskie Mountains
Świętokrzyskie Mountains , are a mountain range in central Poland, in the vicinity of the city of Kielce. The mountain range consists of a number of separate ranges, the highest of which is Łysogóry . The two highest peaks are Łysica at 612 meters and Łysa Góra at 593 meters...
range as well as the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship
Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, or Świętokrzyskie Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is presently divided. It is situated in central Poland, in the historical province of Lesser Poland, and takes its name from the Świętokrzyskie mountain range...
itself. The abbey also holds some mummified bodies; one of them is rumored (but not confirmed) to belong to Prince Jeremi Wiśniowiecki
Jeremi Wisniowiecki
Jeremi Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki was a notable member of the aristocracy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Prince at Wiśniowiec, Łubnie and Chorol and a father of future Polish king Michał I...
.
Another notable building found on the mountain is the Święty Krzyż TV Tower
Swiety Krzyz TV Tower
Święty Krzyż TV Tower is the tallest free-standing TV tower in Poland. . Święty Krzyż TV Tower, which was built in 1966, is a 157 metre tall concrete TV tower situated near the monastery on Łysa Góra...
; the tallest free-standing TV tower in Poland. Built in 1966, it is a 157 metre tall concrete tower.
The Soviet prisoners executed by the Nazis are buried in a mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
near the peak. At the bottom of the mountain, there is a monument to Poles who died in the Katyn massacre
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
.