Barely visible earthen hillfort in the Owl Mountains, on the border between the form of a stronghold and a castle.
The Forteczna Hillfort in Rościszów lies in the north-western part of the Owl Mountains, at an altitude of 535 metres above sea level, about 2.8 kilometres north of Kamionki, within the Owl Mountains Landscape Park. The name "Grodzisko" (hillfort) is used for many sites in Lower Silesia, so it is worth remembering that this refers specifically to the hill known as Forteczna.
The surviving earthwork represents an intermediate form between an early medieval stronghold and a late medieval castle. At the top there are also remains of fortifications from the Seven Years' War in the 18th century, built by Austrian troops.
The site has an oval outline, surrounded by a moat on three sides, laid out on the plan of three concentric circles with a high point in the middle. The whole area covers about 1.5 hectares. The hill is built of Precambrian gneiss and migmatite, covered with Pleistocene deposits, and has a varied relief with steep slopes. The Austrian fortifications on the neighbouring hill at 433 m above sea level to the north-east are more legible than the traces of the hillfort itself, which, because of its indistinct summit and its resemblance to the surrounding terrain, is difficult to identify.
About 5 kilometres away rises Wielka Sowa, the highest peak of the Owl Mountains, with an observation tower on its summit.
Numerous forest roads lead to the hill, crossing its western, eastern and northern slopes. Sources do not indicate a marked tourist trail leading directly to the hillfort, so the route is worth planning with a map of the Owl Mountains.
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