Kościelec

Kościelec is a hill 802 metres above sea level in the Central Sudetes, in the central part of the Kamienne Mountains range, in Wałbrzych County.

Location

The summit lies south-west of Głuszyca, between the neighbouring hills of Ruprechticki Szpiczak and Słodna. The entire summit lies on the Polish side of the border, although the state border with the Czech Republic runs nearby, at its foot. The Czech, south-eastern part of the slope forms part of the Broumovsko Protected Landscape Area. In historical German sources the mountain was called Hüttenberg, and in Czech it is sometimes called Čertův vrch.

Geology and vegetation

Kościelec is built of Permian porphyries, also called trachytes, belonging to the northern flank of the Intra-Sudetic Basin. The slopes are covered mainly by spruce forests of a monoculture character, though fragments of mixed and deciduous forest, including beech woods, have survived in places.

Trails nearby

Two hiking trails pass beneath the summit: on the Polish side a green trail running from Tłumaczów to Goliński, on the Czech side a blue trail connecting Broumov with Meziměstí.

Practical information

• Nearest village: Łomnica, Wałbrzych County
• Access is possible via the green Tłumaczów - Goliński trail, which runs at the foot of the summit
• Nearby lie other summits of the Kamienne Mountains, including Waligóra and Rogowiec with Rogowiec Castle
• Free entry, the area is open