Pustelnia

Pustelnia is a summit 683 metres above sea level, the highest point of the Góry Krucze. Despite its name, which sounds like "hermitage" in Polish, it is not a sacred site, but a hill in the Sudetes, in Kamienna Góra County, near Lubawka.

Geology

The summit is built of Permian porphyries (trachytes) containing potassium feldspar and albite. At its foot, on the western and north-western sides, there are red sandstones and conglomerates. An old porphyry quarry has survived on the north-western slope.

Vegetation

The summit is covered with spruce forest of the lower montane zone, where rare plants grow: sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), oxlip (Primula elatior) and globeflower (Trollius europaeus).

Road along the slope

A road runs along the western slope of Pustelnia, linking Kamienna Góra with the border crossing at the Lubawka Pass, leading to the Czech Republic.

Nearby

A few kilometres away lies the Cistercian Abbey in Krzeszów, and closer to the summit, the Kruczy Kamień Nature Reserve and Krucza Skała.

Practical information

• Location: Góry Krucze, Kamienna Góra County, near Lubawka
• Getting there: via the road along the western slope, linking Kamienna Góra with the border crossing at the Lubawka Pass
• What to expect: a wooded summit with traces of a former porphyry quarry, no buildings or facilities