Geotourism Valorisation of Selected Quarries of Kłodzko Region and Cieszyn Foothills

The inactive marble quarry in Kletno, referred to as Kletno I (Fig. 2B, Table 2), is located in the south-eastern part of the Kłodzko region, in the northern part of the Śnieżnik Massif, in the upper part of the Kleśnica valley, in the village of Kletno (50°14′15.86″ N, 16°50′52.22″ E). More precisely, it is located near the access road and the tourist trail (yellow colour) leading towards Jaskinia Niedźwiedzia (the Bear Cave). Its convenient location and visual prominence attracts frequent tourists. The outcrop of dolomite marbles forms a rectangle, 300 m long and 170 m wide, which is surrounded by mica schist (Ciężkowski 1989, Cacoń et al. 1993). Almost the entire outcrop area is occupied by Kletno I slope quarry. Lenses of carbonate rocks, about 40 m thick and 100 m long (Koszela 1997) are exposed there. In the quarry there are small caves and shelters between several and a dozen metres long. At the foot of the excavation walls there is rock debris resulting from erosive activity of water and weathering. The bottom of the excavation is partially filled with water. The first information on the occurrence of marbles in Kletno dates back to around 1865 (Ciężkowski 1986, Ciężkowski et al. 1996). Exploitation activity was carried out in the 1930s. After World War II, quarries resumed operation in 1958. The raw material was exploited until 1993. The object was closed due to its detrimental impact on Jaskinia Niedźwiedzia discovered in 1966. The quarry represents the slope and pit type. In the vicinity of the quarry there are numerous protected plant species, including orchids Dactylorhiza fuchsii subsp. Fuchsie and Orchis militaris as well as rare animals’ species, in this part of the Sudetes, such as the mountain goat Rupicapra Rupicapra.

Fig. 2

The quarry (of slope type) is located in the Eastern Sudetes, on the southern slope of Mt Krzyżnik (about 701 m; 50°17′0.57″ N, 16°51′29.86″ E), part of the Śnieżnik Massif. The excavation is located approx. 200 m below the peak. An unmarked and overgrown path leads to the excavation site. In the lower part of the quarry there are visible white crystalline limestones, which gradually turn upwards into mica schist (Fig. 2A). The thickest (several metres) layer of crystalline limestones, occurs in the form of a recumbent fold, whose amplitude is 20 m, with a radius of 7 m. In the upper part of the outcrop there are thinner layers and lenses of marbles in the form of recumbent and overturned folds. Minerals are represented by garnets and calcites. In numerous places there are holes remaining after mining blasting works (Table 2).

The described quarry (slope type) is located on the north-western slope of Mt. Siniak 658 m), (50°19′26.08″ N, 16°50′1.83″ E). It is located approx. 150 m from the red trail going from Lądek-Zdrój towards Czarna Góra (1205 m). A forest path leaves the trail and leads towards the excavation site. At the intersection of these routes there are small wooden amenities (for recreation purposes) and a signpost to the excavation site. The geological structure of the peak includes mica schist, gneisses, amphibolites, quartzites and marbles (Figs 2C, D, Table 2). The quarry reveals quartzites among which there are minerals such as quartz, muscovite, tourmaline, garnet. Its geotourist attractiveness is enriched by the overturned fold flank visible in the side wall of the excavation, in its eastern part; an interesting outcrop of black graphite quartzites occurring in the north-western side of the summit, as well as by the occurrence of small folds with visible quartz veins. The quarry is included in the didactic path Trail of rocks of the Strońska Formation. The interior of the quarry is overgrown with shrubs. The upper edge of the quarry is an interesting scenic point offering a panorama of Massif of Śnieżnik, Krowiarka and Złote Mountains.

Quarry Czarne Urwisko (slope type) is located in the Eastern Sudetes, in the Złote Mountains, on Mt. Strzybnik slope (about 720 m), within the administrative boundaries of the town of Lądek-Zdrój (50°21′25.99″ N, 16°53′38.98″ E). The quarry reveals a basalt volcanic pipe formation with a distinct vertical separation (Jaworska 1986). These rocks, forming four-, five- and six-angle columns, were created due to tensions in the cooling lava (Table 2). The resulting cracks perpendicular to the cooling surface are called a thermal joint. The specimens include olivine and pyroxene crystals or volcanic glass. In the 19^th century, a slope quarry operated here. It uncovered a wall of approximately 60 meters of height. The object has been entered into the Catalogue of geotourism objects in Poland (Słomka et al. 2006). A marked path leads to the upper edge of the quarry, with a panorama of the Śnieżnik Massif. In the past, on the edge of the former excavation site there was an observation platform on which from the mid-19^th century to 1945 there was an arbour. Access to the lower parts of the object is hindered by a mixed forest.

The discussed quarry is located in the southern part of the Stołowe Mountains, on the slopes of Wysoki Kamień, above the Bystrzyca Dusznicka valley and on the Szczytna – Polanica Zdrój route, above the railway embankment (50°23′59.1″ N, 16°29′15.1″ E). The excavation can be accessed by a forest road, not marked, which diverts from an asphalt road, directly behind the bridge over the Bystrzyca Dusznicka. The described object belongs to the Radków Sandstone Mine, though the exploitation has not been carried out for several years.

In the quarry, the Upper Cretaceous sandstones of the Sudetian depression are exposed. In addition, there are sandstone layers, whose thickness ranges from several to a dozen or so meters, with a distinct joint separateness. The sandstone is white, yellow and cream-coloured, fine-grained, with a random structure. It has silica cementation. Rock mining in the area of Szczytna functioned already in the 19^th century. The quarry is of a slope type. Millstones were made in the local sandstone quarry. Sandstone from Szczytna Zamek was used for decorative elements in numerous buildings of Warszawa, Kraków, Poznań, as well as Berlin and Koszyce (Walendowski 2009).

The quarry is located in the complex of excavations located in the area of Jasieniowa Góra in Goleszów, also known as Goleszowska Górka (about 520 m; 49°43′22.546″ N, 18°44′1.099″ E). It is located on a karst lake called Pod Księżycem. The easiest way to reach it is along a forest road from the forester’s lodge in Cisownica (Kasprowska-Nowak 2017a). The Na Jasieniowej quarry has an attractive outcrop of the Carpathian flysch (Fig. 2G, Table 2), which is covered by nature conservation as Jasieniowa documentation site. It consists of series of different rocks – mainly light grey or grey-brown Cieszyn limestones with dendrites, interlayered with grey and green marly schist with a rich paleontological material (represented e.g. by ammonoidea, crinoidea and brachiopoda). The quarry is an excellent scenic point, offering views in the direction of the Silesian Beskid and Ustroń ranges. In addition, there is a small rock shelter marked as Shelter in Jasieniowa (code: Ps-01.03 in the Cave Objects Database of the Polish Flysch Carpathians). The history of the quarry goes back to the 17th century, and should be associated with limestone calcination in lime kilns that were located on the slopes of Jasieniowa Góra. Its rapid development falls on the first half of the 20^th century and is related to increased demand for lime and the production of cement in the nearby Goleszów Cement Plant (it operated from 1898 to 1991). In the years 1942–1945, the cement plant was a branch of the Auschwitz concentration camp, in which, as well as in nearby quarries, the prisoners worked (Stanieczek 2015). The cement produced in it was of the highest quality – of the Portland type (before the founding of the cement plant there was a slate-stone burner there). Until the early 1950s, the output from the quarry was transported to the cement plant by means of a wooden narrow-gauge railway. After World War II, above the quarry, there was a cargo railway line, closed in 1984.

The discussed quarry (associated with the exploitation of Cieszyn limestones for the needs of the local construction industry) is located in Dzięgielów (Goleszów commune) on the wooded hill of Mołczyn (about 440 m; 49°42′27.08″ N, 18°42′32.22″ E). More precisely, it is located opposite the Cieszyn limestone mine in Leszna Górna (the only active one in Cieszyn Silesia), near the Poland-Czech Republic border crossing. Near the quarry there are marked cycling trails (the Main Carpathian Bicycle Trail and the Border Trail). The area of the quarry is about 16 acres and is surrounded by mixed forest and a hay meadow. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that since 1970 it has been adapted for the needs of an apiary composed of beehives in the shape of highland huts (Fig. 2H, Table 2), known in the region as the Bee Town (Kasprowska-Nowak 2017b). In its western wall of several metres of height, outcrops of Cieszyn limestone can be observed. Loose rock blocks found at the bottom of the excavation have been arranged into circles by the quarry owners. Along with other rocks, transported from the quarry in Leszna Górna, they create a variety of garden compositions and are elements of foundations, thus diversifying the landscape of the bee farm, where you can relax and taste local bee products. The Na Mołczynie quarry space perfectly harmonizes with the surrounding landscape of the Silesian Beskid. In addition, it can be considered an important symbol of the regional heritage associated not only with apiculture, but also with the history of the local mining industry and folk art.

The quarry (also known as the quarry with a shrine) is located on Kamienna Street in Zamarski (Hażlach commune) near Cieszyn (around 310 m; 49°46′53.1″ N, 18°38′46.4″ E), in the bottom of the Piotrówka valley, where iron ores (spherosiderites) were extracted. It is the site of the former extraction of coarse and medium-grained teschenites, for local needs (in road construction and as a component of mortar). Teschenites occur here in the form of stone pillars (height over 10 m) leaning towards the east (Fig. 2F, Table 2). Occasionally they are accompanied by pyroclastic rocks in the form of fine layers of tuffs (Kasprowska-Nowak 2014). Its bottom is covered with teschenites waste (ideal as a mineral fertilizer for growing plants) and large rock blocks partially arranged in the shape of a cross, because it serves as a chapel for services. The interior of the quarry and rock shelves are filled with small religious items (figures), wooden benches and partly with litter. The exploitation of teschenites in the discussed quarry as well as in other quarries (described below) took place at the turn of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. The characterized rock raw materials were used for the needs of local construction and road building. Today they have no economic significance.

The quarry is located in Cieszyn – Boguszowice on Majowa St., in the left, steep slope of the Kalembianka stream (about 290 m; 49°46′11.8″ N, 18°37′27.2″ E). The quarry reveals one of the largest intrusions of teschenite rocks in Cieszyn Foothills. It has a shape of an amphitheatre (25 × 25 m) with rock walls reaching up to 17 m of height. In its lower part there are dark finegrained, sometimes porphyry, teschenites, which contact upper Cieszyn slates of a bright colour. In the contact zones, layers of dark contact hornstone and rust-coloured banded hornstone are exposed. The interior of the quarry is covered with large rock blocks and teschenites waste. The described quarry is on the list of potential geological objects in the Cieszyn region which meet the criteria to be covered by a form of protection as documentation sites (Lamparska-Wieland 2001, Table 2).

This object (of a rock shelter type) is located in the northern district of Cieszyn-Marklowice, in the left slope of a deep ravine in the Kopce nature reserve (about 282 m; 49°46′44.1″ N, 18°36′23.6″ E). It is known in the region as the Ondraszkowa dziura (the name comes from a legend associated with a highland robber’s den) or Shelter in Marklowice (code: K.Ps-01.01S in the Cave Objects Database of the Polish Flysch Carpathians; Fig. 2E, Table 2). Its length is about 6 m, and the width is about 2.5 m. The opening has a circular shape and a northern exposure. The terrace in its vicinity is small (about 3 × 4 m) and covered with rock debris. It falls in the direction of the stream which flows 3 m below. The bottom of the shelter is partially littered and covered with leaves. It accumulates water in the form of a small lake, which freezes in winter and ice caps are formed on the walls. The ceiling is angular, damp and iron-containing. In its interior numerous spiders and slugs from the family Boettgerillidae can be observed. The object was mentioned by Czudek (1929), and then by Kowalski (1954), who described it as a several-metre-long tunnel, carved in the rock and partially buried. There are many indications that this is an underground excavation (adit) of teschenites extraction. In 2004 in the left rock face a round hole with a small diameter was identified, which most probably is a remnant of mining blasting works. Microscopic analyses indicate that the teschenites building the object are heavily weathered (biological weathering effect). In their chemical composition, analcime, hornblende, biotite, iron oxides, titanium, pyrite, chlorite and apatite were found. It is assumed that the area of the Ondraszkowa dziura is part of a larger mining area, where Cieszyn limestones were also extracted (Kasprowska 2010, Kasprowska-Nowak 2014).