Ślęża, Mountain summit in Lower Silesia, Poland.
Ślęża is a granite summit in Lower Silesia, Poland, located near Sobótka in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. The mountain rises about 30 km southwest of Wrocław and forms the highest point of the Sudeten Foreland.
Already in the Neolithic, the mountain was a holy site for tribes of the Lusatian culture, who built settlements here and held rituals. In the Middle Ages a monastery was established on the summit, later joined by a castle and a pilgrimage church.
The name Silesia may come from this mountain and refers to the Silingi, a Germanic tribe who lived here long before Christianity arrived. Visitors today come for the chapel at the top and the old stone sculptures that recall pre-Christian rituals.
Several marked hiking trails lead to the summit from different directions and offer varying difficulty levels for visitors of all ages. A mountain hut at the top provides refreshment, and the observation tower allows a panoramic view over the flat surroundings.
Around the summit stand many worked granite blocks, likely used as cult stones and dating back to pre-Christian times. Some of these stones bear simple faces or patterns that can be discovered in the terrain among the trees.
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