The elevation with a height of 367 metres above sea level is located in the eastern part of the Kaczawskie Foothills in the ‘Chełmy’ Landscape Park, within the tectonic threshold that separates the upland area of the Foothills from the Jawor Plain. As the name suggests, Bazaltowa is built of volcanic origin rocks – basalts, and owes its distinction to their greater resistance to weathering compared to the surrounding metamorphic rocks – greenschists and phyllites.
Below the flattened summit, there are two excavations of inactive basalt quarries: on the eastern and northern slopes. In the less overgrown eastern quarry, a vertical cut of columnar basalt is exposed, with a palisade of thick columns reaching up to 10 metres in height and up to 0.5 metres in width. The mountain top and part of the slopes are covered with a thermophilic oak forest, and the moderate density of trees creates favourable conditions for the development of undergrowth and understory vegetation. Commonly found here are, among others, Turk’s cap lily, numerous species of orchids, and mezereum.
At the summit, there is a 10-metre-high observation tower, built in 1906 from local basalt. After renovations in the 1990s, the platform at the summit is accessible, but the growth of trees has diminished the scenic views from the location.
The most convenient approach to Bazaltowa is from the forest car park along the road from Paszowice to Lipa (red trail), and it takes about 25 minutes. From the upper edge of the quarry, there is a limited view in the eastern direction.
Description: Piotr Migoń
Trip route: