Location and geological history
Radogost (398 metres) is a hill located in the eastern part of the Kaczawskie Foothills within the “Chełmy” Landscape Park. It is situated within a tectonic ridge that separates the upland area of the foothills from the Jawor Plain. It is composed of old metamorphic rocks – greenstones, which formed through the transformation of submarine basaltic lavas from the early Paleozoic era.
The most spectacular exposures of greenstones, with partially preserved pillow lava structures, can be seen at the base of the hill in the Paszówka Valley, near the car park along the Jawor – Lipa road. These exposures can reach heights of up to 6 metres. Within these exposures, there is an artificial niche several meters wide, known as the Hermit’s Grotto (Grota Pustelnika). At the summit of Radogost, there may have been a defensive hillfort in the Middle Ages, but no traces of it have survived.
Observation tower and other attractions
Today, there is an observation tower standing at the summit. It was built in 1893 in the pseudo-Gothic style. It was renovated and reopened to the public in 1993. The viewing platform is located at a height of 22 metres and offers a panoramic view in all directions, with prominent features including the Strzegomskie Hills, the Jawor Plain, the eastern part of the Kaczawskie Mountains, and the Kaczawskie Foothills in the foreground.
The slopes of Radogost are forested, and a notable plant community in the area is the sunny, warm-loving oak forest. From the village of Kłonice towards the summit, there is a memorial alley lined with Douglas fir trees. In the village of Kłonice, located at the foot of Radogost, there is an impressive Neo-Renaissance palace that was created through the 19th-century reconstruction of an older Renaissance manor dating back to the late 16th century.
Description: Piotr Migoń
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