How was the Błędów Desert created?
Curious about the origin of the Błędów Desert?
Its sands are remnants of the Ice Age. However, there used to be... a dense forest here! The forests were only cleared in the 13th century during the silver and lead mines' establishment in Olkusz and its surroundings. Intensive deforestation + sandy soil + low groundwater levels led to the creation of a desert of "anthropogenic" origin - meaning "created by humans".
At the beginning of the 20th century, the desert was truly huge! It covered over 150 km2 (now it is about 33 km2). After World War II, it began to overgrow. Since the beginning of the 21st century, efforts have been made to restore the desert character of the area (including the protection of rare dune vegetation).
The legend of the Błędów Desert's creation
There is a "grain of truth" in it, as it is also connected to the Olkusz mines. It turns out that the local devil was not pleased that people had "discovered" the treasures hidden underground, namely the silver deposits. He wondered how to prevent the miners from extracting the valuable ore, he thought and thought... and came up with the idea of burying the mine shafts with sand! The sand came all the way from the Baltic Sea. Unfortunately, when he was flying with it to Olkusz, he got scared by the ringing church bells (or according to another version: he accidentally hit the church tower with his bag), and the sand scattered.
The Błędów Desert and Pan Twardowski
Another version of the legend connects the creation of the Błędów Desert with Pan Twardowski. Allegedly, it was formed through his magic.
Pan Twardowski
Once upon a time, there lived a sorcerer named Jan Twardowski in Krakow. He knew that with the help of the devil, he would have greater power for his spells. ...
Or maybe you will go on a trip to the Błędów Desert?
Here you will find all the necessary information:
Błędów Desert - How to Get There, Viewpoints, Attractions
Błędów Desert - the largest inland area of flying sand and dunes in Poland. Surrounded by forest, the Błędów Desert covers an area of approximately 33 km² (less than 10 km long and 4 km wide). ...
Publish Date: 2021-11-05