Żmijowiec, Kletno, Gmina Stronie Śląskie, Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Polandi

Regional Level Types
Żmijowiec	Deposit
Kletno	Village
Gmina Stronie Śląskie	Gmina
Kłodzko County	County
Lower Silesian Voivodeship	Voivodeship
Poland	Country

Serpentinite body on Żmijowiec (1153 m above sea level), a peak in the Śnieżnik Massif with a long and winding ridge (former German name Otter Köppel).

What follows is a translation of the original Polish Wikipedia:

It is part of the north and the north-west ridge leading from Śnieżnik towards Czarna Góra, the Puchaczówka Pass and Krowiarek. It has three heights (from the south): 1148 m, 1142 m and 1153 m. The latter (highest) is crowned with a group of Marian Rocks (also called Nowowiejskie Rocks on some maps). Located near Czarna Góra, known for its large ski resort in the village of Sienna, to the northeast of Międzygórze. Some of the lifts and ski slopes of this complex run along the slopes of Żmijowiec. The slopes of the mountain are covered with an old spruce forest of lower montane forest, and in places also upper montane forest with an admixture of beech and fir. The plateau itself is partly exposed and covered with a wild, uncultivated meadow, and partly with spruce thickets.

The Żmijowiec Massif is built of metamorphic rocks of the Strońska series, belonging to the Lądka and Śnieżnik Metamorphic Complex. They are mainly mica slates with inserts and lenses of mica-slate with garnet, marble (crystalline limestone), quartzite, amphibolite, serpentinite.

In the early 1950s, intensive mining exploration and production of uranium ore was carried out on the slope of this mountain in the deposit called "Kopaliny". These works were carried out by the secret R-1 Industrial Plant. Within a few years, 37 km of workings were drilled in Żmijowiec on 9-10 levels, with a depth difference of 300 m between the extreme levels. The slope of the mountain was recognized through numerous boreholes - 42 holes with a total length of approx. 11 km were drilled from the surface and another 10 km underground. The deposits turned out to be unprofitable and in 1953 mining was stopped. Fluorite was still mined on a small scale until 1958.

In the numerous post-mining remains on the eastern slope completely covered with forest, one can easily find specimens of fluorite, pretty specimens of crystallized white quartz and amethyst. There are large amounts of white marble on the scree. At the top, it is worth seeing the scenic Marianna Skały - an exposed rock formation about 18 m high with a characteristic rock wall nearly 50 m long. The name of these rocks is commemorated by Princess Marianna of Orange. Old tunnels are also tourist attractions. One of them, the so-called Fluorite Adit, is located on the Żmijowiec slope, by the Kletno-Sienna asphalt road. Inside, there is a mining exhibition and very interesting specimens of minerals in natural deposits. Admission paid, guided tours in groups of several people.

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BBmijowiec_(szczyt)
Wikidata ID:	Q9397509

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References