CHARMED BY THE KARKONOSZE MOUNTAINS: PRZEMYSŁAW WIATER (1958–2020)

Przemysław Wiater PhD was a historian, art historian, museum curator, and a regionalist. In 1994–2020, he worked as a certified curator at the Carl and Gerhart Hauptmann House in Szklarska Poręba. In February 2020, he became Director of the Karkonosze Museum in Jelenia Góra. Furthermore, in 2008–2017, he ran courses at the Higher School of Management in Legnica. Committed to recovering historic monuments from Lower Silesia, he also served as a councillor for several terms of office in Szklarska Poręba, where he lived. An outstanding regionalist, Wiater focused on investigating the history of Lower Silesia, particularly the Karkonosze and Izera Mountains. He was the first to undertake research into the local tangible and non-tangible cultural heritage, popularizing it in publications describing the history of Szklarska Poręba, Walloon mineral and gem prospectors, old herbalists and laborants, history of glassworks, or the figure and legend of the Spirit of the Mountains. Having discovered the phenomenon of artistic colonies, he popularized it and adapted to harmonize with contemporary times. His idea was to culturally integrate the region basing on historical cultural contents and the heritage imported by post- -WW II settlers. Sharing his knowledge in a popular way, he infected others with his passion, particularly young people to whom he provided support and inspiration. It was at his instigation that the W.E. Peuckert Guild of the Sudety Mountains Guides was formed; member of the Chapter of the Sudety Mountains Walloon Brotherhood, he was also the knight of the informal Society of the Evening Castle, additionally cooperating with the Izery Society. Originator of the Izery Retro Run and the Flannel Rally, he inspired the formation of several tourist routes, such as the ‘Juliusz Naumonowicz Walloon Hiking Trail’, contributing to the creation of the ‘W.E. Peuckert Trail’ and the Polish-Czech ‘Laborants’ Trail’.

PERMEABILITY OF COVER DEPOSITS OF CRYSTALLINE ROCKS IN THE SUDETY MOUNTAINS (SW POLAND) BASED ON A FIELD STUDY

Article presents a study on the permeability of weathering covers formed on crystalline rocks, which was conducted in south-western Poland (Sudety Mountains). Evaluation of the infiltration capacity was performed based on field measurements of the vertical hydraulic conductivity carried out by using the Porschet method and the ETC Pask Constant Head Permeameter. During the field investigations conducted in sixteen sites, 28 determinations of the hydraulic conductivity k were made, 16 by the Porschet method and 12 using the ETC Pask Permeameter. Ten sites represent weathering covers of metamorphic rocks (amphibolites, eclogites, mica-schists, crystalline limestones, gneisses) and the next six sites represent covers of igneous rocks (granites). The values of the vertical hydraulic conductivity k determined by the Porschet method ranged between 0.053 and 2.19 m/d, while those obtained using the ETC Pask Permeamet erranged between 0.012 and 0.76 m/d. In the first place, it should be noticed that the results determined during the field investigations conducted according to the Porschet method are generally 3-4 times higher than those obtained using the ETC Pask Permeameter. The results for the vertical hydraulic conductivity allow us to classify weathering sediments of metamorphic and igneous rocks, as semi-permeable to medium permeable rocks. Weathered gneisses were distinctly characterized by the worst capacity to conduct water (semi-permeable) among all types of weathering covers of crystalline rocks. Higher values (0,08-0,8 m/d) of the vertical hydraulic conductivity were found for the weathering covers of the other metamorphic rocks (low permeable). The best conditions to conduct water were found in the weathering covers of granite rocks, which in most cases are classified as medium permeable rocks (more than 0.8 m/d) and exhibit distinctly better permeability coefficients.

Radon in houses of Kowary – Sudety Mountains, Poland

The presence of uranium makes the Kowary area characterized by an increased concentration of radon in the air and the living houses. Measurements of periodic radon concentrations in dwellings of Kowary were carried out three times in the last 20 years. It can be observed that 20 years ago level of radon concentrations in houses of Kowary were lower than today. Measurements carried out in Kowary over 20 years have shown that residents are exposed to radon concentrations, which often exceed 300 Bq m−3 – a reference level recommended by the European Union. The present geometric mean of radon concentration in houses of Kowary (260 Bq m−3) exceeds the geometric mean of radon concentration of buildings in the rest of Poland (142 Bq m−3).

A hillfort complex in Myślibórz in the Sudety Mountains

The Myślibórz Gorge, located within the Kaczawy Foothills, is well-known to environmentalists and scholars studying the past. The investigations launched in the 1990s made it possible to determine the chronology of three of the archaeological sites in this area. In 2018, two hillforts – on the Kobylica and Golica hills – were investigated. Czech literature classifies such hillforts as the ostrožna-type. The excavations of these hillforts made it possible to establish to date them between the 9th and 10th centuries.The hillforts were located on hilltops with similar altitudes above the sea level, less than 200 m from each other. Such a spatial arrangement made it possible to control the gateway to the Myślibórz Gorge from the north-east. Reasons for developing a defensive system in the southern part of the gorge are obscure, as is the role that two other early medieval hillforts played in it. Was it simply a warning system, or rather part of a comprehensive network of defensive sites?

Deforestation Processes in the Polish Mountains in the Context of Terrain Topography

In the 1980s, the Western Sudety Mountains were affected by a forest dieback process, resulting in large-scale deforestation covering an area of about 15,000 ha. A similar phenomenon is presently being observed in the Western Beskidy and Eastern Sudety Mountains, where the course of the process and the final effects are similar. The presented study analyzed the relationships between forest dieback processes today and in the past. Among others, the impact of the following factors was examined: exposure, slope, altitude, and topographic index, which was generated based on the airborne LIDAR (also airborne laser scanning abbreviated as ALS) data. The identification of forest dieback areas in the past was carried out based on the archived Landsat satellite imagery, as well as data obtained from the Polish State Forests. The identification of forest dieback areas at present was carried out based on the ALS data (single-tree detection approach) and color infrared aerial images. In the study, inter-dependencies between forest dieback today and in the past were compared. The performed analyses show significant differences between forests’ dieback specifics in all three areas. The process first occurred at 800–900 m a.s.l., and afterwards at over 900 m. Mortality was especially intensive on the western and southwestern slopes. Below 700 m a.s.l., forests survived quite well. In the 1980s, significantly higher concentrations of hazardous chemical compounds were noted, which resulted in respectively greater deforestations on aspects open to the operation of prevailing winds (mainly west). Nowadays, a proportionately higher number of trees die on the southern aspects, which is particularly visible in the Western Sudety Mountains.

Additions to the lichen biota of the Sudety Mountains. I. Records from the Karkonosze Mountains

Records of 10 rare and noteworthy lichen species in Poland have been presented. Four species, <em>Japewia subaurea</em>, <em>Myriolecis persimilis</em>, <em>Palicella filamentosa</em>, and <em>Scoliciosporum sarothamni</em> are new to the Polish part of the Sudetes. <em>Anisomeridium polypori</em> and <em>Pyrenula coryli</em> are new species to the Karkonosze Mountains.

Grobowce megalityczne na przedpolu Sudetów

A cemetery of megalithic long barrows of the so-called Kujavia type was discovered in autumn of 1995 near Muszkowice in the foothills of the Sudety Mountains. It consists of 6 trapezoidal structures made of stone and sand. It has been the first megalithic cemetery discovered in south-west Poland to date. Only one of the barrows (No. 2) has been partly excavated so far. Its dimension, use of stones as a building material and unchambered construction resemble similar structures known from Pomerania (the Łupawa type). The barrow has been dated back to the Funnel Beaker Culture.