Region: Katowice Upland

Katowice Upland – a geographical mesoregion located in the central part of the Silesian Upland. The average height of the highland is 250-300 m a.s.l., in places above 320-340 m a.s.l.. The highest peaks are Mount St. Dorothy – 382 m a.s.l., Wanda Hill in Katowice – 357 m a.s.l. and Mount St. Lawrence in Orzesze – 355 m a.s.l. The relief is shaped by log plateaus, humps and hills, separated from each other by sinkholes. A characteristic feature of the Katowice Upland is a large transformation of the natural environment, mainly due to mining and industry, but also as a result of the development of transport and urbanization. Unfavorable changes in the natural environment include changes in the relief, air pollution, changes in water conditions, pollution of surface and ground waters, and degradation of soil and vegetation. The landscape features numerous mining and processing waste dumps, pits after the exploitation of backfilling sands, clay pits, quarries and high communication embankments.

Hikes in the Katowice Upland: