Góra Cisowa (Cisowa Hill)

This perfectly conical hill rising above the lakes of the Suwałki region looks like a volcano, which is why visitors nicknamed it the Fujiyama of Suwałki. Góra Cisowa is 256 metres above sea level and the symbol of Suwałki Landscape Park, the oldest landscape park in Poland. From the top there is a wide panorama over the Szeszupa valley.

How it was formed

Geologically it is a terminal moraine, a ridge pushed up by the Scandinavian ice sheet during the last glaciation. It rises about 79 metres above nearby Lake Kopane. A folk legend explains it differently: the hill was supposedly piled up from earth dug out where the lake now lies. Hence its other names, Góra Sypana ("Piled Hill"), and Góra Gulbieniszkowska, after the village of Gulbieniszki where it stands.

The name Cisowa probably comes from a mighty yew (cis in Polish) that once grew on the summit. Yew wood is hard and springy and was ideal for bows, so in 1423 King Władysław Jagiełło placed these trees under protection.

What to see

• The view from the top: the Szeszupa valley with its many lakes, meadows, peat bogs and moraine hills.
• A cross on the summit, marking Pope John Paul II's visit to the Suwałki region in 1999.
• Lake Kopane at the foot of the hill, linked to the legend of its origin.
• The hill's silhouette from a distance: its conical shape is best seen from the fields around Gulbieniszki.

Tripto tip

The whole visit takes 30–60 minutes. Come on a clear day, ideally in the morning or late afternoon, when low light brings out the shape of the land. The hill combines easily with Lake Hańcza, a few kilometres away, and with other viewpoints in Suwałki Landscape Park.