St Dorothy's Hill (Dorotka), Będzin

Będzin's highest hill – St Dorothy's Hill, known locally as Dorotka (382 m) – has more nicknames than many a mountain: "Golden Hill", "Olympus of Zagłębie", "Jasna Góra of Zagłębie" (after Poland's most famous shrine). On the top stands a small stone church from 1635 that survived the partitions, looting and even use as a stable. It makes a short but rewarding walk in the Grodziec district.

A hill with prehistory

Dorotka is an outlier – a remnant of the Middle Triassic escarpment, capped with limestone; the Będzin fault runs along its foot. People lived here as early as the Lusatian culture, and an early medieval hillfort has been documented on the summit. Local legends tell of a pagan temple tended by white-robed priestesses and of warning fires lit on the hill when enemies approached. Until the 17th century the hill was called the Hill of the Transfiguration.

St Dorothy's Church

The church was founded in 1635 by Dorota Kącka, abbess of the Norbertine convent at Zwierzyniec in Kraków – and the hill takes its name from the church's patron saint. On 10 October 1638 it was consecrated by Tomasz Oborski, auxiliary bishop of Kraków. Until 1730 it served as a parish church, then came under the parish priest of Grodziec.

During the partitions of Poland the church almost fell into ruin, and no services were held for 23 years. It was restored in 1817 by Paweł and Tekla Bontani, owners of Grodziec. Later wars brought more damage: tombs were desecrated, furnishings and the organ stolen, and the church turned into a stable. It was rebuilt in 1946 and blessed in 1947 by Bishop Teodor Kubina.

What to see

• The church on the summit – a Baroque crucifix and an 18th-century bell are the items listed in the national art catalogue.
• The painting of Our Lady with the Ring – the original, which arrived in the church in 1865, was stolen in 1968; today's copy was made from a photograph and blessed in 1971.
• The miraculous spring with a shrine in farmland at the foot of the hill, the subject of local legends.
• Grassland and field thickets – part of the hill has been protected since 1993 as the "Wzgórze Doroty" landscape protection area.

Interesting facts

Before the Second World War, scouts from Zagłębie made their scout promise in the ruins of the church. The hill is slowly subsiding because of mining damage – a reminder of the region's industrial past.

Tripto tip

The hill and churchyard are open all year with no tickets. You will most likely see the interior only during Mass, held on the 6th day of each month at 15:00. The red Polish Hussars Trail and the European pilgrimage route Via Regia (a Way of St James) cross the hill. Allow about an hour to walk up and around the church. Paths can be muddy after rain, so wear sturdy shoes. In Będzin itself, visit the castle on Castle Hill and the Old Town street plan.