Róża Wiatrów Lookout on the Błędów Desert

On the edge of Klucze, by Bolesławska Street, a wooden platform spreads the arms of a giant compass rose over the sands. This unusual viewpoint introduces you to the Błędów Desert — the largest area of drifting sand in Poland, covering about 33 km² and stretching from the Błędów district of Dąbrowa Górnicza to the Klucze commune. From the terrace your eyes reach wide stretches of sand and the Czubatka hill, and boards with descriptions await at each arm.

A desert observatory

The platform was set directly on the sand — its wooden arms reach straight onto the desert, which you can walk freely. The terrace offers roofed picnic shelters with benches, and military cannons stand nearby — a keepsake of the times when, from the beginning of the 20th century, the desert served as a military training ground.

A desert made by people

The sands accumulated in the valley at the end of the Ice Age, but the desert's face was decided by people: intensive forest clearing for the Olkusz silver and lead mines, carried on from around the 13th century, exposed the ground of gravels and sands. Today the area is protected by the Natura 2000 programme, and the desert, nearly 10 km long with an average sand depth of 40 m, attracts walkers all year round.

In practice

Entry is free and the platform is available around the clock, all year. An asphalt road with free parking leads to it, so the site is also accessible with prams and wheelchairs; in season a mobile bistro operates nearby. It is worth combining the visit with a walk on the sands and the viewpoint on the Czubatka hill.