The Ślęża (; german: Zobten or ''Zobtenberg'', later also ''Siling'') is a mountain in the

Sudeten Sudeten may refer to: * Sudeten Mountains * Sudetenland * Sudeten Germans German Bohemians (german: Deutschböhmen und Deutschmährer, i.e. German Bohemians and German Moravians), later known as Sudeten Germans, were ethnic Germans living in ...

Foreland ( pl, Przedgórze Sudeckie) in Lower Silesia, from Wrocław, southern Poland. This nature reserve built mostly of granite is 718 m high and covered with forests. The top of the mountain has a

PTTK ''Polskie Towarzystwo Turystyczno-Krajoznawcze'', PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society) is a Polish non-governmental tourist organization with 312 branches across the country. The PTTK is one of the oldest tourist societies in Europe. ...

tourist mountain hut, a television and radio mast, church Mary, some poorly-visible ruins of the castle and an observation tower. The mountain and its surrounding region form a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

Ślęża Landscape Park Ślęża Landscape Park (''Ślężański Park Krajobrazowy'') is a protected area ( Landscape Park) in south-western Poland, established in 1988, covering an area of . It takes its name from that of Mount Ślęża. The Park lies within Lower Si ...

Sacred mountain

Poland mount Sleza - ancient cult figure

During the Neolithic Period and at least as far back as the 7th century BC Mount Ślęża (Zobten) was a holy place of the tribes of the Lusatian culture. It was then settled by

Slavs Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout northern Eurasia, main ...

. The Silingi, a subpopulation of the

East Germanic tribe The Germanic peoples were historical groups of people that once occupied Central Europe and Scandinavia during antiquity and into the early Middle Ages. Since the 19th century, they have traditionally been defined by the use of ancient and ear ...

known as the Vandals are the earliest inhabitants of Silesia known by their name, however the greater part of them moved westwards after the 5th century AD and the remainder were slowly replaced in the 6th century by Slavic tribes who assimilated the few remaining East Germanic inhabitants.T. Hunt Tooley "National Identity and Weimar Germany: Upper Silesia and the Eastern Border", 1997 University of Nebraska Press, p.6
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The Silingi were part of the Przeworsk culture. The name of the territory Silesia either derives from the Ślęza River, or from Mount Ślęża, which themselves derive their name from either, according to Germanist authors the Silingi people.Adrian Room "Placenames of the World", McFarland 2004m p.333
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or, according to Slavisist authors, the

Ślężanie The Silesians ( pl, Ślężanie) were a tribe of West Slavs, specifically of the Lechitic/Polish group, inhabiting territories of Lower Silesia, near Ślęża mountain and Ślęza river, on both banks of the Oder, up to the area of modern city ...

people. The Slavic

tribe settled in the area around the 6th Century AD. In the 10th Century,

Mieszko I Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was the first ruler of Poland and the founder of the first independent Polish state, the Duchy of Poland. His reign stretched from 960 to his death and he was a member of the Piast dynasty, a son of Siemomysł and ...

of the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branch ...

incorporated Silesia into the Polish state. The etymology of the mountain is highly disputed between a Slavic, Germanic, or other Indo-European origin. The name has been recorded in several forms. As monte Silencii, in 1108, or as monte Slez in 1245. Christianity came first via the Byzantine

Church Slavonic Church Slavonic (, , literally "Church-Slavonic language"), also known as Church Slavic, New Church Slavonic or New Church Slavic, is the conservative Slavic liturgical language used by the Eastern Orthodox Church in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzeg ...

missionaries saints Cyril and Methodius and by the

diocese of Regensburg The Diocese of Regensburg ( la, Dioecesis Ratisbonensis) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory seated in Regensburg, Germany. Its district covers parts of northeastern Bavaria; it is subordinate to the archbishop of Munich and Freising. , ...

, then in the 10th century Bohemia received a bishopric, Prague, which was itself subject to the

archbishopric of Mainz The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the ...

. Mount Ślęża was an ancient holy place for local tribes dedicated to a sun deity, and remained a holy place during

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

times as well. In the first half of the 12th century, the owner of the place was the Polish dukes' governor, Piotr Włostowic, who founded there an

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

convent which was subsequently moved to Wrocław in 1153.

Etymology

The Silesians might have been named after the Silingi, as the Silingi were previous inhabitants of this region. Another explanation says that the word is perhaps derived from a Silesian word meaning "wet swampy place", the corresponding verb is "Ślęgnąć" meaning "to become wet".

Ślęża in art and culture

Mount Ślęża has been portrayed in the famous but atypical manner of Polish

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

(in Poland called ''Polskie Kino Niezależne'') Edi800 in the movie ''Ślęża Manekin Project III''.

Transmitter

On Ślęża there is a facility for FM- and TV-transmission, which uses a 136 metre tall free-standing (with additional guying) lattice tower. The current tower which was built in 1972 replaced a 98 metre tall tower built in 1957, which was partially guyed.

References

External links