The glacial erratic on Wolności Square is a

glacial erratic A glacial erratic is a glacially deposited rock (geology), rock differing from the type of country rock (geology), rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by gla ...

composed of

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

(with numerous inclusions) from the

Ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

, located on Wolności Square in

Racibórz Racibórz (, , , ) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Racibórz County. With Opole, Racibórz is one of the historic capitals of Upper Silesia, being the residence of the Duchy of Racibórz, Du ...

. It is the largest of all erratics found in the and the largest commemorative erratic in the

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...

and all of

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

. In 1960, it was designated a

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as w ...

Characteristics

The glacial erratic is composed of granite, featuring red

feldspar Feldspar ( ; sometimes spelled felspar) is a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagiocl ...

and

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...

. It weighs 42.5 tons, has a volume of 16.5 m³, a length of 3.25 m, and a height of 2.25 m. It is situated in the middle of Wolności Square on plot number 843/175. Two hiking trails pass by the erratic: the yellow and the red .

History

This boulder originated from Scandinavia and was transported to the by glaciers during the

Mindel glaciation The Mindel glaciation (, also ''Mindel-Glazial'', ''Mindel-Komplex'' or, colloquially, ''Mindel-Eiszeit'') is the third youngest glacial stage in the Alps. Its name was coined by Albrecht Penck and Eduard Brückner, who named it after the Swabi ...

. It was discovered in 1927 in a sand pit owned by Karol Popelli in Wojnowice. The boulder was fully exposed in 1929, and in 1934, following the advice of a local teacher, Alfons Nentwig, it was transported to

to its current location, which was then known as Adolf Polko Square (). Transporting the boulder was a significant undertaking at that time. The chassis used for its transport was borrowed from a carpet factory in

Kietrz Kietrz (; ) is a town in Głubczyce County, Opole Voivodeship, in southern Poland, near the border with the Czech Republic. As of 2019, it has a population of 6,005. History It was granted town rights in 1321. During World War II, in 1941, Nazi ...

. A specially produced boiler from Siemens-Plania Werke (now SGL Carbon, formerly ZEW S.A.) was placed on the chassis. Clamps and ropes supplied by the Fröhlich company were used to secure the boulder, while the Racibórz railway provided rails and wooden ties. The transportation involved a platform pulled by two steam locomobiles rented from Count Lichnowsky of

Chuchelná Chuchelná () is a municipality and village in Opava District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,300 inhabitants. It is part of the historic Hlučín Region. History The first written mention of Chuchelná is fr ...

. The boulder finally arrived at its destination on 6 June 1934. Once positioned, it was surrounded by a small wall adorned with plaques bearing the names of fighters from the National Socialist movement. It replaced the first public fountain in Racibórz, which had been funded by Adolf Polko. The ceremonial inauguration took place on 1 July 1934. The boulder was meant to symbolize the new era as a millennium monument of the National Socialist movement. In 1945, the surrounding wall was removed. Since 10 June 1960, it has been designated as a

, as per decree no. 179 of the Presidium of the Provincial National Council in

Opole Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...

. A subsequent decree reaffirming the status of the boulder as a natural monument was issued by the Silesian Voivode in regulation no. 21/05 on 16 June 2005.{{Cite journal , date=21 June 2005 , title=Rozporządzenie Nr 21/05 Wojewody Śląskiego z dnia 16 czerwca 2005 r. w sprawie ustanowienia pomnika przyrody – głazu narzutowego, zlokalizowanego w miejscowości Racibórz , trans-title=Regulation No. 21/05 of the Silesian Voivode dated June 16, 2005, on the Establishment of a Natural Monument – a Glacial Erratic Located in the Town of Racibórz , journal=Dziennik Urzędowy Województwa Śląskiego 2005 , language=pl , location=Katowice , publisher=Poligrafia Zakładu Obsługi Śląskiego Urzędu Wojewódzkiego , volume=81 , issn=1643-2800

References

Glacial erratics Natural monuments of Poland Racibórz County