View From The Holy Cross Mountain, Świętokrzyskie Mountains Stock Photo

Swietokrzyskie Mountains, the oldest in Poland and Europe, are located in the centre of the country, encircling the city of Kielce. Their slopes are thickly forested, mainly with beech and fir. The highest part of the range is called Lysogory, with the highest summits of Lysica (612 m) and Lysa (595 m). Swietokrzyskie means “Holy Cross” and the use of this name derives from that of an old Benedictine abbey located on Lysa Mountain. In earlier times, the higher summits of Swietokrzyskie Mountains were places of pagan worship.