Suchogórski Rock Labyrinth

The Suchogórski Rock Labyrinth is a nature and landscape complex in the northern part of Bytom, on the border with Tarnowskie Góry. It covers the summit and southern slope of Sucha Góra, a rise of the Tarnowskie Góry Ridge, and has an area of nearly 20 hectares.

Where the terrain came from

The area used to be mined: mainly dolomite and limonite were extracted here. After extraction ended, vegetation took it over, but traces of the work remained in the terrain: numerous subsidence hollows and valleys, steep ridges, banks, hillocks and ravines. The variety of forms gave the whole area the name of a labyrinth. The complex was established by a resolution of the Bytom municipal council of 27 May 2008 as a continuation of the “Doły Piekarskie” complex in Tarnowskie Góry, set up in 2006.

What grows and lives here

The slopes are covered with silver birch, Norway maple, sycamore, small-leaved lime, Scots pine, red oak, black locust and European larch. Protected plants also grow here, the stemless carline thistle and the broad-leaved helleborine, along with grasslands and oak-hornbeam woods. In one of the hollows left by quarrying there is a pond in which amphibians breed. Among the animals, woodland birds are the easiest to spot.

A reminder of old surveys

On the border of Bytom and Tarnowskie Góry stands a historic stone marking a triangulation point from the end of the 19th century. It is the zero point of the Prussian “Sucha Góra” coordinate system, with the letters TP carved on it.

Nearby

Close by are the Segiet nature reserve, the Royal Frederick Mine (Królewska Kopalnia Fryderyk) and the Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry.

Practical information

• Location: northern Bytom, Sucha Góra, near the border with Tarnowskie Góry.
• The area is protected and has steep slopes and excavations, so keep to the paths. Check the details of routes and entry points on the City of Bytom website.