Popiel (hill)
| Popiel | |
|---|---|
Popiel seen from the surrounding Świdnicka Plain | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 284.4 m (933 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 50°50′N 16°30′E / 50.833°N 16.500°E |
| Geography | |
Popiel Poland Popiel Popiel (Lower Silesian Voivodeship) | |
| Location | Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland |
| Parent range | Świdnicka Plain |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Hill ridge |
Popiel is a hill rising to 284.4 metres (933 ft) above sea level in the Świdnicka Plain in south-western Poland. It is the highest elevation of the Świdnicka Plain, a part of the Sudetes.[2]
Geography
Popiel is located in the central part of the Świdnicka Plain, north-east of the city of Świdnica. The surrounding landscape is characterised by gently undulating agricultural terrain typical of the Silesian foreland, contrasting with the higher relief of the nearby Sudetes to the south.[2]
Despite its modest elevation, Popiel forms a distinct topographic prominence above the otherwise flat plain. Its slopes descend gradually into cultivated fields and small patches of mixed woodland. The summit area provides wide views toward the Sudeten ranges, including the Ślęża Massif and the foothills of the Central Sudetes.[3]
Geologically, the hill consists mainly of glacial and fluvioglacial deposits resting on older sedimentary formations of the fore-Sudetic block. These deposits were shaped during the Pleistocene glaciations, which levelled much of the surrounding terrain and left isolated elevations such as Popiel as residual landforms.[3]
Name
The name Popiel is of Slavic origin and appears in historical regional records referring to local topographic features. The former German name Popielberg was used prior to 1945.[4]
References
- ^ "Central Register of Polish Geographical Names – Popiel". Head Office of Geodesy and Cartography (Poland) (in Polish). Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- ^ a b Kondracki, Jerzy (2013). Regional Geography of Poland. Warsaw: Polish Scientific Publishers PWN.
- ^ a b Badura, Jan; Przybylski, Bartosz (2018). "Geomorphological structure of the Silesian Lowlands and their marginal zones". Geologia Sudetica. 52: 45–62.
- ^ Staffa, Marek (2002). Dictionary of Geographical Names of Lower Silesia (in Polish). Wrocław: I-BiS.