Błędów Desert

Błędów Desert is the largest area with quicksands in Poland. It is located in the suburbs of Dąbrowa Górnicza. It is 10 km long and around 4 km wide. Since the second half of the 20th century, the desert is overgrowing. The works which may prevent that have started in recent years.

The desert was made because of human activity. Since the Middle Ages, local forests were overexploited what resulted in land degradation. It was further worsened by the mining of silver and lead what lowered the level of groundwater. Ultimately, it led to the creation of desert landscapes.

At present, the area of the desert is much smaller than at the beginning of the 20th century. It was caused by the planting of willows in order to prevent the loss of sand by wind. The desert is popular among walking tourists and enthusiasts of horseriding.