Muskau Bend Geopark

"Muskau Arch" Geopark is a unique geological structure, which is a remnant of the terminal moraine of glacier. There are many reservoirs with water stained with chemical compounds that have remained here after the former mines. There are also many diverse geological sites. It is currently the main tourist attraction of the region.

The terminal moraine has left its mark about 450,000 years ago, during the so-called Scandinavian glaciation, and its remains have assumed the shape of an arch with a length of 40 km and 20 km distance between its ends. At the widest point, the formation is about 5 km wide. At this point, Nysa Łużycka river crosses it, dividing the whole area into a German and Polish part. Pressure on the ground caused by the glacier caused uplift of tertiary layers containing rich brown coal deposits, hence in the 19th and 20th centuries there were numerous mines here.

In addition to around 110 post-mining reservoirs with colored water, in the Geopark there are also sources of mineralized iron-sulphur water, a postglacial glacial erratic, an inland dune and characteristic tertiary elevations in which geological layers of the earth can be observed. Due to the need to protect this area, the park was created in 2001, and since 2009 it has been certified by the National Geopark.