Wietrznia Reserve and Centre for Geoeducation

Description

Wietrznia - Zbigniew Rubinowski Reserve - is a final part of Kadzielnia Range and it is in the Eastern side of Kielce, between Wojska Polskiego, Daleszycka and Księcia Józefa Poniatowskiego Streets.

It is the biggest of Kielce geological reserves, of which exploitation gave it the shape of a canyon bounded by rock walls. It consists of interconnected excavations: Wietrznia, Międzygórz and Międzygórz Wschodni, the total length of which is about 800 m. The 100 m long vertical profile records the history of sea development since the end of the Middle Devonian and almost all of the Late Devonian, i.e. in the period 365-386 million years ago. It is one of the biggest rock exhibitions of this period in Poland. The thick-layered sediments that dominate here were formed in a warm sea reservoir, in the shallow shelf zone, slightly deeper than the area of Kadzielnia, then directly adjacent to the reef. The rock walls are dominated by limestones made of coral debris, brought from nearby stromatopora-coral reefs. New, Late Devonian coral species were found in Wietrznia. They are accompanied by the remains of fossil cavophilic stromatoporoids, crinoids, shells of brachiopods and snails. The periods of sea depth increase were recorded in the sediments with a lower proportion of organic remains and a greater proportion of clay soil, which led to the formation of marls. 

Due to the high educational value of the site, Wietrznia was chosen for the location of the Geoeducation Centre. The facility is run by Geopark Kielce, will host permanent and temporary exhibitions covering various geological subjects and will additionally serve as a perfect spot for theme workshops, lectures, presentations and scientific meetings. The offer includes Eearth Gallery Capsule “Journey to the center of the Earth” and paleontological exhibitions virtual tour of the caves.