Korycizna: prehistoric mining landscape

• A prehistoric flint mine existed in the present-day area more than 4,000 years ago.
• Mining in the field dates to the Early Bronze Age, around 2300 to 1600 BC.
• The largest visible shaft collapses are up to 15 meters in diameter.
• Korycizna is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Krzemionki Prehistoric Striped Flint Mining Region.”

The mining field can be understood through its preserved surface features. Prominent shaft collapses and pits mark the prehistoric mining activity; the surrounding spoil heaps are also part of the visible landscape. The largest shaft collapses reach up to 15 meters in diameter. Numerous remains of above-ground flint workshops have also been preserved. Korycizna thus includes not only traces of underground mining but also evidence of work carried out at the surface.

For your trip planning, this combination is the site’s distinctive theme: Korycizna is a mining field whose prehistoric use can be recognized in the landscape. If you are interested in early resource extraction and flint working, the site offers a tangible connection to this history. The features on site—from the large shaft collapses to the workshop remains—provide different insights into the mining area.

Korycizna is one of four components of the Krzemionki Prehistoric Striped Flint Mining Region. The World Heritage Site also includes the main mining field of Krzemionki Opatowskie, the smaller mining site of Borownia, and the prehistoric permanent mining settlement of Gawroniec. Together, these components represent different aspects of prehistoric mining and flint working.

Gawroniec received semifinished flint axe blades from the mines. At the settlement, they were finished and polished before being distributed. The World Heritage Site therefore includes not only mining fields but also a place where the semifinished products underwent further processing. Within this context, Korycizna is one of the smaller mining fields; Krzemionki Opatowskie is the main mining field.

The route of banded flint mining runs east from Borownia into the dry Korycizna Valley. At the edge of the valley, it reaches the Korycizna mining field in the Śródborze locality. This connection places Korycizna within the wider context of the mining sites. Śródborze, of whose three present-day parts Korycizna is one, is surrounded by forests and lies on the boundary between the Wysoczyzna Opatowska and the Wyżyna Iłżecka.

Korycizna was once an independent village and is now part of Śródborze. This distinction is useful for orientation: the mining field is called Korycizna, while the present-day locality is called Śródborze. The UNESCO component is covered by a protection plan. A buffer zone has been designated in the cadastral areas of Wojciechówka and Śródborze in the municipality of Ożarów, and Łysowody in the municipality of Ćmielów.

What is visible at the Korycizna mining field?

Visible features include prominent shaft collapses, pits, and the surrounding spoil heaps. The largest shaft collapses are up to 15 meters in diameter; numerous remains of above-ground flint workshops have also been preserved.

When was mining carried out at Korycizna?

A prehistoric flint mine existed in the present-day area more than 4,000 years ago. Mining in the field dates to the Early Bronze Age, around 2300 to 1600 BC.

Which places are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site?

The four components are Krzemionki Opatowskie, Borownia, Korycizna, and the permanent prehistoric mining settlement of Gawroniec.

What route does banded flint mining follow?

It runs east from Borownia into the dry Korycizna Valley and reaches the Korycizna mining field at the edge of the valley, in the Śródborze locality.

For the main travel overview: Ćmielów.