Meet me at the Polish Oasis

While Polish desserts like sernik and kissel are not threatened with extinction anytime soon, the Polish desert in Upper Silesia without human intervention could disappear quicker than a platter of Pączki during Ostatki.

No, it's not a mirage: The Błędów desert really exists in the middle of Poland.

Scrub brush taking over Poland's desert

The Polish Sahara is one of nature’s oddities.  Once nearly 150 square miles in size, the giant sand box has been bewildering visitor for centuries. Its sprawling sands are inconsistent with surrounding lush lake districts, rolling plains and thick forests near the town of Klucze.

It might seem a little bizarre to some that a conservation project funded by the EU has been charged with preserving this barren anomaly. Over the centuries scrub brush and pine trees have encroached upon Poland’s desert to the point where it stands only 25 square miles in size today.

Millions of złoty are being provided through an initiative to preserve fragile ecosystems and help safeguard this seemingly misplaced desert. The plan calls for deforestation and the eradication of otherwise native plant life.

Some people would say why bother? Just let it grown green. But, Magdalena Moroń, of the Desert Rejuvenation Program says, “This place is worth fighting for. It's worth making sure it doesn't disappear off the map.” Being the only desert in Central Europe, she might have a valid point.

Silver and lead mining in the 13^th century helped reveal more acreage of a deep layer of sand deposited by waters flowing from melting glaciers decades before. Both man’s destruction of native plant life combined with the natural deposit of sand created the wonderment.

The eerie emptiness on the fringes of Klucze, has long fascinated passers-by. In 1924, a tourist reported seeing a mirage and during World War II, it was used to train occupying German troops before they went to the North African front.

The uniqueness of the area could be a tourist attraction if objectives to stabilize the desert, establish nature trails, and produce a guidebook are met. But, unlike the camels that this desert doesn't have, it remains to be seen whether the idea of the Polish Sahara as a major tourist attraction will hold water.

Always something about the Poland you don’t know

 at Kutyłowski’s Blog on PolishToledo.com