In Poland, specifically in the forests of the Koło Forest District, one can admire pyramids older than the Egyptian ones. These are megalithic tombs, created even before the structure of Stonehenge or the pyramids in Egypt. Five of them can be seen in Wietrzychowice, and one in Gaj Stolarski.
The age of the Polish pyramids in the area is estimated at more than 5,500 years. Their creation is linked to people who came there from the south thousands of years ago and settled in the area. These people were engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry.
There are six such tombs in the area of the Koło Forest District. Five of them are in the village of Wietrzychowice, while one is near the forest district headquarters in Gaj Stolarski. Both areas constitute the Wietrzychowice Cultural Park, established in 2006.
The first tombs were discovered in 1934. They ranged from 40 to more than 100 meters in length and were shaped like an isosceles triangle, which converged towards the north.
Ilona Żółtowska, Koło Forest District
In these tombs, as far as historians have been able to determine, the so-called family elders, the men, were buried. These included, among others, tribal leaders, and priests. For the construction of tombs, erratic boulders were used. To transport some of them, those weighing up to approx. 1.5 tons, up to 30 people were needed, or probably the strength of animals was used to pull them.
Ilona Żółtowska, Koło Forest District
It was truly an elaborate construction, for which boulders of various sizes were used. The tombs have survived to the present day because they were built with great precision and were located in forests, in an area that is difficult to access. Although their current appearance differs from the original, it is a treasure of the region.
In the past, there were more similar tombs in this area, outside the forest. The development of civilization and agriculture caused them not to be preserved to our time. Their fragments can still be found, among others, in fields, and old roads, and sometimes they were also used in the construction of house foundations.
In the vicinity of the Wietrzychowice Cultural Park and partially on its territory, tourists can follow the “Wietrzychowice natural and archaeological path” of the Koło Forestry District. There are stations with boards describing the history of the place and the archaeological research carried out, as well as providing interesting facts about the natural values of the forest surroundings of the tombs.
Ilona Żółtowska, Koło Forest District
