History of the structure

The Kuhtal (Krowiok) rock quarry on Saint Anne’s Hill where lime was mined and burnt in the 19th century. At least two limestone kilns were erected on Saint Anne’s Hill in the middle of the 19th century. Their purpose was the production of quicklime using raw material from a nearby quarry, which was operated until the end of the 1920s.

The shaft limestone kiln, preserved to this day, is a remnant of at least two such objects. The monument owes its state of preservation to conservation works carried out in 1920. At that time, the adjacent dilapidated limestone kiln was demolished and the surrounding area was adapted. In 1934-1938 in the place of the former quarry, whose area was donated (perhaps under duress) to the NSDAP by countess Mary von Sierstorpff, the owner of the nearby Żyrowa, an amphitheatre was built, which was to serve German propaganda. A shaft limestone kiln located about 40 m south of the amphitheatre was perhaps left for tourist purposes. In the 1930s, a road was also built on the slope above the kiln, the slope in the immediate vicinity of the kiln was filled in by backfilling the kiln ground floor with the entrance to the service duct, and the kiln interior was filled with crushed stone.

In 1990 the limestone kiln was entered in the register of historic monuments of the Opolskie Voivodeship. The kiln is now closed.

Description of the structure

The shaft limestone kiln is located 305 m above sea level, on the east bank of the mountain basin, surrounded by deciduous forest. It is located approx. 40 m south of the amphitheatre. The structure was built of blocks and broken limestone with an inner shell of firebrick. It was built on the plan of a regular hexagon with the facing side to the west. It contains the entrance to the service duct and two ventilation ducts, currently below ambient level. In the face, below half of the present height of the kiln, is a diagonal anchor laid in red facing brick. Beneath this anchor is a segmental bench that is very deteriorated. The kiln shaft is vertical and circular.

Visitor access: the site is accessible to visitors

Author: Joanna Banik, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Opole, 23.04.2019

Bibliography

• Czartoryski K., Szybowe piece wapiennicze w województrwie opolskim, Opole 2007, [in:] resources of the Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Opole.
• Katalog Zabytków Sztuki w Polsce, ed. T. Chrzanowski, M. Kornecki, Vol.VII, woj. opolskie, z.14. powiat strzelecki.
• Kubik J., Zabytkowe wapienniki Opolszczyzny, Opole 2004, [in:] resources of the Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Opole.
• Łabęcki Z., Piec wapienniczy – Góra Świętej Anny. Record sheet of monuments of architecture and construction, 1990, [in:] resources of the Voivodeship Heritage Protection Office in Opole.
• Object file (decision, correspondence, documents) [in:] resources of the Voivodeship Heritage Protection Office in Opole.