Śladami islandzkiej wyprawy Profesora Walerego Goetla – szlak geoturystyczny w Krainie Lodu i Ognia
Abstract
In the footsteps of the Icelandic expedition of ProfessorWalery Goetel – geotourist trail in the Land of Ice and Fire.
A b s t r a c t. The Geotourism Students’ Scientific Club from AGH University of Science and Technology celebrated the Year of Walery Goetel by setting out on an expedition to Iceland in his footsteps. Professor Walery Goetel (1889–1972) went down in history as an outstanding and versatile geologist, creator of sozology and one of the most famous rectors of AGH. He was also an advocate for nature conservation, national parks and tourism. In 1927, Walery Goetel and his brother – writer Ferdynand – went on an expedition to Iceland. The island, known as “Land of Ice and Fire”, is one of the most geologically significant and interesting places in the world. The expedition let him collect valuable observations, samples and photographs. The journey, mainly through the western part of Iceland, was described by Ferdynand in the book “Island in the cloudy north” (1928). We followed this expedition 95 years later and we would like to propose the“Walery Goetel’s memorial geotourist trail”. On the proposed route, there are 19 points visited by Professor, 10 of them we distinguished as particularly attractive in terms of geotourism. In addition, we suggest 13 other points worth visiting , which are not mentioned in the book, but are located in the area of the trail, and we assess them as having significant geotouristic potential. The length of the trail is 770 km, and it is worth spending at least 5 days to cover it by car. The trail includes such famous geotouristic attractions as the Geysir geothermal area, Gullfoss waterfall and Thingvellir National Park with Almannagjá gorge and Öxarárfoss waterfall, as well as less popular, but geologically important places. In the book “Island in the cloudy north” there are many regrets about the failure of Iceland to use its natural potential. The trail that we propose allows one to see how much is has changed in this respect over 100 years. We can assume that if the Professor visited modern Iceland, he would appreciate how this country implements the ideas of sozology.We hope that the trail we propose shows not only the beauty and geological uniqueness of Iceland, but also brings the ideas of Professor Walery Goetel closer.
A b s t r a c t. The Geotourism Students’ Scientific Club from AGH University of Science and Technology celebrated the Year of Walery Goetel by setting out on an expedition to Iceland in his footsteps. Professor Walery Goetel (1889–1972) went down in history as an outstanding and versatile geologist, creator of sozology and one of the most famous rectors of AGH. He was also an advocate for nature conservation, national parks and tourism. In 1927, Walery Goetel and his brother – writer Ferdynand – went on an expedition to Iceland. The island, known as “Land of Ice and Fire”, is one of the most geologically significant and interesting places in the world. The expedition let him collect valuable observations, samples and photographs. The journey, mainly through the western part of Iceland, was described by Ferdynand in the book “Island in the cloudy north” (1928). We followed this expedition 95 years later and we would like to propose the“Walery Goetel’s memorial geotourist trail”. On the proposed route, there are 19 points visited by Professor, 10 of them we distinguished as particularly attractive in terms of geotourism. In addition, we suggest 13 other points worth visiting , which are not mentioned in the book, but are located in the area of the trail, and we assess them as having significant geotouristic potential. The length of the trail is 770 km, and it is worth spending at least 5 days to cover it by car. The trail includes such famous geotouristic attractions as the Geysir geothermal area, Gullfoss waterfall and Thingvellir National Park with Almannagjá gorge and Öxarárfoss waterfall, as well as less popular, but geologically important places. In the book “Island in the cloudy north” there are many regrets about the failure of Iceland to use its natural potential. The trail that we propose allows one to see how much is has changed in this respect over 100 years. We can assume that if the Professor visited modern Iceland, he would appreciate how this country implements the ideas of sozology.We hope that the trail we propose shows not only the beauty and geological uniqueness of Iceland, but also brings the ideas of Professor Walery Goetel closer.