One of the most interesting natural (and at the same time historical) objects nearby Kietrz is Mount Gipsowa (4 km from Kietrz to the South). Geomorfologically, the area belongs to the G?ubczycki Plateau. In 1957 on its hill-side an extremely valuable nature reserve, protecting rare stenothermal flora, was set up. Particular quality of the plant cover of Mount Gipsowa region were noticed as early as in the interwar period (Naturschutzaebiet Kalkbera bei Katscher). It is probably the oldest area of the documented protection within the territory of Opole Silesia. Today the reserve area, crossed by a nature trail, is 1.02 ha. Enthusiasts of rare and endangered species of plants certainly will not get bored on Mount Gipsowa, and lovers of the past also may find here something interesting for themselves. Mount Gipsowa region has been penetrated for a long time. At the beginning of the 19th century, the excavation of gypsum began and, later on, after the year 1870, the excavation was conducted in a more advanced manner. The gypsum quarry also operated during World War II (until 1945). But the war operations contributed to its considerable destruction. Certainly, the quarry itself remained within the scope of interest of Edmund Geilenbere – one of the main officials of the Third Reich, responsible for the construction underground establishments for war purposes. It was here where mechanical workshops for aerial aggregates production were supposed to have been created. After the war, the excavation of raw materials was resumed. In 1949 the quarry “Dzier?ys?aw" was taken over by the state authorities and since then a new interest in local gypsum developed. The deposit was mined until 1972. At present, the mine is flooded. In the past it was a special tourist attraction. It is hoped that in the future the site will not be forgotten. A plan for conducting studies on the possibility of the utilisation (at least to a small extent) of the gypsum quarry as a tourist site was provided for in the Development Strategy of the Kietrz municipality until 2013. The reserve has been established in order to preserve, for scientific reasons, the natural gatherings of steppe vegetation appearing on one of few sites in this part of the country. The reserve constitutes a complex of sward vegetation located among the farmlands and fallows on the South-Western slope of Mount Gipsowa. Xerothermic sward with numerous stenothermal species like Campanula Bononiensis (Bluebell), Cirsium Pannonicum (Thistle), Tanacetum Corymbosum (Tancy), Verbascum Phoeniceum (Purple Mullein) dominate here. The predominant landscape features are domed, mild hills partitioned by hollows and river valleys. Because of a thick plant cover in the territory of the reserve, exposures of rocks are not visible, whereas the process of landslide on the reserve slope is shown perfectly. Creeping of ground plasticised as a result of rainfalls is particularly visible in the lower part of the reserve. A didactic path with sites of protected plants as well as of rare and endangered species has been marked out in the reserve.