Eagles' Nests Landscape Park

The Eagles' Nests Landscape Park covers the north-eastern corner of the Silesian Voivodeship, from the Warta gorge near Mstów to the valley of the Biała Przemsza. It is part of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, with Jurassic rock outcrops and medieval castle ruins.

How the park came about and its area

The park was formed by merging two parks established in the former Katowice (1980) and Częstochowa (1982) voivodeships. The Complex of Landscape Parks of the Silesian Voivodeship states that the area of the park is 48,367.73 ha, with a buffer zone of 39,144.44 ha around it. The boundaries also include fragments of Lesser Poland.

Rocks and caves

The rocks are made mainly of Jurassic limestone, which was deposited on the sea floor about 180 million years ago. The most characteristic are the rock ranges: Smoleń-Niegowonice, Zborów-Ogrodzieniec and Mirów-Olsztyn, with outcrops shaped like needles, pulpits, towers, walls and gates. The highest elevation is Góra Janowskiego (Castle Hill) in Podzamcze, at about 515 m above sea level.

The Complex of Parks estimates the number of caves at about 500. The largest concentration is near Olsztyn and the Sokole Góry reserve, and the deepest on the whole upland is Studnisko Cave (75 m). The longest is considered to be Wierna Cave, with more than a kilometre of passages.

Nature

A large part of the area is covered by forests, mainly pine woods, and on the southern slopes grow xerothermic grasslands with rare plants, including the endemic Kraków bedstraw. Twenty species of bats live in the caves. Within the park's boundaries in the Silesian Voivodeship there are ten reserves, among them Góra Zborów, Kaliszak, Ostrężnik, Parkowe and Sokole Góry.

What to see nearby

Among the most visited places is Góra Zborów with its limestone rocks, near which stands Morsko Castle. Deeper into the park it is also worth going to Bobolice Castle and Mirów Castle, which lie on the Trail of the Eagles' Nests.

Practical information

• The park lies between Częstochowa, Zawiercie and Olkusz; the point on the map marks Rzędkowice.
• Entry to the park does not require a ticket, but prohibitions set by a resolution of the regional assembly apply in its area, as described on the manager's website.
• Information on trails, reserves and the park's mobile app is published by the Complex of Landscape Parks of the Silesian Voivodeship (zpk.com.pl).