Parks and nature
limestone hill with castle ruins, outcrops and beech forest under strict protection
Cemeteries and monuments
a cemetery from 1842 with 327 surviving matzevot and a concrete fence
Parks and nature
forest reserve with Sudetic beech and sycamore woods on Ruska Góra in the Eagles' Nests
Free in Pilica: two nature reserves in the Eagles' Nests Landscape Park and a historic Jewish cemetery. Three places without a ticket around the town.
The two reserves lie in the Pilica municipality rather than in the town itself, so allow extra time for the trip.
On Ruska Góra (481 metres), near the village of Złożeniec, lies Ruskie Góry Reserve: more than one hundred and fifty hectares of woodland, established in 2000 for Sudeten beech and mountain sycamore stands. On Castle Hill, Smoleń Reserve protects 4.32 hectares in the strictest regime, with limestone outcrops and beech-hornbeam forest, and medieval castle ruins crown the summit.
A different, quiet tone suits the Jewish cemetery in Pilica, laid out in 1842 outside the town on the road to Kocikowa. Several hundred matzevot have survived; between 1942 and 1943 local Jewish residents were executed here. More free places across the region are gathered on the free attractions page, and the town is described under Pilica.
Both Ruskie Góry and Smoleń are within the Eagles' Nests Landscape Park.
It is a strict reserve, so nature-protection limits apply. Check the rules for moving around the area before you go.
