Upper Shelter in Kosia Góra

The Upper Shelter in Kosia Góra (Schronisko Górne w Kosiej Górze) is a cave shelter on Kosia Góra hill in the village of Ryczów, in the Ogrodzieniec municipality. The hill is covered in forest, and the shelter lies on the northern side of the highest of the rocks, called Kosia Skała.

What it looks like

A tight, triangular opening under an overhang leads inside, located on a cleft at the south-eastern base of the rock. The entrance is about 2 m wide and up to 2.5 m deep. Beyond it is a low chamber of square outline, divided by a vertical step 0.5 m high. Wedged boulders sit in the ceiling, with light coming through between them. Deeper into the rock runs a low, silted passage, visible for a few metres but too narrow for a person.

The shelter formed in Late Jurassic limestones and is a fragment of a larger cave structure that arose under phreatic conditions on an interbedding joint cut by a vertical fracture. The interior is damp, with a sandy silt deposit covered in litter and rock blocks. Ferns, mosses and lichens grow in the opening.

Nearby

The hill lies about 200 m east of the Strażnica rock, visible from the asphalt road from Ryczów to Złożeniec. At the base of the southern wall of Kosia Skała there is a second shelter, the Lower Shelter in Kosia Góra. This is a site for people who like rocky nooks and crannies, not a cave with a tourist route.

Practical information

• Location: Kosia Góra hill in the forest, Ryczów, Ogrodzieniec municipality; the landmark is the Strażnica rock by the Ryczów - Złożeniec road.
• The interior is cramped and damp, and the sources do not mark the approach as a trail. Check the local rules of access to the area before you set out.