Schronisko Większe w Ostrężnik

Schronisko Większe w Ostrężniku (the Larger Shelter Cave at Ostrężnik), also known as Schronisko Małe w Ostrężniku, is a small cave in the Ostrężnik rock on the Częstochowa Upland, in the Wiercica Valley. It lies on a forested rise, within the Ostrężnik nature reserve.

A rock full of caves

The Ostrężnik rock looks like a block of Swiss cheese, because it contains several caves with many chambers. The largest of them is the Ostrężnik Cave (Jaskinia Ostrężnicka), and near the shelter cave there are also the Schronisko Mniejsze w Ostrężniku (Smaller Shelter Cave) and several smaller fissures. Nearby stand the ruins of Ostrężnik Castle.

What the shelter cave looks like

The cave formed in Upper Jurassic rocky limestones, along two fissures widened by water. From the opening a short passage runs to a small chamber in which remnants of cave deposits in the form of flowstone and draperies have survived. The floor is sandy and humus-rich, and vegetation, that is mosses and liverworts, grows only near the entrance. The cave was inventoried in 1951 by Kazimierz Kowalski, and its plan was prepared in 2001 by M. Czepiel.

Practical information

• Location: about 170 m south of provincial road no. 793, in the forest on a rise.
• This is a small natural cave, not a visiting route. Before setting out, check with the administrator of the reserve whether entry is permitted.