Bolechowice Gate

The Bolechowice Gate is a pair of limestone rocks 25–30 m high that form a natural entrance to the Bolechowicka Valley, about 15 km from Kraków. On the east side rises the Abazy Pillar (Filar Abazego), on the west the Penitents' Pillar (Filar Pokutników) – names given by climbers before the Second World War. It is one of the best-known views of the Kraków Valleys and a great goal for a short walk.

Rocks from a Jurassic seabed

The gate is made of reef-like limestone that formed on the floor of a shallow sea in the Late Jurassic. Karst processes carved the narrow gap between the rocks. A board prepared by specialists from the AGH University in Kraków as part of the Lesser Poland Geotourism Trail explains that the gate lies in a fault zone separating the Olkusz Upland from the Krzeszowice Graben. In front of the gate a karst spring feeds the Bolechówka stream; it is protected as a natural monument.

The valley beyond the gate

Behind the rocks begins one of the shortest of the valleys around Kraków: about 1.5 km long and protected since 1968 as the Wąwóz Bolechowicki nature reserve, covering 21.31 ha. A few hundred metres from the gate the stream forms a two-tier waterfall, a rarity in the Jura. The valley has 10 caves and rock shelters, and xerothermic grassland grows on its steep, open slopes.

Did you know?

Poland's finest mountaineers and Himalayan climbers trained on the valley's rocks, and many ascents here made Polish climbing history. In 2019 there were 108 climbing routes, graded from I to VI.6. Climbing is allowed only on designated routes, using the bolts already in place.

Tripto tips

The gate lies in Karniowice, about 800 m north of the centre of Bolechowice (Zabierzów municipality). A black-marked trail leads from Bolechowice to the mouth of the gorge, and a longer trail runs along the valley floor from Ojców National Park to Paczółtowice. Access is free and open at all times. Allow about an hour for a walk to the waterfall and back. It is worth climbing the hill east of the Penitents' Pillar for views of the Tenczyn Ridge, the Krzeszowice Graben and Kraków. After rain the path by the stream can be slippery, so wear shoes with good grip.