Dłubnia Valley

The Dłubnia is a small river that for centuries turned the wheels of mills, forges, fulling mills and paper mills, and today runs through one of the quietest corners of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. Its valley, from the springs in Jangrot and Trzyciąż down to Raciborowice, forms the Dłubnia Landscape Park, sometimes called "Little Ojców". The main draw is its pulsating karst springs with turquoise water – including the Jordan Spring, which once served local people as a refrigerator.

A landscape of mills

The park was established in 1981 and covers more than 11,000 ha, only about 17% of it forest. It lies where three upland regions meet, in six municipalities: Gołcza, Iwanowice, Michałowice, Skała, Trzyciąż and Zielonki. The Dłubnia itself is about 51 km long and flows into the Vistula at Mogiła in Kraków. In the past it powered countless mills, sawmills and fulling mills, creating a "mill landscape" found nowhere else. Most are gone, but you can still spot their remains along the river.

The springs

• Jordan Spring in Ściborzyce – a karst spring with crystal-clear turquoise water, about 3 m deep and some 32 m² in area. The water stays at around 10°C all year, so people once stored food in it; beams from the old "shelves" are still visible on the bottom. Water rises under pressure from rock fissures, which makes the bottom visibly pulse.
• Hydrographers' Spring and the Źródło Strusi spring in Imbramowice – protected natural monuments; according to local legend, a farmer whose oxen fell into the Hydrographers' Spring resurfaced in the Jordan a few kilometres away.

More to see

• The Norbertine convent in Imbramowice – founded around 1226 by Bishop Iwo Odrowąż; its present form dates from a rebuilding in 1711–1740 designed by Kacper Bażanka. Since 2003 it has been a regional Sanctuary of the Passion.
• The Popiel manor near the Jordan Spring, designed by Teodor Talowski, known as the "Galician Gaudí".
• The wooden Holy Trinity church in Iwanowice, plus the churches of St Andrew in Sieciechowice and St Nicholas in Wysocice.
• Limestone rocks between Maszków and Iwanowice with names like Durszlak (Colander) and Mały Chiński Murek (Little Chinese Wall).

Tripto tip

The valley is not a single sight – pick three or four spots and link them by car or bike into a half-day route. The path to the Jordan Spring leaves the main road about 750 m past the "Ściborzyce" village sign. Do not enter the water at the springs and stay on the paths – they are protected natural monuments, and some of the surrounding land is private. The park is free to visit, but the convent and churches have their own opening times. The valley lies just north of Kraków; its lower reaches at Michałowice and Raciborowice are closest to the city.