Bear Grotto (Grota Niedźwiedzia) in Złoty Potok

In 1857 Zygmunt Krasiński, one of Poland's great Romantic poets, came across a small cave in the limestone rocks above the Wiercica valley while walking near Złoty Potok. He described it and dug out the first bones of prehistoric animals himself. Later research uncovered the remains of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros and cave bear in the Bear Grotto, as well as traces of Stone Age hunters. Today it is the most visited cave in the Janów municipality and one of the highlights of a walk through the Parkowe nature reserve.

A cave of poets and hunters

The grotto lies in the rocks near the top of a hill in the Parkowe nature reserve, created in 1957, which now protects 234 ha of forest, limestone outcrops and the springs of the Wiercica river. It is both a palaeontological and an archaeological site: Stone Age people sheltered here, and since Krasiński's time it has drawn researchers. The area was linked to the poet's family – between 1852 and 1858 the land of today's reserve belonged to his father, General Wincenty Krasiński.

What you will see inside

The cave is about 70 m long and runs horizontally, so no climbing is needed. It consists of a chamber supported by a rock column with three passages leading off it. Inside it is about 10°C with humidity around 85%, and as there is no electric lighting you will see little without a torch. The grotto is a shelter for bats, including the greater mouse-eared bat, so don't shine lights at them or make noise. The bones found during excavations are not displayed in the cave.

A neighbour underground

In the winter of 2011/2012 cavers discovered the Upper Bear Cave (Jaskinia Niedźwiedzia Górna) in the same valley slope, with 635 m of passages and rich dripstone formations. Its lower level lies at the same height as the Bear Grotto. Unlike the grotto, the Upper Bear Cave is closed and open only to researchers a few times a year.

Tripto tip

The grotto lies on the "Ku Źródłom" (To the Springs) walking and cycling trail, which crosses the reserve from south to north past the Emerald Pond, the Spring of Fulfilled Dreams, the Green Pond and the Kołaczew watermill; the red Trail of the Eagles' Nests also passes the cave. Since 16 September 2025 you may walk this route with a dog on a lead – the only reserve in the Silesian part of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland where this is allowed, while dogs remain banned elsewhere in the reserve. Admission is free and the cave itself takes about 15 minutes. Cave visits should be arranged with the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Katowice – check the current rules before you go. Bring a torch, sturdy shoes and a warm layer, even in summer.