Głęboka Cave

In 1942 the face of a German quarry cut the cave in two – its middle section was exposed and destroyed, and its two entrances became four. Even so, Głęboka Cave ("Deep Cave") in Góra Zborów near Podlesice is today the only cave in the northern part of the Kraków-Częstochowa Jura open for guided tours. It is 190 m long with a 22.4 m difference in height, and its lowest chamber never gets warmer than 8°C, even in a heatwave.

A cave reshaped by people

The cave was first surveyed in 1948 by the speleologist Kazimierz Kowalski, who gave it its present name. The area around the Krucze Skały rocks is the most altered part of the Góra Zborów nature reserve. Until the early 1950s miners extracted spar here – crystalline calcite sold to glassworks. In Głęboka Cave this happened twice: before the war in the so-called Spar Miners' Sinkhole, through which visitors now enter, and after the war in the South Chamber. Drill holes in thick calcite layers and broken formations are still visible.

A microclimate coming back

Cutting the cave open disturbed its constant cold and high humidity, which harmed hibernating bats among others. In 2010 the openings in the quarry floor were walled up and the route took its present form, and the microclimate is slowly returning to its original state. The shape of the South Chamber acts as a cold-air trap. Humidity reaches 95–98%. In the North Chamber look out for the cave orb-weaver, a large spider typical of caves, while bats use the cave from spring to autumn and to hibernate in winter.

What you will see

The route has designed lighting and an exhibition on how the cave formed, its dripstones and the old mining. It includes a squeeze through the narrow Esso corridor labyrinth and the Hall behind Esso with rich formations. Above the entrance rise the limestone Krucze Skały and the Dwoista Baszta tower, and the red Eagles' Nests Trail runs right past the cave.

Tickets and visiting

The cave is open from 15 April to 31 October, daily 09:00–17:00. Tours start on the hour in groups of up to 30 people and are guided only. A visit takes about 40 minutes. Tickets cost PLN 25 (standard) and PLN 20 (reduced); it is advisable to book in advance with the Jura Natural and Cultural Heritage Centre. The route is not accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.

Tripto tip

Leave the car at the Heritage Centre car park in Podlesice, on road 792 from Podlesice to Kotowice, about 1 km west of the village. From there follow the signs of the "Góra Zborów – Man and Nature" nature trail to the entrance. Bring a fleece or jacket and sturdy trainers even in July. Arrive 10–15 minutes before the hour, and after the tour walk the nature trail around the Góra Zborów reserve, which winds between the outcrops and shows the rocks from above.