Jurassic Cuesta (Kuesta Jurajska)

Drive along regional road 792 from Żarki towards Jaworznik and you suddenly see where the Polish Jura ends. The limestone upland breaks off in a steep step, with the wide valley of the upper Warta River spread out below. This is the Jurassic cuesta (kuesta jurajska) – an escarpment running from around Klucze near Olkusz all the way to Częstochowa, at its most dramatic between Żarki and Jaworznik.

Geology: a hard slab on a soft base

A cuesta is an asymmetric ridge formed when gently tilted rock layers of differing hardness erode at different rates. In the Jura, a hard slab of Middle and Upper Jurassic limestone dips gently to the north-east and rests on soft, easily eroded clays. Where erosion has cut into the clays, the limestone ends in a steep edge facing south-west. The step rises up to 70–80 metres above the floor of the Warta valley and is not one continuous wall – numerous faults break it up.

Laskowiec: the best viewpoint

The high point of the section near Żarki is Laskowiec hill (about 390 m above sea level). The panorama takes in white Jurassic limestone outcrops, the Warta valley and, on the horizon, the industrial outlines of Myszków and Zawiercie. On the summit stand the stone ruins of St Stanislaus Church, built before 1782 on the site of a roadside chapel on the old route from Kraków to Częstochowa. The church has been a ruin since the mid-19th century; when it was cleared of rubble in 1982–1983, burials from the second half of the 15th century came to light. Every year on 8 May a Mass is held at the ruins in honour of the patron saint.

Good to know

• Next to the viewpoint, sundials show the time in Żarki – and in New York and Tokyo.
• The steep, sunny escarpment attracts paragliders, who take off from Laskowiec for flights over the Warta valley.

Tripto tip

Laskowiec is easy to reach: road 792 (Żarki–Kroczyce) has a car park with tables and benches, and the ruins and the view are free. Allow 30–45 minutes for the hill. The light is best in the late afternoon, when the sun lights the Warta valley from the west. The visit combines well with the Leśniów sanctuary and the historic centre of Żarki.