"Babka" Lime Tree in Żarki

By the road from Żarki to Jaworznik grows a lime tree that locals call "Babka" – "Granny". It is more than 500 years old; only about a third of its trunk is left and the wood is partly rotten, yet the tree is still alive and puts out new shoots every year. According to local legend, King John III Sobieski rested beneath its branches on his way to Vienna.

History and legend

This small-leaved lime was listed as a nature monument in 1954. According to the Żarki municipality, it was then 18 m tall with a girth of about 4.5 m. The best-known story says that in 1683 John III Sobieski, marching with his army to relieve Vienna from the Ottoman siege, chose this spot to stop and rest. It is a legend rather than documented history – but given its age, the tree is older than the campaign itself. The area has a history of its own, too: tradition holds that the original settlement of Żarki probably lay on this very hill, where Babka grows and the ruins of St Stanislaus's Church stand.

What to see nearby

A few steps from the tree, across the road, rises Laskowiec hill with the ruins of the small brick Church of St Stanislaus, built before 1782 on the site of an older wooden chapel. The church has been a ruin since the mid-19th century; in 1982–1983 members of the Friends of Żarki Society cleared the rubble. Every year on 8 May a celebration in honour of the patron saint is held at the ruins. Next to them stand Jurassic sundials showing the time for Żarki, New York and Tokyo. From the hill you can see the Jurassic cuesta – a rock escarpment about 70 m high where the Częstochowa Upland drops towards the Warta valley.

Tripto tip

The tree stands right by regional road 792 on the south-eastern edge of Żarki and can be visited at any time, free of charge. There is a car park by the church on Laskowiec, so leave your car there and walk to the tree – do not stop on the verge of the busy road. 30–45 minutes is enough for the tree, the ruins and the viewpoint. Do not climb the tree or step into the hollow trunk: Babka is a protected nature monument in very fragile condition. There is a bench by the ruins that makes a comfortable spot to take in the escarpment.