Nida Landscape Park

White gypsum cliffs, loess gullies, karst ponds and slopes covered in feather grass: in places, the Ponidzie region looks like a piece of steppe dropped into southern Poland. The Nida Landscape Park (Nadnidziański Park Krajobrazowy) protects the Nida valley and the land around Pińczów, Busko-Zdrój and Wiślica, and its greatest treasure is gypsum karst, unique in Poland. It suits people who enjoy quiet walks, wild plants and open landscapes without crowds.

The park in numbers

The park was created in December 1986 and covers about 229 km² in the south of Świętokrzyskie province, with a buffer zone of over 260 km² more. It spans nine municipalities, including Pińczów, Busko-Zdrój, Wiślica, Nowy Korczyn and Michałów, and is managed from Pińczów. There are 9 nature reserves inside: Skorocice, Góry Wschodnie, Grabowiec, Krzyżanowice, Pieczyska, Przęślin, Skotniki Górne, Skowronno and Winiary Zagojskie. The area is also part of the EU's Natura 2000 network.

A land of gypsum and karst

The backbone of the park is the Nida River with its broad valley, meanders and oxbow lakes; in places the river splits into several channels and spreads into marshy backwaters. It is an important wildlife corridor and a refuge for wetland birds. In the east, in the Solec Basin, gypsum rock comes to the surface in small cliffs. Dissolved by water, it has formed caves, swallow holes, karst springs, karst ponds and rock gates, best seen around Gacki, Wiślica and Busko-Zdrój. In the west rises the Pińczów Ridge, about 100 m above its surroundings, with limestone outcrops and gullies cut into loess.

The Nida steppes

The sunny slopes of the gypsum and limestone hills support one of Poland's largest concentrations of xerothermic vegetation, plants that love heat and dry soil. Species include burning bush, hairy flax and two kinds of feather grass, while spring brings the yellow flowers of pheasant's eye. The best-known spot is the Skorocice reserve, about 6 km south-west of Busko-Zdrój, with a karst valley and steppe flora that botanists have studied for decades.

Did you know?

• The most valuable rocks are large-crystal gypsum, known locally as "glassy" gypsum. Single crystals here reach up to 3.5 m in length.
• At Gorysławice you can see karren, channels carved into the gypsum by running water.
• Ponidzie is sometimes called the "Świętokrzyskie steppe". Historic deforestation helped give the landscape its steppe-like character.

Tripto tip

The park has no single entrance or ticket, so pick a specific goal, such as Skorocice, the area around Gacki or the Nida valley near Pińczów. A reserve plus a short walk takes 1–2 hours; a tour of several spots fills a whole day. The best months are May and June, when the grasslands are in flower, and early autumn. Stay on the paths, as the grasslands are fragile, and bring water and a hat: the slopes get very hot in the sun. The park combines easily with Wiślica, Pińczów and the spa town of Busko-Zdrój.