Kruczy Kamień Nature Reserve

The Kruczy Kamień reserve protects the summit of Krucza Skała (681 m) and its southern slope, which drops in a cliff several dozen metres high into the Krucza Valley. It lies about 2.5 km south of the centre of Lubawka, in the Krucze Mountains – the western part of the Stone Mountains (Góry Kamienne) in the Central Sudetes. It makes a short but steep walk for anyone who enjoys rocks, views and nature with a story.

Rocks with a volcanic past

This reserve of inanimate nature was created in 1954 and now covers 12.61 ha. It protects a striking example of a trachyte (porphyry) intrusion into sedimentary rock: hot magma forced its way into older layers and altered them where they met. Krucza Skała is built of Lower Permian volcanic rocks – trachybasalts, trachyandesites and rhyolites – surrounded by Rotliegend sediments. The cliffs reach 30 m in height, and their jagged crests are known as the Krucze Skały (Raven Rocks).

Forest, plants and the return of the Apollo

The slopes are covered with mixed mountain forest dominated by spruce, with fir, beech and sycamore. Protected species grow here, including French rose, martagon lily, large yellow foxglove, hen-and-chicks and black spleenwort. The best story belongs to a butterfly: in 1995 entomologists from the University of Wrocław reintroduced the Apollo butterfly, which had been absent from the Sudetes for almost a hundred years.

Tripto tips

You see the reserve from marked trails: the green one (Lubawka – Krzeszów) runs along its eastern edge and over the top of Krucza Skała, while the blue one (Lubawka – Mieroszów) follows the western boundary. From the summit you can see the Lubawka Gate and the Karkonosze. A local literary trail, "Imię Pani. Efekt Motyla", also passes Krucza Skała and the nearby Valley of Love. Allow 2–3 hours for a loop from Lubawka and wear sturdy shoes, as the climbs are steep. Do not leave the trail to approach the cliffs – the rock formations are protected as a nature reserve.