Parkowe Nature Reserve in Złoty Potok

In Złoty Potok the Wiercica river is born in a beech forest among limestone rocks – one of them looks like a gateway, another is a cleft known as the Devil's Bridges. The Parkowe reserve has protected this corner of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, known as the Polish Jura, since 1957, but its story starts much earlier: with the Romantic enthusiasm of the Krasiński family and one of the first trout farms in Poland.

History: from the Krasińskis to a nature reserve

From 1852 to 1858 the estate belonged to General Wincenty Krasiński, father of the Romantic poet Zygmunt Krasiński. Zygmunt's Spring, one of the two karst springs that feed the Wiercica, is traditionally said to have been named by the poet himself in honour of his son. The estate later passed to the Raczyński family: in 1881 a trout farm regarded as the first in the country was set up here, and in 1907 Count Raczyński restricted logging, which is seen as the beginning of protection. In 1927 a 105-hectare protected forest area called "Parkowe" was set aside, and on 3 September 1957 the reserve was formally created. Since its enlargement in 2011 it covers 234.13 ha in Złoty Potok and Siedlec (Janów municipality).

What to see

• Zygmunt's and Elżbieta's Springs – karst springs where water at 9–11°C flows all year round. Ice-age relict species live in them: the alpine flatworm, the freshwater shrimp Gammarus pulex and a tiny spring snail.
• Twardowski's Gate (Brama Twardowskiego) – a limestone rock with an opening, the best-known outcrop in the area.
• The Devil's Bridges (Diabelskie Mosty) – rocks split by narrow fissures, reached by a marked trail.
• Bear Cave (Grota Niedźwiedzia) – its sediments yielded bones of cave bear, mammoth, cave lion and hyena; the cave is not open to visitors.
• the historic Kołaczew watermill on the Wiercica and the remains of an amphitheatre in the forest.

Did you know?

An early medieval stronghold stood on a limestone hill inside the reserve as early as the 8th century. Six woodpecker species nest in the beech woods, while endemic cave beetles live in the caves and rock crevices, and bats such as the lesser horseshoe bat hibernate there. Dead trees are left to decay naturally, which is why the forest looks wild in places. The reserve lies within the Eagles' Nests Landscape Park and the Natura 2000 site "Ostoja Złotopotocka".

Tripto tip

Entry is free and the reserve is open all year, but only on marked paths. Allow 2–3 hours for a walk to the springs and rocks; the paths are gravelly, rocky and full of roots, so wear proper shoes. Several trails cross the reserve, including the Eagles' Nests Trail. Afterwards, head into Złoty Potok for the Krasiński manor house with its regional museum and the palace park, and stop at the trout farm for fried trout.