Prządki Nature Reserve

On a wooded ridge between Krosno and Rzeszów, sandstone pillars rise out of the forest, in places more than 20 metres high. Local legend says they are enchanted spinners – girls turned to stone for spinning flax on a holy day ("prządki" means spinners in Polish). The Prządki reserve is the only rock reserve in south-eastern Poland and one of the most unusual places in the Strzyżów Foothills.

How the rocks formed

The tors are made of coarse-grained Ciężkowice sandstone layered with soft shales. Rocks of different hardness weathered at different speeds, shaped by tectonic cracks, freezing water in the pores and wind. The result is towers, clubs, flat blocks and crevices that widen upwards, with grooves, hollows and sponge-like textures on the surface.

The rocks crown a hilltop, and the highest point of the reserve lies at about 520 m above sea level. The reserve was created in 1957 and covers about 13 hectares (sources differ slightly on the exact area). It lies within the Czarnorzeki-Strzyżów Landscape Park and since 2009 has carried the name of Professor Henryk Świdziński, a Carpathian geologist who described Prządki in two works between the wars.

What to see

• Four groups of rocks – individual tors have their own names: Prządka-Matka (Mother Spinner), Prządka-Baba (Old Woman Spinner), Herszt (the Chief) and Zbój Madej (Madej the Bandit).
• Prządka-Matka – this group contains one of the largest rocks in the reserve, about 30 metres long and 18 metres high.
• Rock corridors – narrow, sandy passages run between the blocks, where the layering of the sandstone is easiest to see.
• Nature – maidenhair spleenwort, a fern rarely found in the area, grows on the rocks, and the forest is full of birds such as wrens and chaffinches.

Interesting facts

The legend links the rocks to nearby Kamieniec Castle in Odrzykoń – the girls turned to stone were said to come from the castle. A nature trail called "Kamieniec Castle – Prządki Rocks" connects the two, so it is easy to combine them in one walk.

Tripto tip

The reserve is right by regional road 991 in the Korczyna municipality, about 10 km north of Krosno. Parking next to the reserve is free, and so is entry. The black hiking trail from Odrzykoń to Czarnorzeki runs through the area – stay on marked paths, as this is a protected site. Allow 1–2 hours for an unhurried walk among the rocks, or half a day if you add Kamieniec Castle. After rain the sandy paths can be slippery, so wear shoes with good grip.