Mirów Rocks

Between the ruin of Mirów Castle and the rebuilt fortress of Bobolice runs a rocky ridge where the Trail of the Eagles' Nests leads quite literally over the tops of the limestone outcrops. In one of the caves here, the unassuming Stajnia ("the Stable"), archaeologists found Neanderthal teeth in 2008 – the first remains of this human species ever discovered in Poland. The Mirów Rocks bring together three worlds: medieval castles, rock climbing and the deepest past of people on Polish soil.

A ridge between two castles

The Mirów–Bobolice ridge, also called the Mirów Range, is about 2 km long and runs east–west in the municipality of Niegowa. To the south it falls away in gentle, treeless slopes covered with dry, sun-loving grassland, while to the north it rises as a wall of tall outcrops, beyond which the Pikulowy pine forest begins. The rocks themselves are 5–30 m high and made of hard rock limestone. At the western end stands the ruin of Mirów Castle, at the eastern end Bobolice Castle; legend says the two are linked by a tunnel dug beneath the rocks.

The Neanderthals of Stajnia Cave

Stajnia lies at the northern foot of Skała z Grotą (Grotto Rock). Its main entrance is a portal 8 m high, opening onto a spacious corridor 23 m long. It was given its name in 1986 after a local tradition that insurgents kept their horses here during the January Uprising of 1863–64. In the cave sediments archaeologists found flint tools, a cache of flint nodules brought in from elsewhere and three teeth belonging to three Neanderthals of different ages, from a layer dated to roughly 100,000–80,000 years ago. DNA analysis showed they were related to Neanderthals from Mezmaiskaya Cave in the Caucasus. The ridge's longest cave, Sucha (75 m), is considered very dangerous – don't enter the caves without experience and equipment.

A climbers' playground

Climbers have divided the Mirów Rocks into groups and named them: the Violin, the Keyboard, Kukuczka's Tower, the Wardrobe, the Three Sisters. There are more than 100 routes (other sources give about 150), graded II to VI on the Polish Kurtyka scale; the north-facing walls stay cool in summer. The breakthrough came with a competition on Kukuczka's Tower organised in 1989 by the Academic Mountaineering Club in Gliwice, and climbing really took off in the 1990s. Just south of Mirów Castle stands Grzyb ("the Mushroom") – a classic mushroom-shaped rock with five routes graded V to VI+ and no fixed protection.

Tripto tip

The easiest plan is to walk the ridge along the Trail of the Eagles' Nests from Mirów to Bobolice – a short stretch with many viewpoints, so allow 1–2 hours one way. The section across the ridge currently requires a ticket; check the current prices and opening times at the castles before you set off. The ridge is exposed, with little shade in hot weather, and the rocks can be slippery after rain. Keep children close near the tops – the trail often runs right along the summits of the outcrops. The Eagles' Nests cycle route and the Trans-Jura horse-riding trail also pass nearby, and in winter the ridge draws cross-country skiers.