The Mirów Rocks

Between the ruins of two Jura strongholds — Mirów Castle and Bobolice Castle — stretches a band of white rock outcrops known as the Mirowska Ridge. The Mirów Rocks, with their pinnacles, ravines and steep walls, resemble a miniature Tatra range, and the red Eagle Nests Trail runs here from one castle to the other over a section of about 1.5 km. It is a setting where geology and medieval history merge into a single view.

Traces of Neanderthals

The greatest sensation of this place is the discovery made in 2007–2008 in Stajnia Cave, lying a little away from the main path. Molar teeth of two adults and one young Neanderthal dating back 80–100 thousand years were found there. They were the first Neanderthal remains, rather than mere traces of presence, ever discovered in Poland.

Climbing and caves

The limestone walls carry numerous routes, and climbing in the Mirów Rocks developed rapidly in the 1990s. On the southern side of Mirów Castle stands the free-standing Grzyb rock, with five routes graded V to VI+ in the Kurtyka scale, climbed in traditional style. Cave enthusiasts are drawn by openings leading into underground corridors.

In practice

The ridge is entered from below Mirów Castle or Bobolice Castle after buying a ticket for the castle grounds, which are open during the castles' opening hours. Walking the ridge between the two strongholds is the shortest way to see ruins and rocks at once; the red trail leads straight from Mirów to Bobolice.