The Lime Kiln in Stara Morawa

The Łaskawy Kamień lime kiln in Stara Morawa is a historic lime kiln with a hexagonal base, equipped with a permanent firing system — innovative for its era and considered a milestone of industrialisation. The crumbling structure was found and brought back to life in 1978 by the artist Jacek Rybczyński, who created a Japanese garden around it.

A tour with bats

Inside lives a colony of bats — numerous of them and the rare lesser horseshoe bat. In Chinese symbolism the word Fu means both happiness and bat, and the horseshoe bat adds a horseshoe, so there is no shortage of luck here. The kiln stands on private property, entry is paid and visits take place only with a guide — today the custodian is Michał Rybczyński, continuing the founder's work.

The printing workshop and the Japanese garden

The kiln houses a museum of old equipment and a printing workshop, where the old printing process is demonstrated from setting movable type to the finished print — tickets are printed on handmade paper. Around stretches a deliberately asymmetrical Japanese garden, with miniature pagodas and stone symbols, such as the turtle, a sign of longevity.

Practical information

The kiln lies on the road leading to the Bear Cave in Kletno (Stara Morawa 29, Stronie Śląskie municipality), with a free car park. Nearby are the Stara Morawa reservoir and the peaks of Śnieżnik, Rudawiec and Kowadło.