Myślibórz Gorge and the Little Organ of Myślibórz

In the rocks above the Jawornik stream you can see pillow lavas – the traces of undersea volcanic eruptions from the early Palaeozoic. About a kilometre from the village of Myślibórz, on Rataj hill, the basalt columns of the Małe Organy Myśliborskie (the "Little Organ of Myślibórz") rise from an old quarry – the remains of a far younger volcano, some 30 million years old. Both sites lie in the municipality of Paszowice, south-west of Jawor, in the Chełmy Landscape Park in the Kaczawskie Foothills.

Myślibórz Gorge Nature Reserve

The reserve was established on 21 April 1962. It covers 9.72 hectares, of which 0.90 ha is a strictly protected zone around the hart's-tongue fern – a rare fern that grows here on greenstone rocks and has its only site in Lower Silesia. Other plants include the hard shield fern, opposite-leaved golden saxifrage, mezereon and mountain houseleek, while the clean stream is home to the alga Hildenbrandia rivularis. The valley itself is a ravine, cut when meltwater from the ice sheet some 200,000 years ago sliced into the bedrock. The Jawornik is a left-bank tributary of the Nysa Szalona.

The Little Organ of Myślibórz

The "organ" is a volcanic neck – a solidified basalt plug that once filled the vent of a volcano. Quarrying exposed its central part: the lava cooled into long, slender columns up to 30 cm across, almost vertical in the middle and slightly tilted towards the edges, much like organ pipes. Rataj hill rises to 350 m above sea level, and on its slope are traces of an early medieval stronghold and remains of a 13th-century castle. The Organ is a protected geological monument, reached by the red-marked trail.

The Myślibórz Gorge nature trail

The nature trail was laid out in 1986. It is 4.5 km long, takes 2.5–3 hours and is marked with an owl symbol. It starts at the headquarters of the Lower Silesian Landscape Parks Authority (DZPK) in Myślibórz (Myślibórz 11), home to the "Salamandra" Centre for Environmental Education and Regional Studies. Along the way are 12 stops with information boards, including the Cavemen's Glade, Jahn's Oak, the Giant's Rock, the Owl Rock and the Swedish Rampart.

Tripto tip

Important: according to the DZPK, the reserve itself may only be entered with a tourist guide or a DZPK staff member as part of an educational activity, so arrange your visit to the gorge in advance with the Salamandra centre. The trails cross woodland with roots and uneven ground in places, so wear sturdy shoes. The Extinct Volcanoes Trail passes through Myślibórz, and the village has a neo-Gothic palace, currently under renovation.