Nature

Żabie Doły Nature Complex

Żabie Doły is a legally protected landscape complex of 226.2 hectares on the border of Bytom, Chorzów and Piekary Śląskie. The former tailings ponds of the Orzeł Biały mining and smelting works have become one of the most important havens for waterbirds in Upper Silesia. The area has been protected since 1997.

From zinc ore to a bird oasis

The history of this land is the history of mining: zinc and lead ores were extracted here from the 13th century, and later coal, deeper down, at the Barbara-Chorzów colliery. The subsided ground and spoil heaps were flooded to form a mosaic of water bodies, and nature was left to reclaim them. Ornithologists have recorded 129 bird species, including 76 breeding ones; the little bittern, regionally threatened, occurs at high density, while the Eurasian bittern, the marsh harrier and the great crested grebe also nest here.

How to visit

Early morning is the best time for birdwatching, especially in spring. Foot and cycling paths cross the area, and birds can be watched from bird hides with narrow openings that keep people out of sight. Colourful murals have appeared on the railway bridges, Second World War bunkers hide in the greenery, and a fragment of the former narrow-gauge railway was moved to the open-air museum in Rudy Raciborskie.

Practical information

Entry and parking are free and the area is open around the clock. From the Bytom side, the convenient access point is Krzyżowa street. If you feed the birds, leave the food on the bank rather than in the water: grain and cooked vegetables instead of bread.