Zegarowe Skały (Clock Rocks) in the Wodąca Valley

The white walls of Zegarowe Skały (Clock Rocks) rise above the treetops on the left slope of the Wodąca Valley, between Smoleń, Złożeniec and Strzegowa. It is one of the most popular groups of climbing rocks in the Polish Jura, and also a place with a clock legend and caves inhabited since the Palaeolithic. The rocks straddle a provincial border: part belongs to Pilica municipality (Silesia), while the Zegar cave lies in Strzegowa, Wolbrom municipality (Lesser Poland).

The cave with a clock

The group is named after the Zegar (Clock) cave. According to a 19th-century folk tale, a mysterious clock strikes the hours inside on Christmas Eve and Midsummer Night. The cave was mentioned in print as early as 1846, and the first plan was drawn in 1908. It is a large horizontal cave with three entrances and a chamber about 20 m long; it is protected as a natural monument.

Excavations in 1997 yielded 2,187 animal remains, including bones of cave bear, cave lion, cave hyena and reindeer. The oldest traces of people date back about 50,000–60,000 years; the cave was also occupied in the Neolithic, during the Przeworsk culture (3rd–4th century) and in the 14th century.

Jasna Cave and the climbing rocks

Inside the hill is Jasna Cave, a single-chamber through-cave about 42 m long with openings at both ends and windows in the roof. Climbers know the individual rocks as Żagiel and Kursowa, Zegarowa, Mała Zegarowa, Lalka, Wieloryb, Siekierezada and Szara Płyta. Several smaller caves and shelters, some unnamed, are scattered among them.

Trails

• The Eagles' Nests Trail from Olkusz via Bydlin and the Clock Rocks to the castle ruins in Smoleń and on to Pilica.
• The Jurassic Strongholds Trail from Wolbrom via Ryczów to Ogrodzieniec.
• The green Cavers' Trail (about 10 km), marked in 2005, linking the most interesting spots of the group.

Tripto tips

According to showcaves.com it is about a 15-minute walk from the car park south of Smoleń to the rocks; access is free and unrestricted. Take a torch for Jasna Cave and shoes with good grip, as the cave and rocks can be slippery. Do not stand below walls where people are climbing. Combine the trip with the ruins of Pilcza Castle in Smoleń and a walk along the floor of the Wodąca Valley.