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Regional
Tourist Information :: Views
from K³odzko Land :: Wonders
of nature in K³odzko Land NIED¬WIEDZIA CAVE Nied¼wiedzia Cave is situated near Kletno Góme in ¦nie¿nik Massif (Eastern Sudetes). The entrance to the Cave lies 800 m above  sea
level on the slope of Stroma Góra (Steep Mountain). It was discovered
by chance during the process of marble exploitation in 1966.Nied¼wiedzia Cave is the biggest cave in the Sudetes (the total length of tunnels - about 2,5 km). It originated in lime lenticle forced into metamorphic rocks. The cave has two main levels: upper - available for tourists, lower - preserved. Unusually rich travertine formations, retained untouched, are the reason for this cave to be considered the most wonderful in Poland. Additional, unique attraction which, incidentally, gave its name to the cave, are silts with Pleistocene animals' bones, like the cave lion or the cave bear. In 1983 the upper level of the cave was opened to the public. Visiting starts from a pavillion with an exhibition presenting, among other things, the skeleton of the cave bear and geological map of this area. Then we pass rooms known as Cave Lion's Room, Marten's Room, Primitive Man's Corridor, Corridor of Sinster Basins, Stalactite Corridor (a lot of dripstones) and Palace Room with an impressive amount of beautiful stalactites, stalagmites and very rare helictites (dripstones resembling tree-roots hanging down from the roof). The Palace Room is the biggest and the most excellent in Nied¼wiedzia Cave (its length - 60 m, height and width - 10 m). Nied¼wiedzia Cave together with its surroundings became a 89 ha sanctuary in 1977. The Cave invites you every day, except Mondays and Thursdays between 9 am and 4.40 pm. Guided tours only. The Cave is closed during winter time and a few first days of September. You can get by PKS bus to Kletno and walk to the cave. WILCZKI WATERFALL SANCTUARY The Sanctuary of Wilczki Waterfall, named so after a Polish writer, Stefan ¯eromski, was established in 1958 to preserve the biggest waterfall in the Polish part of the Sudetes. It lies 580 m above sea level, in ¦nie¿nik Massif, in Miêdzygórze. The area of the sanctuary is as small as 3 ha.  Apart
from a waterfall, there is also a gill of the Wilczki river (a kind
of a 1 km long, hewn in gneiss-rocks canyon) to be seen. Water falls
27 m down from the gneiss edge to a basin eroded in crystalline
schists, which are less resistant to decay. The waterfall was formed
as a result of tectonic upcast in the line of uplift of the ¦nie¿nik
Massif in relation to Nysa K³odzka Valley. Surroundings of the waterfall
are covered with mixed forest of lower prealps with rich undergrowth.
The most common trees are: the beech (Fagus silvatica), the fir
(Abies), the sycamore (Acerpseudoplatanus), the spruce (Picea),
the sorb (Sorbus aucuparia) and the larch (Larix). Ferns (Filicinae)
and lilies of the valley (Convallaria maialis) are not ararity either;
with a bit of luck you will spot preseved mezereon (Daphne mezereum).
The waterfall is fenced and there are safe touristic routes above
the canyon. A board for memory of the centenary of Mieczys³aw Or³owicz's
birth (a great Pole actively engaged in tourism) is nailed to the
nearest Baszta (Tower) rock.To Miêdzygórze you can get by PKS bus. SZCZELINIEC WIELKI AND B£ÊDNE SKA£Y (IN THE STO£OWE MOUNTAINS) The Sto³owe Mountains spread in the Middle Sudetes, between Kudowa Zdrój and Radków. It is the most picturesque part of the Sudetes. The Mountains are built of nearly horizontal sandstones of a different resistance to decay, and of marls. This peculiar structure contributes to its characteristic shape - plane tops with steep walls and rocks dominating over them as a result of long decay. In 1981 the  Sto³owe
Mountains Landscape Park was created on an area of 13600 ha, to
preserve the most precious complexes of rocks and plants. Places
you must see are the landscape sanctuaries: Szczeliniec Wieiki and
B³êdne Ska³y. It is where the highest (919 m) peak of the mountains
erects. A touristic path with steps hewn in the rock leads from
Kartow at its foot up. A labyrinth of rocks and unusual shapes of
single rocks, sometimes resembling animal profiles (Owl, Sitting
Hen, Camel) lend charm to the landscape. A special attraction is
a 100 m long and 17m deep rift between rocks called Piekietko (Small
Hell), named so for darkness and eternal snow filling the fissure.
Peaks and rocky slopes of Szczeliniec are covered with a spruce
forest with scarce deciduous trees. Different species of moss, lichens
and liverworts grow on rocks as well as the relict species of liverwort
(Gymnocolea acutilobd) and the eyebright - the shining moss (Schistostega
osmundacea) A part of Didactic Path of Rocky Sculptures goes through
Szczeliniec Wieiki Sanctuary - there you can find information boards
explaining its geological structute in detail.The next sanctuary is called B³êdne Ska³y, high up to 852 m above sea level. They form an enormous labyrinth of rocks that come in fancy shapes; it reminds of a rock town with stone tables, towers, mushrooms and tunnels - some of them have their own names. Tops of Btedne Skaty are covered with dwarfish spruce forest with verrucated birch and sorb. On rocks - rather rich flora of lichens and mosses. The plateau on the western end of B³êdne Ska³y is one of the best view points in the Sudetes. To Radków and Kudowa Zdrój you can get by PKP train or PKS bus. |