Panieńskie Skały Nature Reserve

Panieńskie Skały is a landscape reserve in the western part of Kraków, in the Wolski Forest, on the Wola Justowska side. It protects the lower part of the Wolski Dół ravine with limestone rocks from the Upper Jurassic.

Ravine, rocks and beech forest

The reserve was established in 1953 and covers 6.41 ha. It is part of the Bielany-Tyniec Landscape Park. The rocks form a gateway in Wolski Dół, and the walls of the ravine are from a few to over a dozen metres high. The slopes are covered with beech forest mixed with oak, pine, hornbeam and sycamore, the oldest in the Wolski Forest area. In spring wood anemone, hepatica and fumewort bloom in the undergrowth.

Origin of the name

The name refers to the nuns of the Norbertine convent in Zwierzyniec, who according to a popular legend took shelter here during the Tatar invasion of 1241. A figure of the Virgin Mary stands at the site of the alleged miracle. The name Panieńskie Skały was popularised in 1822 by Ambroży Grabowski, author of the first guidebook to Kraków and its surroundings. The path running along the bottom of the ravine, Grabowski's path, bears his name.

Practical information

• Location: the Wolski Forest, on the Wola Justowska side.
• Nearby stands a wooden church in which the last scene of the film Potop (The Deluge) was shot.
• In the rocks of the reserve there are small caves, including Kominek and Schronisko Kręte.
• Also in the area is the Kraków Zoo.
• The reserve has its own protection regime, so keep to the path.