Zimny Dół Nature Reserve

The Zimny Dół Nature Reserve is a small inanimate-nature reserve in Czułów, in Liszki municipality. It was established in 1991 on just 2.22 hectares to protect the rock formations in the valley of the same name.

Rocks and caves

The reserve covers the right-hand slopes of the upper part of the valley. Large boulders with very steep walls stand here, in places forming rock mazes, and in many places the rocks have characteristic overhangs. These formations arose mainly through karst processes.

The caves and rock shelters are also of karst origin. They include Długi Okap, two Okapy za Zerwą, Schronisko Małe w Zimnym Dole and Schronisko między Okapami. Climbers have divided the rocks into groups named Wielka Zerwa, Głazy, Kanion, Labirynt and Przełaz, but climbing is prohibited in the reserve.

Vegetation

The flora is natural in character. Very old specimens of common ivy climb right to the tops of the trees, and flowering ivy is a rarity in Poland and is protected. In spring, before the trees come into leaf, hepaticas, wood anemones and corydalis bloom in the forest. The reserve is home to 230 species of vascular plants, of which 21 are under strict or partial protection.

Nearby

Not far away, in the area of the Mnikowska Valley, are further places for a walk through the limestone valleys of the Polish Jura.

Practical information

• The entrance is by the county road from Czułów to Baczyn, at a small crossroads next to a chapel by which limestone walls rise.
• An educational path runs through the reserve.
• The reserve's protection rules apply, including a ban on climbing.