Kraków Gorge

Kraków Gorge (Wąwóz Kraków) in the Kościeliska Valley is not a city but a side branch, on the orographic right, of the Kościeliska Valley in the Polish Western Tatras, cut deep into the slopes of the Ciemniak massif and Upłaziańska Kopa. It is about 3 km long and covers about 2.3 km², and its mouth lies at a height of about 1040 m at the Wyżnia Kościeliska Brama gate.

Rocks and caves

The gorge is built almost entirely of carbonate rocks, limestones and dolomites, in which karst processes are at work. There are more than 120 caves here, eight of them longer than 100 m. Among the best known are Jaskinia Wysoka - Za Siedmiu Progami, Jaskinia Lodowa w Ciemniaku, Jaskinia Psia, Jaskinia Poszukiwaczy Skarbów, Groby, Jaskinia pod Zamkiem and Jaskinia Zakosista. Mroźna Cave, whose entrance lies nearby, is described separately.

Name

Highlanders noticed the resemblance of Kraków's narrow little streets to a rocky gorge and named it accordingly. The surrounding formations bear names from Kraków, including the Town Hall, the Tower and the Church.

Trail and nature

The yellow trail from Polana Pisana leads to the gorge, about 55 minutes one way. A torch is useful for getting through the Smocza Jama (Dragon's Cave). The upper part of the gorge is under strict protection and neither tourists nor climbers may enter it. Rare plants grow here, such as black bugbane and small-flowered orchid, and wild animals live in the forests and on the rocks, including bears and wolves. On the way one passes the PTTK mountain hut on Hala Ornak, and the whole is part of the Kościeliska Valley.

Practical information

• Location: Kościelisko, Tatra County, Tatra National Park.
• Access: by the yellow trail from Polana Pisana.
• Check the rules of entry and any trail closures on the Tatra National Park website before setting out.