Wiśnicz-Lipnica Landscape Park

The Wiśnicz-Lipnica Landscape Park was established in May 1997 in the central part of Lesser Poland (Małopolska), in the Wiśnicz Foothills, in the land of the flysch outer Carpathians. It covers more than 14 thousand hectares, mainly in the municipalities of Nowy Wiśnicz and Lipnica Murowana. It is managed by the Complex of Landscape Parks of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

What the park protects

The aim is to protect the natural and cultural landscape. The area consists of hills exceeding 500 m above sea level, river valleys, forests, meadows and peat bogs. On the wooded hills stand rock outliers, the best known being the Kamień-Grzyb nature reserve with a boulder several metres high in the shape of a mushroom. The natural monuments also include the Brodziński Stones and the Chronów Rocks.

According to the Wikipedia entry, more than 670 species of vascular plants grow in the park, 51 of them protected. The animals mentioned include the black stork, beaver and otter, and several species of bats.

Heritage sites within the park

The cultural heritage includes Nowy Wiśnicz Castle, the medieval town layout of Lipnica Murowana, the wooden churches in Rajbrot and Lipnica, and six First World War cemeteries. The castle is described on the page Nowy Wiśnicz Castle, and the wooden building in Lipnica as St Leonard's Church.

Practical information

• Location: Wiśnicz Foothills, area of Nowy Wiśnicz, Lipnica Murowana and Rajbrot.
• Trails: the park is crossed by the blue trail from Bochnia to Tymbark, the black trail from Rajbrot to Lipnica Murowana and the green trail from Rajbrot to Czchów.
• Entry is not restricted by gates, but nature protection rules apply in the reserve. Information on current restrictions is provided by the park's manager.