To the south of the village of Podgórki, there are several valuable natural objects. In the local crystalline limestones, karst phenomena have developed on a small scale. The most well-known manifestation of karst is the Walońska Cave, the entrance of which is located in a small stone quarry. It consists of a single, straight corridor that is 14 metres long and has a considerable height. On the walls, there are remnants of dripstone formations in the form of small stalactites, flowstone formations, and miniature cascades. The cave has been known for a long time and surrounded by folk tales of treasures hidden in it by medieval seekers.
On the ridge above the cave, there are numerous natural outcrops of crystalline limestone in the form of pulpits, low towers, thresholds, and walls ranging in height from 3 to 10 metres. Collectively, they are referred to as the White Rocks. The botanical values of the area led to the establishment of the nature reserve ‘Buczyna Storczykowa na Białych Skałach’ in 2001, covering an area of 8.76 hectares. It includes a thermophilous orchid beech forest with characteristic stunted and often deformed beech trees, as well as a fertile Sudeten beech forest, where, in addition to beech, there is a mixture of spruce, maple, oak, and hornbeam. Within the thermophilous beech orchard, which developed with minimal human interference, there are rich communities of forest floor vegetation with orchids, Turk’s cap lily, and mezereum.
Description: Piotr Migoń
