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, whose entrance is located in a small quarry. It consists of a single, straight, high corridor with a length of 14 metres. On the walls, remnants of dripstone formations have been preserved in the form of small stalactites, dripstone flows, and miniature cascades. The cave has been known for a long time and is surrounded by folk tales of treasures hidden in it by medieval treasure hunters.
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 (Białe Skały). The botanical values of the area led to the establishment, in 2001, of the nature reserve ‘Buczyna Storczykowa na Białych Skałach,‘ covering an area of 8.76 hectares. It includes a thermophilic 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 thermophilic orchid beech forest, which developed with minimal human intervention, there are rich communities of forest undergrowth with orchids, Turk’s cap lily, and mezereum.
Description: Piotr Migoń
