Kraków-Częstochowa Upland

The Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, also known as the Polish Jurassic Highland or Polish Jura (Polish: Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska), is part of the Jurassic System of south–central Poland, stretching between the cities of Kraków, Częstochowa and Wieluń. The Polish Jura borders the Lesser Polish Upland to the north and east, the foothills of the Western Carpathians to the south and Silesian Upland to the west.

View of the Tatras from the castle ruin Grodzisko at Skała
Polish Jura, Glove Rock (Skała Rękawica) at Ojców National Park
Maczuga Herkulesa

The Polish Jura consists of a hilly landscape with Jurassic limestone rocks, cliffs, valleys and vast limestone formations, featuring some 220 caves. The relief of the upland developed since the Paleogene, under climatic conditions changing considerably. Its main component is a peneplain, crowned by monadnocks, rocky masses that resisted erosion, generated as hard rock on Late Jurassic buildup surrounded by less resistant bedded limestone of the same age.[1] The Polish Jura is visited by roughly 400,000 visitors a year. Part of it belongs to the Ojców National Park, the smallest of Poland's twenty national parks, ranking among the most attractive recreational areas of the country.[2]

Flora and fauna
Location of the Polish Jura

The Kraków-Częstochowa Jurassic Upland consists of a rich ecosystem, partly because of the unique microclimate and also because of the whole upland being surrounded by a natural forest.[3] Plant and animal life is very diverse with over 1600 species of plants and 5500 species of animals. These include 4600 species of insects, including 1700 of beetles and 1075 of butterflies and 135 of birds. Mammals include the beaver, badger, ermine and 15 species of bats, many of which hibernate in the park's caves during the winter.

The climate of the upland differs significantly from the surrounding area. The snowpack covers the area for 80 days a year and the rainy season lasts from April until September. Annual precipitation varies between 650–700 mm, higher than in surrounding regions, the median temperature is lower, from 0.5 to 1.0°C. Average temperature is 19°C in summer and -3°C in winter.

There are a number of rivers that originate from the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, among them the Warta, Biała Przemsza, Pilica, Dłubnia, Szreniawa, Prądnik, Wiercica and Rudawa.

Apart from a diversity of plant and animal species, one can find a unique cultural landscape with archeological objects and relics of ancient inhabitation, with a vast collection of artifacts. The earliest settlement in the area dates to the Paleolithic period, approximately 12,000 years ago. The region is rich in flint, which attracted early humans.

  • Statues of Neanderthal in the Dark Cave
    Statues of Neanderthal in the Dark Cave
  • Highland Outlier
    Highland Outlier
  • Crown Rocks
    Crown Rocks
  • American pond in Złoty Potok
    American pond in Złoty Potok
  • Aster amellus
    Aster amellus
  • Mountain swarm (Sempervivum montanum L.)
    Mountain swarm (Sempervivum montanum L.)
  • Saxifraga paniculata
    Saxifraga paniculata
  • Camel Rock on Zborów Mountain
    Camel Rock on Zborów Mountain
  • Rzędkowickie rocks
    Rzędkowickie rocks
  • Zborów mountain nature reserve
    Zborów mountain nature reserve
  • Mirowskie rocks
    Mirowskie rocks
  • Kluczwody Valley
    Kluczwody Valley
  • Mnikowska Valley
    Mnikowska Valley
  • Kraków Gate
    Kraków Gate
  • Canyon of Prądnik
    Canyon of Prądnik
  • Club of Hercules
    Club of Hercules
  • Club of Hercules
    Club of Hercules
  • Club of Hercules
    Club of Hercules
  • Typical landscape
    Typical landscape
  • View of the Tatra mountains, 115 km away from the ruins of Grodzisko castle near Gmina Skała
    View of the Tatra mountains, 115 km away from the ruins of Grodzisko castle near Gmina Skała
  • Wierzchowska Górna Cave
    Wierzchowska Górna Cave
  • Prądnik river valley
    Prądnik river valley
  • Mount Towarne
    Mount Towarne
  • Bolechowicka Gate
    Bolechowicka Gate
  • Sokolica
    Sokolica
  • Rzędkowickie rocks
    Rzędkowickie rocks
  • The Great Window
    The Great Window
Castles
  • Ruins of the Ogrodzieniec Castle in Podzamcze
    Ruins of the Ogrodzieniec Castle in Podzamcze
  • Ruins of the Ogrodzieniec Castle
    Ruins of the Ogrodzieniec Castle
  • Ruins of the castle Ogrodzieniec
    Ruins of the castle Ogrodzieniec
  • Ruins of Olsztyn Castle
    Ruins of Olsztyn Castle
  • Ruins of the castle Olsztyn
    Ruins of the castle Olsztyn
  • Ruins of Mirów Castle
    Ruins of Mirów Castle
  • Ruins of the Mirów castle
    Ruins of the Mirów castle
  • Ruins of Smoleniu Castle
    Ruins of Smoleniu Castle
  • Ruins of Gmina Olsztyn
    Ruins of Gmina Olsztyn
  • Tenczyn Castle
    Tenczyn Castle
  • Renaissance castle Pieskowa Skała
    Renaissance castle Pieskowa Skała
  • Bobolice Castle (after reconstruction in 2002–11)
    Bobolice Castle (after reconstruction in 2002–11)
  • Ruins of the castle Bydlin
    Ruins of the castle Bydlin
  • Ruins of the castle Lipowiec
    Ruins of the castle Lipowiec
  • The ruins of the castle Rabsztyn
    The ruins of the castle Rabsztyn

See also

References
  1. "Pattern of karst landscape of the Cracow Upland (South Poland)" by Witold Stefan Alexandrowicz and Zofia Alexandrowicz, Acta Carsologica, Slovenian Academy Of Sciences "Acta Carsologica". Archived from the original on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
  2. Congress of the Jurassic System, Kraków, Poland. Archived 2009-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Krakow - Czestochowa Upland", Agencja Promocji Regionów ORANET.  (in Polish)

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