Błędne Skały

Errant Rocks - Wilde Löcher


Useful Information

photography
Błędne Skały, Poland. Public Domain.
Location: Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych, near Bukowina Kłodzka.
(50.478728, 16.287023)
Open: MAY to OCT daily 9-19.
Park can be entered 9-9:15, then every hour for 15 min until 18-18:15.
[2011]
Fee: Adults PLZ 5, Children PLZ 2.50.
Parking at upper parking lot: Car PLZ 10, Coach PLZ 30.
[2011]
Classification: GorgeGorge Speleologyerosional cave
Light: n/a
Dimension: Ar=21 ha, A=852 m asl., D=8-12 m.
Guided tours: self guided, D=60 min.
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography:
Address: Błędne Skały, Stolowe Mts. National Park, ul. Sloneczna 31, 57-350 Kudowa Zdrój, Tel: +48-74-8661-436, Tel: +48-74-8662-097, Fax: +48-74-8654-918, E-mail: contact
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

photography
Błędne Skały, Poland. Public Domain.
1771 first trail to the rocks built to allow visits.
1957 nature reserve established.

Description

photography
Błędne Skały, Poland. Public Domain.
photography
Błędne Skały, Poland. Public Domain.

The Błędne Skały (Errant Rocks) are a series of of gorges, crevices, cracks, shelters and small caves, formed by erosion in an layer of Upper Cretaceous sandstone. The strange rocks located in the Park Narodowy Gór Stołowych are a famous tourist destination and have been a location for the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. There are some small caves and it is well developed with wooden paths.

The erosion followed weaknesses in the rock, primarily vertical cracks caused by tectonic movement. But also softer layers of sandstone were much faster eroded than the harder layers. The series of parallel cracks, which follow three main directions, created a true maze of gorges. The erosion of soft layers at the bottom creates the shelters and caves, but also mushroom rocks, where blocks of many tons rest on a small foot some 20 cm in diameter.

Some of the more extraordinary rocks have been named by the locals. There are Stolowy Głaz (table boulder), Tunel (tunnel), Kuchnia (kitchen), and Kurza Stopka (short foot). Some cracks are so narrow, the visitors have to squeeze through. Before World War II the area was German, and the rocks were called Wilde Löcher (wild holes). The translation into Polish, Dzikimi Dołami, is not used, the place is called Błędne Skały (Errant Rocks) instead. It seems the Germans emphasise the holes while the Polish people emphasise the rock. The place is only a few meters from the Czech border and so there is also a Czech name, Bludné skály.

The location has a well developed road, parking lot, information signs in several languages, and a trail of wooden planks through the gorges, very helpful after rain. But the last 3.5 km of the access road are very narrow and winding, so access is possible only at certain times. At the full hour the traffic is allowed to enter for 15 minutes, at the half hour the traffic is allowed to leave for 15 minutes. It is also possible to reach this place on various walking trains, but the walks are about three hours long.