Jaskinie na Kadzielni

Useful Information

Location:	Rezerwat Kadzielnia, wjazd od ulicy Krakowskiej. Kadzielnia Reserve, entrance from Krakowska Street. (50.8622220, 20.6183329)
Open:	APR to OCT Tue-Fri 10-17, last entry 16:30, Sat, Sun 11-18, last entry 17:30. Reservation by email or phone mandatory. n [2024]
Fee:	Adults PLN 25, Children (4-) PLN 20, Children (0-3) free, Students PLN 20, Seniors PLN 20Disable PLN 20, Polish Mountaineering Association free. Groups (30+): Adults PLN 20. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	T=10 °C.
Guided tours:	D=30 min, L=140 m, VR=10m, Max=15.
Photography:	allowed, filming prohibited
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Jaskinie na Kadzielni, Rezerwat Kadzielnia, wjazd od ulicy Krakowskiej, Tel: +48-695-213-381. E-mail: E-mail:
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

18th century	begin of limestone quarrying.
1962	end of quarrying.
NOV-2004	begin of exploration by the Speleoklubu Świętokrzyskiego w Kielcach and the University of Science and Technology in Krakow.
2009	all three caves connected.
2012	opened as a show cave.

Description

The Kadzielnia Cave is listed as the youngest show cave of Poland, located in the Holy Cross Mountains. On a second glimpse, it is actually much more complicated. The caves are concentrated in the middle of a city named Kielce, they form two park-like areas, The Rezerwat Kadzielnia has 23 caves which are marked in OSM, probably there are much more. The Rezerwat Wietrznia im. Z. Rubinowskiego has seven caves and the Centrum Geoedukacji. Another cave is found in the cemetery between the two hills, and for obvious reasons it is named Jaskinia przy Cmentarzu (Cave by the Cemetery). So why are there so many caves in such small areas? The answer is simple, the karstified limestone was quarried for the rock, the quarries cut through caves, split them into separate parts and disconnected them. What is now called reservations are actually the abandoned quarries, partly filled with groundwater after the pumps were turned off. They were transformed into parks with trails and small roads, parking and busstops at the rim.

The area around the Jaskinie na Kadzielni (Caves In The City Center) is the eastern wall of the quarry. Visitors have to park at the northern rim. The cave tour includes actually three small caves, the Jaskinia Odkrywców (Cave of Explorers), Prochownia (Powder Magazine) and Szczelina na Kadzielni (Crevice in the City). Those caves were explored by the speleologists of the Speleoklubu Świętokrzyskiego w Kielcach in the years 2004 to 2009. A lot of loose sediments were removed from the caves to enlarge the passages and discover new passages. At the end, all three caves were connected and were developed as a show cave. The show cave was opened to the public in 2012 and is still the youngest show cave in Poland.

To visit the cave, you have to reserve a ticket by email or phone, at least one day in advance. We guess that's because the groups are maximum 15 people and during summer holidays they may be full pretty fast. Also, in low season many tours will probably not take place because there are not enough visitors, so by booking in advance they have the chance to tell you the time of a tour which takes place. The tours are guided by the local caving club, and visitors are equipped with helmets. This is probably just to make it more interesting for children, the cave is sometimes narrow but always high, helmets are not needed. The cave is not the only spot worth a visit, there are actually two such quarries which offer numerous trails for walking and bicycles. There are educational signs about history, limestone quarrying and more. There is also an artificial watergfall, where a brook falls down a quarry wall into the lake at the bottom. And of course there is Centrum Geoedukacji, a museum about geosciences, which is also the home of the Geopark Kielce.