Kraków-Częstochowa Upland

The Cracow - Częstochowa Upland (Polish Wyżyna Krakowsko - Częstochowska ) is a mountain range in southern Poland. The region is part of the Łódź Voivodship, Silesia and Lesser Poland.

The Jura is bordered to the north by the Polish lowlands, to the east by the Holy Cross Mountains, in the south on the Vistula and on the west by the Silesian Highlands, extending from Wieluń about Częstochowa ( Czestochowa ) to Krakow. The highest mountain is about 600 meters high. The mountain is characterized by limestone and has numerous karst features ( caves, cliffs, etc.) and the only desert in Central Europe ( Błędów Desert ).

The Jura mountain are built with a number of castles and palaces, the so-called Aerie castles, the rapid communication with lights and smoke signals from Krakow allowed since the 14th century up to Czestochowa.

Ojców National Park

The Jura is partially protected by the National Park Ojców. The National Park is located in the northern part of Malopolska 16 km north of Krakow, in Krakow -Czestochowa Jura. The park includes the valleys of two small rivers - Prądnik and Sąspówka, as well as adjacent areas of the Jura plateau. It is the smallest national park in Poland.

The geological base of the park area consists of Jurassic limestone. Due to the influence of karst water in the valleys Ojców a strange landscape has been created, interrupted by steep-walled canyons up to 120 m depth with different rock formations and residual mountains. In the park area there are about 400 caves and other karst formations such as Vauclusequellen, V-shaped valleys, karst areas and funnel.

The number of species is estimated at 12,000. Among the mammals occurring here include badgers, dormice, ermine, beavers and bats, many of whom live in the local caves.

The oldest traces of human presence in the area date from the Later Stone Age and are around 120,000 years old.

The park area is home to numerous architectural monuments. These include, inter alia, the well-preserved Renaissance castle in Pieskowa Skala and the ruins of a Gothic castle Ojców. Both were once part of a medieval defense system that protected the southwestern border of Poland.