Not far from the town of Zawiercie, straight out of the boundless fields rises a 30-meter-high rock, which you will find on numerous postcards from the region. Its name – Okiennik Wielki – speaks for itself (“okno” means window in English). Nature has “broken” a window in the massive rock wall – about 7 meters deep and 5 meters in diameter.
Like many other free-standing rocks in the Jura – the so-called inselbergs – Okiennik Wielki forms a vast rubble with other rocks, resembling castle ruins. There was supposed to have been a castle here as early as the Middle Ages, the remains of which were reportedly still visible in the 19th century. Under the cover of the rock, murderers found refuge.
But the rocks are most popular with climbing enthusiasts. The first routes were run here in 1962. They bear such graceful names as “Komin Kosmonautów” (Cosmonauts’ Chimney), “Prostowanie Udek” (Straightening Thighs) and “Super Akcja” (Super Action). The latter has one of the highest difficulty categories in the climbing community – VI.6.
EXPLORE THE REGION – JURA
