The Great Bend of the Warta - a Jurassic landscape in Załęczański Landscape Park

Between Wieluń and Działoszyn, where the Łódź voivodeship borders the Silesian one, the Warta river does something it does nowhere else along its course: it flows around the limestone hills of the Wieluń Upland in a sharp bend, carving ravines and gorges into them. This section of the valley is protected by Załęczański Landscape Park, established in 1978 as one of the first landscape parks in Poland.

What this place is and where the landscape comes from

The park covers a stretch of the Warta valley where the river cuts through outcrops of Jurassic rock, the same limestone formations that further south form the Kraków-Częstochowa Jura. This is precisely why the landscape differs so much from the rest of the Łódź region: instead of plains and fields there are steep slopes, ravines and exposed rock here. Along this stretch the river forms two characteristic gorges, the Działoszyn gorge and the Krzeczów gorge, and the most picturesque part of the whole is known as the Great Bend of the Warta (Wielki Łuk Warty).

Caves and the Węże reserve

The limestone hills are cut through with caves, a rarity for the Łódź voivodeship. The largest, Szachownica Cave, has around a kilometre of passages and is sometimes made available to organised groups by prior arrangement, since bats, including the greater mouse-eared bat, Natterer's bat and the barbastelle, shelter there in winter. Shorter and more easily accessible is Ewa's Cave in Draby, about 40 metres long. On Zelce Hill lies the "Węże" inanimate nature reserve, where the limestone rocks show the effects of thousands of years of water action: steps, ridges and karst formations typical of Jurassic terrain.

Hiking, cycling and kayaking trails

The red Wieluń Jura Trail and the yellow Warta Gorge Trail run through the park and can be combined into a single, full-day hiking route. The Warta is also popular as a kayaking route; trips usually start in Działoszyn or Stara Wieś, and the route winds among meadows, limestone walls and spots that in summer are hard to mistake for the rest of the same river's lowland course further north. About 130 bird species live in the park, and the Granatowe Źródła (Navy-Blue Springs) in Bobrowniki are also worth noting, pulsating karst springs recognised as a natural monument.

How to plan a trip

The most convenient starting point is Działoszyn or Wieluń, from where marked trails lead out and where it is easiest to rent a kayak for a trip on the Warta. A walk through the park's most interesting section alone, including the climb to Zelce Hill and the Węże reserve, takes 2 to 3 hours, while with the caves and a longer stretch of trail it comfortably fills a whole day. Admission to the landscape park is free; only organised entries into Szachownica Cave and kayak rental tend to be paid, and it is worth asking local rental operators directly, as prices and availability change seasonally. This is a good destination for a day trip from Łódź for anyone looking for something different from the region's typical green spaces; it is worth combining it with a visit to Wieluń, a dozen or so kilometres away.

More ideas for trips around the Łódź region can be found in the Poznaj Łódź (Discover Łódź) section, and child-friendly attractions in the for children category, which the park itself is also part of.