Deep Cave

Deep Cave, located in Zborów Mountain on the Częstochowa Upland near Kroczyce, is 170 meters long and 12.5 meters deep. It is part of the Zborów Mountain Nature Reserve, established in 1957, but its area is the most degraded part of the reserve due to mining activities. In the past, until the 1950s, limestone was quarried there, and spar was extracted inside the cave itself, leading to the formation of four openings in its structure. These changes negatively impacted the cave's microclimate, causing fluctuations in temperature and humidity, which threatened the bats hibernating there. To improve living conditions, two of the openings were sealed, allowing for the gradual restoration of stable microclimatic conditions. Deep Cave is the only such site in the northern part of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland open to tourist visits. Entry to the cave is permitted only with a guide, and tickets are sold at the Center for the Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Upland. The red-marked Trail of the Eagles' Nests also passes near the cave, making it an interesting point on the tourist map of the region.