Zabierzów: Quarry, Routes and History

Zabierzów offers a variety of reasons to visit: a disused, flooded quarry with a nature trail and marked routes, as well as several architectural and memorial sites. The themes range from changes to the landscape and outdoor activities to architecture and local history. If you are looking for a hotel, you can plan your trip around what brings you to Zabierzów.

Quarry and Routes

Limestone was quarried at the Zabierzów Quarry for chalk production from 1922 until it closed in 1992. After the quarry ceased operating, the site was flooded, creating a pond. A nature trail runs through the quarry grounds. Swimming in the pond is prohibited for hygiene reasons. Before visiting, check locally whether this rule is still in effect.

A cycle path runs near the quarry. The blue hiking trail from Zabierzów to Mników also passes nearby. A hiking route lists 1.3 km for the section between Zabierzów railway station and the quarry. This distance provides a useful reference if you plan to start your trip at the station.

Hiking and Cycling Routes Compared

A marked hiking route starts at Zabierzów railway station and passes through the quarry, Las Zabierzowski, Wąwóz Zbrza Gorge, Kleszczów, Brzoskwinia, Chrosna, and Wąwóz Półrzeczki Gorge. It continues to the car park in Dolina Mnikowska and the Mników MPK stop. This sequence links the quarry with several named places and landscape features; its destination area is Dolina Mnikowska and Mników.

A cycling route also begins at Zabierzów railway station. It passes through Bolechowice, Karniowice, Kawiory, and Bębło Kolonia Zachodnia to Dolina Będkowska. A blue cycling route to Jerzmanowice Kolonia Zachodnia is listed as a continuation. On foot, the described route goes as far as Dolina Mnikowska and Mników; the cycling route first lists Dolina Będkowska and then Jerzmanowice Kolonia Zachodnia. The two routes can therefore be distinguished by their mode of travel and the destinations named.

Architecture and Memorial Sites

The Neo-Gothic parish church of St. Francis of Assisi stands on Krakowska Street, in the area of Zabierzów’s former village green. The obelisk in Zabierzów was unveiled in 1993, on the 50th anniversary of the Gestapo’s arrest of the Pogan family and other residents on July 3, 1943. It stands opposite a former mill dating from 1930, behind the Rudawa River.

Another architectural stop is the timber-and-stone villa at 149 Krakowska Street. It was built in 1901 to a design by architect Jan Sas-Zubrzycki, who lived in Zabierzów. The church, obelisk, and villa each highlight a different aspect: Neo-Gothic religious architecture, the memory of the arrests, and the villa’s architectural history. Together, they offer a different focus for exploring Zabierzów than the quarry and routes.

If you are planning your trip around the quarry or historic sites, compare the address of a specific hotel offer with your own itinerary. This will help you choose a starting point for your stay that suits the places you want to visit.

Discover more destinations: Sąspów, Kochanów, Krzeszowice, Czerna, Czernichów, Raciborowice, Michałowice, Wielka Wieś.

Return to the overview of destinations: Kraków.