What to do and see in Kielce, Central Poland: The Best Nature & Parks

The establishment of the Botanical Garden is yet another major step towards promotion of tourist must-sees in the city of Kielce and Swietokrzyskie region as a geotourist and naturalist’s paradise, bringing education as well as geological and ecological experience to the visitor’s fingertips. The entire facility and green area complex have been designed on the axis of the historic road which led to the monastic complex and the natural reserve of Karczowka hill. Exhibition part of the Garden was fully opened in 2020, and located on the exposed hill slope. Here, individual sections of the Garden have been located, where homogeneous, specialised collections will be housed. Four water reservoirs have been designed for the purposes of presentation of aquatic and littoral vegetation. An interesting fact in the Garden are numerous rock exposures with caves observed in the ground. Moreover, the exhibition part shall contain children and teenagers’ teaching activity spots.

Kadzielnia is Kielce’s most famous old quarry. The area, as the Kadzielnia Park and Reserve, covers about 14 ha. The central part of Kadzielnia, the Skałka Geologów (Geologists’ Rock) is under legal protection as an inanimate nature reserve. The remaining part of the area is protected within the Kielce Protected Landscape Area. It is worth mentioning and emphasizing that in the vicinity of the reserve is located, among others, the famous amphitheater, where numerous entertainment events take place. A new and very interesting attraction in this area is the Underground Tourist Route. Kadzielnia is a place with an interesting history, rich resources of animated nature, but most of all, a place that you must visit when you are in Kielce. You can spend a nice time here, relaxing while walking among the rocks, where the history of the tropical sea from hundreds of millions of years ago has been recorded.

The quarries in Ślichowice exploited the lime raw material as early as the interwar period. During exploitation in the excavation, unique tectonic phenomena were discovered, and therefore, in 1949, a part of the discovery was protected as a monument to inanimate nature. The high scientific and didactic value of the discovery meant that on 18 June 1952 a strict nature reserve was established - the Jan Czarnocki rock reserve. The reserve protection included a rock perch separating the former excavations with an area of 0.55 ha. In order to better explore the quarries, Geopark Kielce has prepared paths where didactic boards have been placed, which are a source of knowledge about the facility.

The former quarries at Wietrznia in Kielce are under reserve protection. It is the largest reserve in the city (almost 18 ha) and is named after Zbigniew Rubinowski. This place is called an open-air geological museum. The history of the old seas and lands has been recorded in the rocks located here. In order to help to understand it better, educational boards have been set up on the premises of the reserve. Therefore, it is worth taking a stroll through the area of Wietrznia, resting, relaxing in a pleasant environment, and at the same time immersing yourself in geological knowledge. While at Wietrznia, you should visit the Center of Geoeducation, with a multimedia exhibition describing the geological history of the area.