Krakow

Zakrzówek Park & Reservoir

  Dębniki         28 Mar 2024
This fantastic reservoir just southwest of the city centre was serendipitously created when the limestone quarry operating here accidentally pierced the water table in the 1990s. A popular place for swimming, cliff diving and summer barbecues, as well as hiking and rock-climbing year-round, Zakrzówek is known for its irresistible blue and seemingly bottomless water, as well as the gorgeous views from atop its limestone bluffs. Unfortunately it has also been known as the frequent site of fatal accidents, forcing the city to commandeer a once-wild place and develop a more safe, sanitised version for the masses.
Zakrzówek Quarry, April 2023; photo by Krzysztof Kalinowski, lovekrakow.pl

The new Zakrzówek Park debuted in June 2023, and aside from some initial obligatory grumbles, the project has proven a success. In addition to new pathways, benches at overlook points and much-needed waste bins, the park now features five swimming pools of varying depths (including one 40cm deep pool for small children), set inside the quarry and connected by wide wooden floating docks. Although entry is free, there is an entry gate that limits the number of people in the pools to prevent overcrowding (600 max). The pools are lifeguarded and open to the public from June 1 to August 31, 10:00-18:00. Near the pools there are also new changing facilities, toilets, food trucks and a cafe.
Zakrzówek Quarry, April 2023; photo by Krzysztof Kalinowski, lovekrakow.pl

Long home to a scuba diving school, we suspect it too will reopen, but it's unclear when; with a depth of 7-21m/23-69ft, the bottom of Zakrzówek Quarry is cluttered with all kinds of things that shouldn’t be there: several vehicles and sunken boats, including a small aircraft with two fake skeletons in the cockpit, as well as the former changing rooms of the quarry workers.
 
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The surrounding cliffs and woods are still a wonderful and wild place to go for a walk; the quarry rim offers fantastic views of Wawel Castle and the Old Town. The wooded area next to the quarry is also the fabled former stomping ground of Kraków's legendary alchemist and occultist 'Pan Twardowski,' who purportedly had his workshop in one of the caves - see if you can find it. In addition to several caves, intrepid adventurers may discover large, abandoned and very creepy Austrian bunkers carved in the cliffs (though most have been sealed off in recent years). There's even a whacked-out monument to Elvis Presley in the vicinity!

Getting to Zakrzówek

The closest tram stop is ‘Norymberska,’ which takes you to the pools and more developed south side of the quarry. For a wilder Zakrzówek, take the tram to ‘Kapelanka’ and enter via ul. Twardowskiego, or take a bus to ‘Zielińskiego’ (a requested stop) and enter via ul. Pietrusińskiego. Check live transport connections here.

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Open

Pools open June 1 to August 31, 10:00-18:00.

Price/Additional Info

Admission free.

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