Kamieńczyk Falls (pronounced: ; pl, Wodospad Kamieńczyka; german: Zackelfall) is the highest

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

in the Karkonosze National Park, Lower Silesia, Poland, dropping a total of . It is located in the

Giant Mountains The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše or Karkonosze (Czech: , Polish: , german: Riesengebirge) are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif ...

in the south-western part of the country and is ranked as the second highest waterfall in Poland.

Characteristics

Kamieńczyk Falls is situated at above sea level and consists of three main cascades. A man-made cave carved by Walloons known as ''Złota Jama'' (Golden Grotto) is located behind the middle cascade. The waterfall is 27 meters high, making it the country's second highest waterfall. It falls down into the Kamieńczyk Gorge (Polish: ''Wąwóz Kamieńczyka''), which is a 100-meter long canyon. A five-meter deep plunge pool filled with blocks of rock is located at the feet of the waterfall. It can be found along a trail from Szklarska Poręba to

Szrenica Szrenica (1,362 m a.s.l.; cs, Jínonoš, german: Reifträger) is a mountain peak situated in the western part of Giant Mountains in Poland, very close to the Polish-Czech border, within the Karkonosze National Park. Its name originates from the P ...

History and tourism

In the 19th century, the waterfall became a tourist attraction following a growth of popularity of hillwalking. In 1800, John Quincy Adams, future

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

, visited the waterfall as part of his extended tour of

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

. Princess

Izabela Czartoryska Elżbieta "Izabela" Dorota Czartoryska (''née'' Flemming; 3 March 1746 – 15 July 1835) was a Polish princess, writer, art collector, and prominent figure in the Polish Enlightenment. She was the wife of Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski and a m ...

was among other notable visitors of the site in this period. German garden architect Hermann Mächtig designed the waterfall when laying out Berlin's

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

on the

Kreuzberg Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in 1990 it ha ...

between 1888 and 1894 inspired by the Kamieńczyk Falls (then known as Zackelfall). In 1890, the Karkonosze Society officially granted access to the waterfall to visitors. Due to repeated accidents, a protective net was installed on the route to the falls, which prevented rocks from falling on the visitors. In order to visit the waterfall, tourists need to pay an admission fee. Visiting is permitted only in specified hours. Each visitor receives a safety helmet before entering the gorge leading to the waterfall. Two mountain shelters are located near the waterfall: "Kamieńczyk" and "Szałas Sielanka". The waterfall was featured in Andrew Adamson's 2008

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...

'' The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian''.

Legend

A local legend has it that the water flowing in the waterfall contains the tears of seven

rusalka In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalky/rusalki; ; pl, rusałka}) is a typically feminine entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water, with counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as the French Melus ...

s grieving over the death of one of them named Łabudka, who died by falling into a precipice while searching for her beloved Kamieńczyk Bronisz. Łabudka had been warned by her sisters to stay away from the human, however, she wouldn't listen to them. She handed him her precious jewels, which he intended to sell in order to obtain money to help his ill mother. When her lover did not return, she went out from Łabski Szczyt looking for him. Unfortunately, when she saw Kamieńczyk, she slipped and fell down a precipice to her death.

Gallery

File:Kamienczyk Waterfall Old 03.jpg, An early 20th-century German postcard featuring the waterfall File:Zackelfall.jpg, Kamieńczyk Falls in summer File:Wodospad Kamieńczyka-zima.jpg, Kamieńczyk Falls in winter File:Schronisko Kamieńczyk.JPG, "Kamieńczyk" mountain shelter located near the waterfall

References

{{Authority control Cascade waterfalls Geography of Poland Sudetes Waterfalls of Poland Waterfalls of Europe Tourist attractions in Lower Silesian Voivodeship

Characteristics

History and tourism

Legend

Gallery

See also

References