The Prądnik (also called Białucha in its lower course) is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, running through the

Kraków-Częstochowa Upland The Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, also known as the Polish Jurassic Highland or Polish Jura (), is part of the Jurassic System of south–central Poland, stretching between the cities of Kraków, Częstochowa and Wieluń. The Polish Jura borders ...

in Poland's

Lesser Poland voivodeship Lesser Poland Voivodeship ( ) is a voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship in southern Poland. It has an area of , and a population of 3,404,863 (2019). Its capital and largest city is Kraków. The province's name recalls the traditional name of a h ...

. The river is a left tributary of the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

. The source of the river lies in the village of

Sułoszowa Sułoszowa is a village in Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of an administrative district called Gmina Sułoszowa. It lies approximately north-west of the regional capital Kraków. The village is a l ...

in the Olkusz Uplands. It flows in a deep

gully A gully is a landform A landform is a land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. They may be natural or may be anthropogenic (caused or influenced by human activity). Landforms together make up a given ter ...

through the

Ojców National Park Ojców National Park () is a national park in Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland, established in 1956. It takes its name from the village of Ojców, where it also has its headquarters. Chopin visited Ojców in 1829. It ...

. The lower run in Kraków was designated an

ecological reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

in December 2008. Until 1655, when the Vistula changed its course in the vicinity of

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, the Prądnik joined the Vistula's old riverbed near what is now Blich Street. However, in modern times the lower run of the river is regulated and empties into the Vistula in the Kraków's borough of Dąbie. Apart from the official names, the river is variously known as Prątnik, Promnik, Sałaszówka or Sułoszówka. Prądnik passes through several towns and villages, giving names to some of them. The list includes

, Pieskowa Skała,

Ojców Ojców is a village in Gmina Skała, in Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is one of the sights of the Eagle Nests Trail (''Szlak Orlich Gniazd''), as there are the ruins of a gothic castle near the village. The v ...

, Prądnik Korzkiewski, Giebułtów, Januszowice,

Pękowice Pękowice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Zielonki, within Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately north of the regional capital Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City ...

and Zielonki, as well as Kraków's boroughs of

Prądnik Biały Prądnik Biały is one of 18 districts of Kraków, located in the northwest part of the city. The name ''Prądnik Biały'' comes from a village of the same name that is now a part of the district. According to the Central Statistical Office da ...

Prądnik Czerwony Prądnik Czerwony is one of 18 districts of Kraków; known as Dzielnica III (District 3), located in the northern part of the city. The name ''Prądnik Czerwony'' comes from a village of same name (first mentioned in 1105) that is now a part of th ...

Stare Miasto Stare Miasto means "Old Town" in Polish. It may refer to the following places: City districts * Stare Miasto, Gdańsk * Stare Miasto, Kraków (for the specific neighbourhood, see Kraków Old Town) * Stare Miasto, Police * Stare Miasto, Pozna� ...

and Grzegórzki. The stream Sąspówka is a right tributary.

See also