Man used to rule here, today nature does. Libana quarry in Kraków

The Libana quarry in Krakow was closed down in 1986. For years nothing happened to the site, so now we can see how nature has taken over. The site has recently been granted ecological use status and is home to many animal species

The Libana quarry became an ecological use in the summer of 2022. The decision was taken by the Krakow City Council. The aim is to protect the wildlife that grows there and the animals that have made their home in the former quarry area after quarrying work has ceased. The area covered by the special status is 14ha in size. It is an attractive area close to the town centre

Following the abandonment of limestone quarrying, natural succession spontaneously entered the quarry area and the site with its varied terrain became a habitat for unique fauna and flora. More than 40 species of dragonflies can be found in the Libana Quarry, the aquatic environment of the quarry floor is also home to reptiles and amphibians, and in the higher parts of the quarry one can see a kestrel or a kingfisher,” informs the Krakow City Greenery Management

The history of the quarry dates back to the 14th century. It was then that limestone began to be extracted from here. Its current name comes from a Jewish entrepreneur. Bernard Liban was the owner of a company producing foundation stone. It specialised in supplying paving stone and building and fertiliser lime

This is how the site looked in May 2006

The quarry also operated after World War II until the 1980s, with its final closure in 1986. The site was handed over to the foundation Centre for Cultural and Environmental Education’, which wanted to turn the site into a tourist attraction. The plans were opposed by local residents, and a lack of funding for a new arrangement of the site meant that the quarry was handed over to the Public Utilities Company, which managed the area until 2004. It was not until 2022 that the site was declared an ecological use

It is worth mentioning that in 1993, scenes for the film ‘Schindler’s List’ were filmed in the quarry

source: Urban Greenery Management in Krakow

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