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Wieś Złoty Potok
Twardowski's Gate is a limestone tor in Złoty Potok, in the northern part of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. The rock stands about four metres high and has a through opening resembling a gateway — what remains of a system of karst caves whose roof collapsed long ago. The tor sits right by the road, surrounded by woods and meadows.
The name was given by Zygmunt Krasiński, who often stayed in the Złoty Potok valley and liked to bestow literary names on the local rocks and springs. Folk tradition says the hole was punched through by Master Twardowski as he fled through the rock on a rooster, chased by the devil. An information board beside the tor explains the geology and the local stories.
Złoty Potok is one of the most rewarding corners of the Jura: trout ponds, the Zygmunt and Elżbieta springs, the Raczyński palace with its museum and trails running along the Wiercica valley. The gate is best visited during a walk through the valley; there is a lay-by for cars on the road near the board.
