Abandoned Liban Quarry - history, wild nature and epic movie

A week ago, I ended my story by saying:

Podgórze is full of hills, old quarries, and steep rock cliffs

I also mentioned the closed Liban Quarry - today, I want to show it to you.

In this part of the city (Old Podgorze), there are no such impressive monuments as in the Main Square or Wawel vicinity. However, it is an ideal place for adventurers and lovers of remarkable stories.

Leaving the former Plaszów camp area and climbing the hill, you can reach the quarry's edge within several minutes. On the way, a walk through a wild park awaits you - the surroundings let you forget about civilization for 10 minutes.

Walking along the narrow path, I met such a mate. I don't know much about birds, so it was only at home that I found out it was a jay. Quite a common bird, but for me, it was the first meeting.

The model was very calm, and although it changed the place it was sitting a few times, I managed to take some shots. The banal meeting but made me a lot of fun.

After a while, I stood on the edge of the quarry. On the right, you can see the Krakus Mound, which I have already written about here. Below, between the 30-meter-high limestone walls, there is the Liban Quarry, closed at the end of the 1980s.

It is a historical place. Limestone was mined here as early as the Middle Ages. A company founded by local businessmen Bernard Liban operated here from the 1870s until the beginning of World War II - hence the name of the quarry.

These intriguing metal structures that you can see in the distance on the left are lime kilns dating back to the 19th century; they are huge!

(And on the right, probably the only skyscraper in Krakow 😉)

This area is becoming more and more overgrown and wilder every year. There is a process called secondary succession (the phenomenon of nature reclaiming an area devastated by human activity) - the quarry has become home to many plants and animals over time.

Although abandoned, the place is quite popular. Both ordinary walkers and urbex lovers still appear here. But the quarry owes its greatest fame to the film "Schindler's List." Steven Spielberg decided to film the camp scenes here. The movie crew built an extensive film set, the remains of which we can still see today.

Officially, you cannot enter the quarry, but people are widely ignoring the ban; nobody cares about it. And although it is not easy to get there (the rock walls surround an area almost on all sides), the difficulties do not deter anyone. Many visitors to the Krakus Mound end their weekend walks in the Liban Quarry. I got there the first time a few months ago.

What makes the biggest impression? First of all, huge kilns and other post-industrial metal structures.

I was also very impressed by the remnants of the scenery for the film Schindler's List. Camp scenes were filmed here, although the area of the former Plaszow camp is only a few kilometers away.

I have to admit that the quarry was very suggestive in the film. In the 1990s, the area was devoid of trees and looked completely different from today. Spielberg and his crew perfectly chose the place for this role.

No sign of the barracks can be found today, but there are many remains of the fence. I know that it's just a scenography, but it's still thrilling.

I was here in the winter, so it was easy to spot even the poles hidden in the bushes. You can see how nature has appropriated this place in less than thirty years.

In may, nature comes to life and makes even this place seem a little more beautiful.

The Liban Quarry is an ideal space for people who like to discover history and explore original, non-obvious attractions. It is also interesting for naturalists. Some talk about development plans for this area, but honestly, I like it as it is - wild and abandoned.

_{I'm the only author of the text and photos
Writing about the history, I used the following sources of information:
http://www.zielonyblok.pl/2020/09/20/kamieniolom-liban/
https://podgorze.pl/kamieniolom-libana/}