Łomniczanka Waterfall

Łomniczanka Waterfall (Wodospad na Łomniczance) is a natural waterfall on the stream of the same name in the village of Łomnica-Zdrój, in the commune of Piwniczna-Zdrój, Nowy Sącz County. Geographically it lies in the Jaworzyna Range of the Sądecki Beskids, not far from the Slovak border. The fall is in the upper part of the village, in the Martyniaki hamlet, on the east side of the road running up the valley, at about 530 m above sea level.

It is a small waterfall — about 3 m high, and the rock step over which the water falls is 7 m wide. The stream splits into three jets that run down cracked sandstone into a pothole about 1.6 m deep. A few dozen metres downstream, mineral springs rise in the stream bed — "szczawy" (carbonated waters) of the bicarbonate-calcium-magnesium type. Several of them are captured in the "Łomniczanka Spring" (Źródło Łomniczanka), from which anyone can take water free of charge. Since 1973 a 50-metre stretch of the stream bed, with the waterfall step, the banks and the springs, has been protected as the Zofia and Stefan Alexandrowicz natural monument of inanimate nature.

Łomnica is an old royal village; according to royal documents it was founded by King Casimir the Great. It was a border village: further up the valley, from Wierchomla, the Lemko villages began. Its time as a spa was short: the local springs were first used in 1910, a bath house opened in Dr Ziarka's villa in 1924 and small baths with mud and mineral baths in 1928, but a flood in 1934 destroyed the spa facilities, which were never rebuilt. Today there are 11 springs in the village, mostly szczawy. The orange deposit around them comes from the iron compounds in the water.

What to see

• The waterfall and its pothole — best after rain and in spring, when the stream is full.
• The mineral springs a little downstream: the Łomniczanka Spring and the developed Stefan Spring (Źródło Stefan) — you can taste the local szczawa.
• The village's other natural monuments: the Stanisław Spring (Źródło Stanisław) in the bed of the Łomniczanka and the Łomniczanka sandstone rock, 4 m high and 9 m long, by the Memorial about 50 m below the weir.
• Artificial steps: there are many concrete and masonry weirs on the Łomniczanka with water pouring over them — some are even higher than the natural waterfall, so don't mix them up.

How to get there

This is an easy stroll, not a mountain hike: the waterfall is right by the road through the village, so you can come with children. Łomnica-Zdrój borders the town of Piwniczna-Zdrój, from where a road leads up the Łomniczanka valley. In 2010–2011 the banks of the stream were tidied up by pupils of the local school as part of a nature project, so access to the water is easy.

The trail Piwniczna Zdrój – Łabowa passes through the village, and the route Łomnica – Hala Łabowska climbs from Łomnica to the main ridge: according to trasadlabobasa.pl it is about 10 km and over 4 hours of walking with almost 800 m of ascent. The blue trail to Hala Łabowska passes one of the mineral springs. Trails also lead from Łomnica to Kicarz, Parchowatka and Czarci Wierch.

Season and safety

The waterfall is accessible all year round with no tickets or restrictions. The stones in the stream bed are slippery, especially by the pothole — keep children close. The protected area of the natural monument is the stream bed with its banks, so do not take stones or leave litter by the springs. During floods the Łomniczanka becomes violent; in winter the fall partly freezes. The GOPR mountain rescue number is 985 or 601 100 300.

Nearby

A few hours' walk above the village lies the mountain pasture Hala Łabowska with its shelter on the main Jaworzyna ridge. Other small Beskid waterfalls that are easy to combine with a trip are Wodospad Wielki in Obidza in the neighbouring Radziejowa Range and Zaskalnik Waterfall in Szczawnica.

Photos: Jerzy Opioła, CC0, Wikimedia Commons; VisitMałopolska (Urząd Marszałkowski Województwa Małopolskiego), official website.