Grzyb skalny w Zegartowice (Zegartowice Mushroom Rock)

Poland is full of small hamlets and villages that are by some considered to be unremarkable. Some of these places have something that makes them notable, like Skrzyńsko Parish Church, the legendary home to a massive spider. Bigorzówka is another one of those places, mostly due to its notable mushroom-shaped rock.

Mushroom rocks, sometimes called pedestal rocks, are geological structures that, over thousands of years of erosion, develop a wide top supported by a narrower base—not unlike a capped mushroom. Wind or water wears away at the rock at different levels to create this unusual shape. There are many such rocks in the world, but most of them can be found in deserts not wooded areas.

The Zegartowicach mushroom rock is located in Poland’s Wiśnickie Foothills. It stands about four meters (13 feet) tall, with a four-meter (13-foot) wide cap standing atop a base less than half the width. The rock is thought to have formed as a result of seasonal changes in water. The lower part weathered more quickly as a result of water in the soil, seasonal rainfall, and snowmelt.

It is located on a curve in the road, and stays mostly hidden from view until you are right next to it. This adds a bit of mystery to the rock, but it was not always a positive thing, as the sudden appearance of the rocks would often scare horses drawing a carriage. This often led to discussions about toppling the rock. Fortunately this never happened, and the rock got a natural monumental status in 1963.