The Ojców National Park will organize “Grzybowska” Bat House in the old villa. When

The historic Villa “Grzybowska” in the Ojców National Park after renovation will become the home of the bat. It is to be an educational center dedicated to these flying mammals, which are the symbol of the park. One of the parts of the building will be adapted specifically to the needs of animals.

According to the director of the Ojców National Park Tomasz Gierat, the new educational center will be built in the historic villa “Grzybowska”, built at the end of the 19th century.

The ruined building requires major renovation and adaptation for educational purposes, for which the Ojców National Park obtained EU funding in the amount of over PLN 5.7 million. The cost of the entire project was estimated at over PLN 8.3 million.

The bat of the bat in the Ojców National Park

The director said that as part of the project, a foot-and-acting footbridge has already been created leading to the villa. – This place will be unique and combine educational goals with the protection of bats for which one building division will be allocated, specially adapted to their needs. These animals appear there in the summer, creating the so -called Summer colony – Gierat announced.

The main task of the center – announced the head of OPN – will be the education of society about bats, in local and global terms, learning their biology and significance in nature, methods of protection and increasing the acceptance of these extremely charismatic and leading a secretive lifestyle of animals.

– Willa “Grzybowska” is a great location to non -invasively monitor the behavior of these mammals. The interactive educational and exhibition space will be revealing, stimulating to think and based on the involvement of many senses – added the director.

Opening in 2028

In the intention of the creators of the Bat House will move around his rooms, including cuisine and bedroom, thanks to which it will be possible to learn the customs and lives of bats through the prism of human experiences.

According to the announcement of the future educational center, they will be directed to a wide audience, including school groups, individual tourists, students. It will be partly available for people with disabilities. The center is also to be a training space in which the exchange of experiences between employees of the Ojców National Park, guides, volunteers and specialists (chiropterologists) will be exchanged. The opening of the facility is scheduled for 2028.

Bats. Symbol of the Ojców National Park

Bats are the most associated with the Ojców National Park a group of animals, and the stylized silhouette of this mammal is placed in the park's emblem. Of the 26 species of bats living in Poland, 21 in OPN were found, including wintering 19. Bats have very good living conditions in the park – these areas forested with limestone rocks, there is the prosperity of food and convenient wintering places in caves.

The most numerous species is the Small Poddowiec. Other observed species in Ojców and the surrounding area include: large poddowiec, Duży, nake, rudza, nucleus, native, baby baby, nake Brandta, baby Wąsatek, nocele Alkatoe, Mroczek late, brown Gacek, west mop.

According to research since the 1990s, the number of bats in OPN is increasing. The impact on the welfare of these mammals has an improvement in the condition of the natural environment, associated primarily with the withdrawal of toxic plant protection products, and good protection of wintering positions.