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There are places that we don’t know they exist until “luck”decides that we have to see it. I discovered Megonky while browsing the Polish-Czech-Slovak border area on the map. Despite the fact that this place is not popular, it is unique, but you will find out about it in a moment.
Surely you’ve heard about stone balls before. There are places all over the world where you can find the perfect stone orbs. They are in many places, it is not known how they were created, but they have one thing in common – they look very interesting. We can find stone balls, for example, in the Czech Republic (Vidče and Rousínov), New Zealand – Moreaki, or in Costa Rica.
Location
If you do not zoom in on the map enough, you may have a problem with determining which country this place is located in! :) I am in a hurry to answer this question. Megonky are located in Slovakia. We just left the car in the Czech Republic and went for a half-hour walk to the neighboring country :) You can also get here from the Slovak side. The closest town in Slovakia is Čadca (Čadca), and in the Czech Republic – Mosty u Jablonkova.
About Megonky
It is located in the Megoňky Šance Geopark. It is located in the Turzovska Upland in the Western Beskids. It used to be a sandstone quarry and it was thanks to mining activities that it was possible to discover stone balls. The largest ball currently in the quarry measures over 2 meters. Originally, there were many more (there are talk of 300 pieces), but today they are decorated with museums and private gardens.
Where did the balls come from? This is not fully known. The most plausible theory is that waves acted in ancient oceans that formed such shapes. There is a chance that such spheres also occur in the area, but they can only be noticed after atmospheric phenomena or human intervention, as in the case of a quarry, affect the rock. One of the places where you can also find balls is Klokočovskie Rocks, but they are definitely smaller than in Megonki.
The quarry itself is a site frequently visited by geologists. Sandstones and clay shale forming flysch and conglomerates await geotourism fans.
Surroundings?
The area is beautiful and little discovered. While in this area, we took a look at the border triangle, where, as you can guess, the borders of three countries – Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia – are connected. Megonky is part of a larger geology trail. The educational cycling route Geopark Megoňky – Šance also runs through the facility. In the area, it is also worth visiting the ramparts – fortifications that are several hundred years old.
Worth to visit?
Megonky is a very interesting place, but people interested in geotourism will surely like it more. Going from the Czech side, we have the opportunity to walk through beautiful forests and admire the mountain panoramas. If you are in the area and looking for little-known places, be sure to check it out!
