Piekiełko, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, village in Poland

Piekiełko is a small village in southern Poland, set in a deep valley where the Łososina River cuts through the hills. The riverbed is full of big rocks, and as the water moves over them it forms small waterfalls and rapids that make this stretch look like a mountain stream.

The settlement has existed since at least the second half of the 1400s, when it belonged to knights before passing to the Rupniowski family for a long period. In the 1800s a manor house stood here under the Dunikowski family, and a small train stop was later added thanks to a local factory owner, but the manor itself has since disappeared.

The river section that locals call Tabacorz is where people tend to gather, drawn by the rocks and moving water rather than any built attraction. Further along, a stone chapel with a small tower holds a wooden carving of Christ with a sorrowful face, and in spring small prayer meetings still take place inside.

A good way to visit is on foot, since the roads are narrow and traffic is light, which makes walking around easy and safe. Wear shoes that can handle damp ground near the river, and plan for weather changes because the valley can be cool in the shade.

The name Piekiełko most likely has nothing to do with hell, despite how it sounds in Polish; researchers link it to an old Slavic word for tar, which may point to a long-gone local trade. Inside the village chapel, there is also a Loreto bell that people once rang to keep storms, hail and floods away.