Mountains & peaks

Hala Gąsienicowa

The broad flattening in the upper part of the Gąsienicowa Valley is one of the busiest trail junctions in the Polish Tatras. Two routes lead here from Kuźnice — the blue trail via Boczań and Skupniów Upłaz or the yellow one through the Jaworzynka Valley — both meeting at the Przełęcz między Kopami saddle, and the whole walk takes a little over two hours. On the meadow stand the PTTK "Murowaniec" mountain hut and "Betlejemka", a base for climbers.

Where the name comes from

The hala takes its name from the Gąsienica highland family, who owned the pastures in the 17th century. It was once called the "hala of the Lakes", and in 19th-century Austrian documents it appears as the Valley of Seven Lakes. Sheep grazing lasted a long time — in 1960 there were still 494 sheep, and a year later the State Treasury bought the hala from 381 owners.

A station more than a century old

Next to the hala operates the M.M. Kłapów Research Station of the Polish Academy of Sciences, whose measurements go back to 1 December 1913 — it was the first mountain meteorological station on Polish lands. Its observations are now of exceptional value for climatology.

Where to go from here

Trails lead to Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy and the Zawrat saddle (2:20 h), by the yellow trail through the Pańszczyca Valley to Krzyżne (2:45 h), or on the easiest of the nearby routes to Kasprowy Wierch, descending from there via Gienkowe Mury. Harder routes go up Kościelec via the Karb saddle.