Hala Jaworowa

In 1913, 211 sheep and 12 cows grazed at the Kotarz shepherd's hut above Brenna – at the time one of the largest in the Silesian Beskids. What the shepherds left behind is Hala Jaworowa, also known as Polana Kotarska: a broad mountain meadow at 820–920 m above sea level with an almost all-round panorama, from Skrzyczne to the peaks across the Czech border. In summer it blooms with one of Poland's largest populations of purple foxglove.

Where it is

The meadow covers the north-western side ridge of Kotarz, stretching from the slopes of its highest point (974 m) to the 918 m knoll. It belongs to the village of Brenna in Cieszyn county, and the whole massif lies within the Silesian Beskids Landscape Park. The Kotarz ridge separates Brenna from the ski resort of Szczyrk. The name is sometimes linked to ewes "lambing" (kocić się) here, but it probably comes from the Slovak "chotár" – a village's common land or its boundary.

History: centuries of shepherding

The meadow was part of the old Kotarz grazing grounds which, together with Stary Groń, formed Brenna's largest centre of seasonal mountain shepherding. The "Kotarz hut" is recorded as early as 1689, and in 1755 it was listed as one of nine shepherding farms belonging to Brenna's villagers. Grazing continued until the 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s the tradition was carried on by a large experimental sheepfold of the Polish Academy of Sciences' Institute of Animal Husbandry, built in the lower part of the meadow by the blue trail. Once grazing stopped, the abandoned building fell into ruin and was demolished in the first decade of the 21st century. Today sheep return to the meadow only occasionally in summer.

The view

The panorama takes in most of the Silesian Beskids, including the highest peak, Skrzyczne. The Stożek and Czantoria range stands out clearly, with the peaks of the Moravian-Silesian Beskids behind it – from Velký Polom in the south, through the highest, Lysá hora, to Godula in the north. The best light comes in the evening, as the sun sinks over the Czech mountains.

Nature and the fight over Kotarz

Kotarz is part of a national ecological corridor that matters for the Beskid wolf population, among others; Ural owls and bats live here too, and the slopes support orchids, clubmosses and Carpathian beech forest. The municipalities of Brenna and Szczyrk once planned chairlifts and a ski run here to link the two resorts, but after objections from conservation groups the investors pulled out. In 2022 the issue returned – this time as plans for apartments and a hotel with an access road, sparking another local debate.

Trails

• Blue trail from Brenna Centrum – about 2 hours up to the meadow.
• Loop from Brenna (amphitheatre) via Stary Groń and Kotarz (973 m), descending across Hala Jaworowa: about 16 km, roughly 706 m of ascent and just over 5 hours of walking according to mapa-turystyczna.pl.

Tripto tip

Access to the meadow is free, but this is mountain terrain: bring a map, water and a warm layer, as the open meadow is often windy. The trail suits families with school-age children, but not pushchairs. For photos, come in the late afternoon or in summer when the foxgloves flower around the edges of the meadow – please do not pick them, as the meadow lies within a landscape park.