Maciejowa in the Gorce Mountains

Maciejowa (837 m) is one of the first summits on the red Main Beskid Trail as you walk from the spa town of Rabka-Zdrój into the Gorce Mountains, just after Tatarów. From the open meadow on the ridge you can see Babia Góra, the Polica range and the Maków Beskids, and a kilometre further on stands a wooden PTTK mountain hut whose construction was delayed by a famous bet "on bended knee". It is one of the easiest mountain walks around Rabka.

Where it is

The peak lies on the long ridge running west from Turbacz to Rabka-Zdrój, between Tatarów and the Przysłop meadow. Three modest tops rise close together above the meadow: Maciejowa, Przysłop and Bardo. Maciejowa itself is almost entirely wooded, but the ridge and northern slopes are open. The summit lies outside Gorce National Park, within the town limits of Rabka-Zdrój; the park boundary runs close to the hut.

The hut and the knee bet

The PTTK hut on the Przysłop meadow (852 m), about 1 km south-east of the summit, is one of a series of small huts for independent hikers built to a standard design by Stanisław Karpiel. Its timber frame was made by carpenters from Dzianisz. Jerzy Klimiński, head of the building company, made a bet with Edward Moskała, the PTTK official in charge of the huts: if the hut was ready for the 1976 season, Moskała would cross the whole meadow on his knees; if not, Klimiński would walk on his knees in Kraków from Rynek Podgórski to Nadwiślańska Street. Moskała won – the 1976 deadline and then 30 May 1977 were both missed. The hut finally opened on 23 September 1977.

The first warden became famous for making guests wear slippers – there was a chest full of them by the door. It later turned out that the order had come from PTTK headquarters. The hut has 25 beds, and inside it is worth looking at the carved chairs, radiator covers, notice board and stair partition, made by graduates of the Zakopane art school.

Trails

• Red Main Beskid Trail from Rabka-Zdrój via Tatarów and Maciejowa to the hut – about 1 h 45 min up, 1 h 15 min down.
• Black trail from Rabka-Zdrój (Plasówka) ends at the summit.
• Green trail from Poręba Wielka to the hut – about 1 h 15 min.
• Onwards along the red trail to Turbacz via Stare Wierchy and Obidowiec – about 3 hours from the hut.

Tripto tip

Allow 3–4 hours for the climb from Rabka, a break on the meadow and a meal at the hut. In good weather the views from near the hut reach beyond Babia Góra to the Tatras and, in the distance, Veľký Choč and the Malá Fatra in Slovakia. The northern slope has a group of ski lifts, the longest reaching almost to the summit. It is worth booking a bed at the hut in advance through its website.