Smreczyński Staw (Smreczyński Tarn)

Unlike most Tatra lakes, Smreczyński Staw does not sit in a rocky cirque but in the forest, at 1,226 m above sea level, between the moraines of two former glaciers. Kamienista, Błyszcz and Bystrá rise above the spruces, and a short black-marked trail leads to the shore from the Ornak mountain hostel. It is a peaceful finale to a walk up the Kościeliska Valley and one of the few Tatra lakes where amphibians live.

A lake that is slowly disappearing

The tarn covers 0.75 ha, with an average depth of 1.8 m and a maximum of 5.3 m. The water is not very clear – visibility is just 1.5–2 m – because the lake is full of life: phytoplankton, the red alga Batrachospermum, rare in Poland, and alpine and Carpathian newts and common frogs. The marshy shores are home to plants such as the bog arum, rare in the Carpathians. The Tatra National Park points out that the lake is gradually vanishing: organic matter builds up on the bottom and peat bog is creeping in from the banks.

The name comes from the former Smreczyny mountain pasture. Nearby lie two clearings that are slowly being reclaimed by forest, Wyżnia and Niżnia Smreczyńska, and migrating birds stop to rest on the water.

What to see

• The Western Tatra panorama above the trees: Smreczyński Wierch (2,086 m), Kamienista (2,126 m), Błyszcz (2,158 m) and the slopes of Starorobociański Wierch (2,178 m), along which the Polish-Slovak border runs.
• The moraines between two former glaciers, which the trail crosses.
• Spruce forest hit in recent years by the European spruce bark beetle – the dead trunks are part of natural processes in a strictly protected area.
• In summer, several species of dragonflies over the water.

Interesting facts

Highlanders believed the lake had no bottom. Legend tells of a farmer who started digging a ditch to drain it and turn it into a meadow – until a voice from the water warned him it would flood every village all the way to the sea. From the 1830s the lake attracted artists: Walery Eljasz-Radzikowski, Wojciech Gerson and Leon Wyczółkowski all painted it. Not everyone was impressed – the poet Seweryn Goszczyński, who saw it in 1832, complained about the marshy shores and murky water, and in 1850 the naturalist Kazimierz Wodzicki described it as brown and full of bugs. Stefan Żeromski featured the lake in his novel "Ashes", calling it "the Changeable".

Trail and access

The black trail starts at a junction on the main Kościeliska Valley road, just below the PTTK Ornak hostel (about 1,106 m). It is about 1.2 km long with about 120 m of ascent – according to the national park it takes about 20 minutes up and even less down. From Kiry at the mouth of the valley a wide surfaced road leads to the hostel; the park describes the Kiry – Kraków Gorge – Ornak – Smreczyński Staw route as pushchair-friendly and suitable for beginners, about 14 km in total.

Tripto tip

Allow 5–6 hours for the whole trip from Kiry to the lake and back, including a break at the hostel. Entry to the Tatra National Park requires a ticket, available at the booth at the valley entrance or online. The lake lies in a strictly protected zone, so stay on the trail rather than stepping onto the boggy shores, and don't feed the birds. It is prettiest in the morning, when on a still day the peaks are reflected in the water.