Mountains & peaks

Trzy Korony

Trzy Korony (982 m) is the highest peak of the Middle Pieniny, rising some 530 m above the Dunajec river. On the tallest of its limestone crags — Okrąglica — a railed viewing platform awaits, holding around 30 people. It opens onto a panorama of the Dunajec gorge, with the Tatras stretching across a full 50 degrees of the view: from Łomnica, 28 km away, to Babia Góra at 63 km.

Five crags, not three

Despite the name promising three crowns, the summit ridge is formed of five hornstone limestone crags: Okrąglica (982 m), Płaska Skała (950 m), Nad Ogródki (940 m), Pańska Skała (920 m), where wallcreepers nest, and Niżnia Okrąglica. The mountain itself was originally called simply Pieniny, then Kronenberg from 1834, and has borne its present name since 1860.

A peak beloved by hikers

The first marked trail was laid out here in 1906, and in 1929 the massif was bought by the Polish government. At the end of the 19th century the summit drew 200–300 visitors a year; in 2005 there were more than 60,000. The slopes host 7 plant species found nowhere else in the Pieniny, and between 1991 and 2010 the Apollo butterfly, endemic to these mountains, was reintroduced here.

Practical notes

The most popular approaches run from Krościenko via the Szopka pass or from Sromowce Niżne through the Szopczański gorge — both take around 2 hours (1:45 back down), with a further 15-minute walk from the Siodło saddle to the platform. Entry in season is paid and the ticket also covers Sokolica. On fine days queues form, so an early start pays off.