Fabova hoľa

Fabova hoľa (Polish Fabowa Hala) is the highest summit of the Vepor Mountains (1439 m), part of the Slovak Ore Mountains. It rises above the village of Pohronská Polhora, about 16 km east of the town of Brezno, and closes the Hron valley from the south. The border between the Brezno and Revúca districts of the Banská Bystrica Region runs over the top, and the slopes belong to the municipalities of Polomka, Pohronská Polhora, Muráň and Tisovec. The massif is broad and wooded; the southern fore-summit, Tri kopce, lies right on the main watershed ridge, with the main summit about 500 m north-west of it. The whole mountain is part of Muránska planina National Park.

Getting there / routes

The Tri kopce junction just below the summit is an important trail hub. The red long-distance Ore Trail (Rudná magistrála) passes through it, and several other routes lead to the top. Times according to Polish sources:

• Red (Rudná magistrála): from the railway stop below sedlo Zbojská about 2 h 25 min; from sedlo Burda about 1 h 20 min.
• Blue: from the west from Pohronská Polhora about 2 h 45 min.
• Green: from the north from Polomka up Petríkova dolina about 3 h 25 min; from the south from Tisovec via sedlo Burda.
• From sedlo Burda via Kučalach about 2 h.

At sedlo Burda the log cabin Zrub Burda was reopened in 2015 and also serves as a hikers’ shelter.

What you can see from the summit

Until the early 21st century the summit was completely covered with dense spruce forest, and views opened only from the meadows on the northern slopes — towards the Low Tatras and the High Tatra peaks rising behind them. After a windthrow the top now carries only sparse forest, so the view is all-round: the Vepor Mountains, the Low Tatras, the Spiš-Gemer Karst, the Stolica Mountains and Poľana, often also the High Tatra ridge, the Kremnica Mountains and the hills of northern Hungary.

Nature and history

The name Fabova hoľa probably dates from the 17th–18th centuries, when the massif really was sheep pasture (hoľa). The slopes carry spruce-beech-fir forest; the main conservation value is natural mountain spruce woodland. Small stands of Swiss stone pine and dwarf mountain pine grow here too, and the herb layer includes Carpathian crocus and other protected plants. Bears and wolves live in the area, and capercaillie among the birds. The neighbouring Kučalach massif contains Čertova jaskyňa, a natural monument.

The Fabova hoľa nature reserve, declared in 1980 with more than 260 ha, was abolished on 1 October 2022 and its area was included in the zoning of Muránska planina National Park.

Safety, season and rules

The climbs are long, wooded and lonely in places — carry water and a map, as trails may be blocked by fallen trees after windthrow. Remember that bears and wolves live in the massif: stay on marked trails, do not leave food behind and avoid walking at dusk. In winter the routes call for snowshoes or skis. Walk only on the marked trails of the national park. Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300), general emergency number 112.

Photos: Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0; Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0; Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0; Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0; Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0; Draceane, CC BY-SA 4.0; Daniel Baránek, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.