Hala Jaworowa

Hala Jaworowa, also called Polana Kotarska, is a large meadow in the Silesian Beskids at 820–920 m. It stretches along the side north-western ridge of Kotarz – from the slopes of its summit (974 m) to the 918 m point – and belongs to the village of Brenna in Cieszyn County. The meadow lies within the Silesian Beskids Landscape Park; the Kotarz ridge separates Brenna from Szczyrk.

Hala Jaworowa is part of the old "Kotarz" pasture, which, together with Stary Groń, was the largest centre of shepherding in Brenna. A shepherds' hut on Kotarz is mentioned as early as 1689, and in 1755 it was listed as one of the nine pastoral farms of the people of Brenna. In 1913 the Kotarz hut, one of the largest in the Silesian Beskids at the time, grazed 211 sheep and 12 cows. Grazing continued until the 1960s, and in the 1970s–1980s the tradition was carried on by a large experimental sheepfold of the Polish Academy of Sciences' Institute of Animal Husbandry in the lower, western part of the meadow; after it closed the building fell into ruin and was demolished in the early 21st century. Today sheep are again grazed on the meadow from time to time in summer. The name "Kotarz" is sometimes linked to the place where ewes lambed in spring ("kocić się"), but it more likely comes from the Slovak "chotár" – the boundary of communal land.

The Kotarz meadows hold some of the largest populations of purple foxglove in Poland, which colours the edges of the hala in summer. Protected species occur around it: common polypody, orchids and clubmosses, and among animals bats, wolves and the Ural owl. The mountain lies on an important ecological corridor linking the Równica and Barania Góra ranges with the Klimczok and Skrzyczne massifs. In 2022 there were plans to give part of Hala Jaworowa over to development with apartments and a hotel, but after protests by residents and hikers the Brenna commune council revoked the resolution on 16 May 2022.

What to see and do

• An almost all-round panorama: most of the Silesian Beskids with their highest summit, Skrzyczne, the Stożek and Czantoria ranges, and beyond them the peaks of the Moravian-Silesian Beskids from Velký Polom via the highest, Lysá hora, to Godula.
• Purple foxglove in summer and russet grass in autumn – especially beautiful at sunset.
• Traces of Vlach culture: next to the meadow stands an information board of the Vlach Culture Trail in Cieszyn Silesia.

How to get there

The most convenient route is the blue trail Brenna Centrum – Hołcyna Valley – Kotarz, which crosses the lower, western part of the meadow: from the centre of Brenna to Hala Jaworowa takes about 2:05. The summit of Kotarz can also be reached by a trail from Przełęcz Salmopolska (about 50 minutes to the summit) and by the red trail Mikuszowice Krakowskie – Malinowska Skała, which follows the ridge above Szczyrk. It is an easy mountain hike on forest and field tracks, suitable for families with children.

Season and safety

The meadow is accessible all year and there are no tickets in the landscape park. The best times are July (foxglove in flower), September–October and clear winter days. Remember that foxglove is poisonous – do not pick it. If sheep are grazing on the meadow, keep away from the flock and the dogs. In winter part of Kotarz is used by skiers, and the open ridge can be very windy. Mountain rescue GOPR: 985 or 601 100 300.

Nearby

Beyond the ridge, in the Biała Wisełka valley, are the Rodło Cascades (Biała Wisełka), and in Wisła the Beskid Museum in Wisła.

Photos: Douglas1389, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.