Havran

Havran (Polish Hawrań, German Rabenstein) is the highest peak of the Belianske Tatras at 2,152 m and at the same time the highest limestone summit of the entire Tatras. It rises above the village of Ždiar, about 20 km north-west of Kežmarok, in Slovakia's Prešov Region. The massif lies in the Tatra National Park and in the Belianske Tatry National Nature Reserve, which has the highest, fifth degree of protection. The summit has been closed to hikers since 1978, there is no marked trail to it — Havran can only be admired from a distance.

Havran lies in the north-western part of the main Belianske Tatras ridge, between Nový (about 2,000 m), separated by the Havranie sedlo saddle, and Ždiarska vidla (2,142 m) beyond the Tristarské sedlo saddle. Together with Nový and Muráň they form a distinctive group visible from many places in the High Tatras and from Polish Podhale. Below the massif to the south lies the Zadné Meďodoly valley, to the east the Tristárska valley. Water from the south-western and northern slopes drains to the Javorinka in the Dunajec basin, while the Biela river rises on the eastern slope and flows to the Poprad.

The summit is covered only by low vegetation, and three rocky ridges radiate from it. On the north-western spur stands the highest wall in the Belianske Tatras — about 250 m. More than a dozen caves are known on the slopes; the deepest, the Tristarská cave (201 m), is the deepest in the whole Belianske Tatras.

The name

Havran and its neighbour were once called «Fork Peak» (German Gabelspitze), in Slovak Nižná or Panská vidla. The present name appeared about a hundred years ago and its origin is unknown: the Slovak word havran means both a rook and a black horse.

Why it is closed

As early as 1887 Prince Christian Hohenlohe bought this part of the Tatras for hunting, fenced it off and banned entry. Later a yellow-marked trail was opened to the summit from Ždiar, but it was closed in 1978, and since then the whole massif has been a strict reserve. Even the easiest natural route (from Zadné Meďodoly via Havranie sedlo) is forbidden; breaking TANAP rules is fined — and above all chamois, marmots and rare lime-loving plants live here and need peace.

Where to see it from

• Blue markings from Tatranská Javorina up the Zadné Meďodoly valley to Kopské sedlo and on to Tatranské Matliare — the trail closest to Havran, with good views of the massif's southern slopes. TANAP's high-mountain sections are closed every year from 1 November to 31 May.
• Nearby, an educational trail runs up the Monková valley to the ridge at Široké sedlo (about 1,826 m); it operates seasonally — check tanap.sk.
• Fine views of Havran open from Ždiar, Podspády and Tatranská Javorina, and on the Polish side from Gubałówka, Rusinowa Polana and Bachledzki Wierch.

The view from the top

According to Slovak sources, the summit shows the main ridge of the Belianske Tatras and most High Tatra peaks, and in good weather the Volovské vrchy, Branisko, Čergov, the Levoča Hills, Pieniny, Spišská Magura, the Orava Beskids and many mountains of southern Poland. That is why Havran was long famous as a viewpoint — today this panorama survives mainly in old photographs.

Culture

The Polish poet Władysław Broniewski dedicated the poem «Hawrań i Murań» (1935) to it. Its silhouette is one of the most recognisable sights of Podhale and Spiš.

Safety

On the permitted trails around, the usual high-mountain rules apply: keep to marked routes, watch the forecast and do not set out in a thunderstorm. Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS): 18 300 (from a foreign phone +421 18 300) or 112.

Photos: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Rafik k, CC BY-SA 4.0; Kristo, CC BY-SA 3.0; Matthew - first user,, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.