Mnich

Mnich (Polish for "Monk"; Slovak Mních) is a sharp granite tower, 2,068 m high, in the Polish part of the High Tatras. It stands in the upper Rybi Potok valley above the south-western shore of the lake Morskie Oko, rising above it in a 675 m silhouette. Together with the Mięguszowieckie Peaks it is the most recognisable feature of the scenery around Morskie Oko. The tower is not connected to the main Tatra ridge: its south-western ridge fades into the scree below Cubryna.

The Mnich massif has three tops — Mnich itself, Mniszek (about 2,045 m) and Ministrant; the walls of Ministrant hold the largest overhang in the Tatras. The tower itself has two close summits, the slightly higher being the north-eastern one, formed by a large sloping block.

How to get there / trails

No marked hiking trail leads to the summit of Mnich — it is a climbers' objective only. The easiest route, known as "through the slab", starts from the west, from the Dolina za Mnichem valley, and still requires climbing skills and a rope. The hardest is the almost vertical north-east face, about 260 m high and visible from Morskie Oko; several easier lines ("Przez płytę", "Klasyczna", "Orłowskiego") are often used for climbing courses.

Hikers see Mnich best from the shore of Morskie Oko and from the nearby marked trails. An asphalt road leads to the lake from the car park at Palenica Białczańska (8.5 km, closed to private cars, about 2 h 20 min). From Morskie Oko the yellow trail climbs over the threshold of Dolina za Mnichem and the slopes of Miedziane to the Szpiglasowa Pass (about 2 h 30 min), and from the valley threshold the red trail leads to the Wrota Chałubińskiego pass (about 1 hour). These trails give close views of the tower, and in Dolina za Mnichem you can clearly see the climbers' paths heading to its walls.

What you can see from the summit

According to German Wikipedia, the summit of Mnich offers one of the finest panoramas in the Tatras, over the whole Rybi Potok valley including Morskie Oko. To the south stands the similarly shaped but less spectacular Zadni Mnich, and to the south-east the massif of Cubryna and the Mięguszowieckie Peaks.

Nature and history

The name was most likely given by shepherds and hunters: the shape recalls a monk in a cloak with a hood. It was first recorded in 1721 by Gabriel Rzączyński, who wrote in Latin of a rock above Morskie Oko that from afar looks like a seated monk. In the 19th century Mnich was described by poets, including Seweryn Goszczyński. Three other peaks near Morskie Oko have similar names — Zadni Mnich, Żabi Mnich and Roztocki Mnich. Several caves lie in the east face at about 1,900 m, among them Studnia w Mnichu.

The first ascent was made in 1879 or 1880 by twenty-year-old Jan Gwalbert Pawlikowski and the guide Maciej Sieczka: they had 15 metres of hemp rope and climbed the whole route barefoot. The event is sometimes regarded as the birth of Polish Tatra mountaineering. The first woman on top, in 1902, was Wanda Herse, led by the guide Klimek Bachleda, and the first winter ascent dates from 6 March 1910. In 1941 the Nazis put a wooden swastika on the face visible from Morskie Oko; Polish climbers Czesław Łapiński and Kazimierz Paszucha loosened its fixings at night, and the sign fell in a gale.

Safety, season and rules

Mnich lies in Tatra National Park (TPN), which charges an entry fee. Leaving marked trails is allowed only for climbing in designated areas; the Morskie Oko area, including the side ridge of Mnich, is one of them. No special climbing licence is needed, but every climb must be registered — in the climbers' log book (at the PTTK hut by Morskie Oko) or online on the park's website. Approach the walls by the shortest safe route from the nearest marked trail; camping and bivouacking are forbidden in the park. Without climbing experience the summit can only be reached with a licensed mountain guide.

In winter the slopes of the Rybi Potok valley are prone to avalanches. Mountain rescue in the Tatras is provided by TOPR: 985 or +48 601 100 300, plus the general emergency number 112.

Interesting facts

• The outline of Mnich appears on the badges of Tatra mountain guides.
• In 2018 Mariusz Biedrzycki climbed the entire north-east face solo and unroped, from its foot to the summit.
• The tower has "starred" in films: in 1961 a short film, "Wariant R", was made about an ascent of the Długosz–Pietsch route.

Photos: Krzysztof Dudzik-Górnicki (User:ToSter), CC BY-SA 3.0; Andrzej Makarczuk, Public domain; Adam Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Adam Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Rafał Kozubek, CC BY-SA 4.0; The original uploader was Makarczuk at Polish Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5; User:EMeczKa, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.