Majerz

Majerz is a gentle 689 m hill in the western part of the Czorsztyn Pieniny, the westernmost group of the Pieniny proper. It is an inconspicuous high point on the main ridge between the Snozka Zamecka pass (658 m) at Czorsztyn and the Osice pass. The summit and almost the whole massif lie within Pieniny National Park; administratively the hill belongs to the village of Hałuszowa (Krościenko nad Dunajcem municipality, Nowy Targ County, Lesser Poland). Czorsztyn is about 1.1 km away, Hałuszowa 1.4 km. Majerz rises roughly 200 m above the Dunajec valley.

What makes the hill special is not rock but a broad treeless meadow on the crest, known in Polish as the "hala Majerz". It stretches for almost 1.8 km from the Osice pass to the edge of Czorsztyn. The south-western slopes fall to the Harczygrund valley, the north-eastern ones to the Krośnica stream; the upper part of the northern slopes is crossed by the Krośnica – Sromowce Wyżne road.

How to get there / routes

The blue Main Pieniny Trail runs over the summit and across the whole meadow on its Czorsztyn – Trzy Korony section. From Czorsztyn it takes about 15 minutes to the top, and the same from the Osice pass. Further east the blue trail continues through the Czorsztyn Pieniny to the Trzy Korony massif, about 5.6 km to the east-south-east. Majerz is the easiest part of this route: little climbing, on open grassland. A paved road from Krośnica to Niedzica also crosses the meadow, with a branch to Czorsztyn and a shelter for walkers beside it.

What you can see from the summit

Because there is no forest, Majerz is one of the best viewpoints in the western Pieniny. From the meadow you can see the Tatra range, the Pieniny and the Lubań ridge of the Gorce. Jan Rostworowski praised the views from the Majerz meadow as early as 1818 in his novel "Zamek na Czorsztynie" (The Castle at Czorsztyn). The ruins of Czorsztyn Castle stand about 2 km to the west, above the reservoir.

Nature and history

The hill is named after the meadow, and the meadow after the German word Maierhof, a manor farm. Documents from 1598 and 1632 mention a farm here; in the Podhale dialect the word became "majerz". In Spiš a "majerz" was an enclosure where cattle were kept on pasture during the grazing season, and a "majer" was a cowherd, as opposed to the "baca" who looked after sheep.

The former royal estate of Czorsztyn was bought from the Austrian authorities by the Drohojowski family. In 1914 there were still manor barns for grain and hay, a stable where sheep wintered and a cottage for farmhands. Between the wars a sheepfold operated on Majerz. After the Second World War the meadow was not parcelled out but farmed by the "Czorsztynianka" agricultural cooperative. In 1992 the land and buildings were bought by Pieniny National Park; the former office building of the last pre-war owner was rebuilt and now houses one of the park's five pavilions, at the entrance to Czorsztyn from the meadow side.

So-called cultural sheep grazing still continues on the meadow, and there is a shepherd's hut (bacówka). Grazing keeps the meadow from turning into forest and preserves its species richness. In 2009 a leaf beetle new to the Pieniny, Chaetocnema hortensis, was found here. The Lasek area to the north is now under strict protection.

Safety, season and rules

The walk over Majerz is easy and possible all year, but the open meadow offers no shelter from wind or lightning: if a storm cloud builds, head down to Czorsztyn or the pass. Pieniny National Park rules apply: keep to marked trails (no walking on meadows or rocks, no crossing barriers), stay in the park only in daylight — from an hour before sunrise to an hour after sunset — no dogs, no drones, no tents or picnics on the meadows and no fires. The blue trail over Majerz is free; fees are charged only for certain park sites, such as the Trzy Korony and Sokolica viewpoints.

The Pieniny are covered by the mountain rescue service GOPR (Podhale Group): call 985 or +48 601 100 300, or 112.

Interesting facts

• After the Second World War the meadow was a cooperative pasture; since 1992 it has belonged to Pieniny National Park.
• The hill's name has German roots: Maierhof means a manor farm.

Photos: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Marek Mróz, CC BY 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Rafał Chałgasiewicz, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.