Hala Gąsienicowa

Hala Gąsienicowa is a former high-mountain pasture in the northern part of the Gąsienicowa Valley in the High Tatras, inside the Tatra National Park (TPN). Today the name mostly refers to the Rówienki flats and the surroundings of the Murowaniec hut, which stands at 1,500 m. All around rise the rocky ridges of Kościelec, Świnica, the Granaty and Kozi Wierch, and mountain tarns lie in the cirques just above the pasture.

The name comes from the Gąsienica family, a highlander clan from Zakopane that owned the land in the 17th century. Locals used to call it the Pasture of the Ponds and its shepherds the "stawianie"; Austrian documents from the first half of the 19th century even speak of the "Valley of Seven Ponds". In 1700 the Gąsienicas swapped the pasture for another one in the Chochołowska Valley, but in 1796 a court returned it to its former owners. Later the land was split among many heirs from villages below the Tatras — Zubsuche, Olcza, Gliczarów, Biały Dunajec, Szaflary and others.

The grassy clearings here are not natural: the slopes were once covered by dense dwarf pine, which shepherds cut down to make room for grazing. The pasture was one of the largest pastoral centres of the Tatras — historically it covered almost 800 ha, although the actual grazing land among boulders, dwarf pine and forest was small. In 1960 livestock equivalent to 494 sheep grazed here, and in 1961 the state bought the pasture from its 381 owners. Since grazing stopped, dwarf pine has been slowly reclaiming the former meadows. According to legend, outlaws came here and Aleksander Kostka-Napierski allegedly recruited men for his uprising.

What to see and do

• The Murowaniec hut — a stone building erected by the Polish Army in 1921–1925 and formally opened by President Stanisław Wojciechowski on 12 July 1925. It partly burned in 1963 and was rebuilt the following year; in 2019 it was entered in the heritage register. A TOPR rescue duty point is based here.
• Wooden shepherds' huts scattered across the meadows — in August they stand among pink fireweed.
• The research station above the hut: on 1 December 1913 the first mountain weather station on Polish soil began measurements here; today it is a research station of the Institute of Geography of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
• "Betlejemka" — the central training centre of Polish mountaineers, plus a forester's lodge and the TPN ranger station "Gawra".
• The panorama of the High Tatras above the Gąsienicowa Valley — especially fine from the Królowa Rówień flat on the way up from Kuźnice.

The pasture is the main trail hub of the central Tatras. The easiest walk from here leads to Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy; beyond it begin the difficult routes to Zawrat, Kościelec and the Orla Perć, the hardest marked trail in the Tatras.

How to get there

Most hikers start in Kuźnice (about 1,010 m), a part of Zakopane closed to private cars; buses and many minibuses run there from the town centre. The blue trail climbs over Boczań and Skupniów Upłaz, the yellow one through the Jaworzynka Valley (Kuźnice – Przełęcz między Kopami); they meet at the Przełęcz między Kopami pass, and the signposted time to Murowaniec is about 2 h, 1 h 35 min back down. It is a moderate mountain climb of roughly 500 m with no exposed sections, but with long stony stretches. Alternatives: the black trail from Brzeziny via Psia Trawka – Murowaniec PTTK Hut (2 h 15 min up), or the descent Kasprowy Wierch – Murowaniec Hut (1 h 05 min) if you ride the cable car up. The green trail via Rusinowa Polana to Wierchporoniec takes 3 h 50 min.

Season and safety

Entry to the TPN is paid: as of October 2026 a ticket costs 11 zł, reduced 5.50 zł, and children under 7 enter free; tickets are sold online, at the entry points or via a QR code. From 1 March to 30 November walking the park's trails between dusk and dawn is forbidden, and dogs are not allowed in the TPN. Signs around the pasture warn of bears. The Kasprowy Wierch cable car has a technical break from 19 October to 6 November 2026. In late autumn and winter there is snow and ice above the tree line — check the TPN trail bulletin before setting out; the TOPR rescue number is 601 100 300 or 985.

Nearby

Above the pasture rise Kościelec, Świnica and Kasprowy Wierch; half an hour's walk away lies Zielony Staw Gąsienicowy, and to the west, beyond Kasprowy Wierch, Hala Kondratowa.

Official website: tpn.gov.pl

Photos: Aneta Pawska, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Cybularny, CC0, Wikimedia Commons; SkyMaja, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Andrzej Otrębski, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; JiriMatejicek, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.