Hala Krawcula

Krawcula, or Hala Krawcula, is a mountain meadow and shepherds' pasture below the summit of Krawców Wierch (about 1,075 m) in the western part of the Żywiec Beskids, in the Pilsko group. It lies on the southern, almost flat slopes just below the summit at about 1,040–1,060 m, within the village of Glinka in the commune of Ujsoły, in the Żywiec Landscape Park. Above the meadow runs the ridge carrying the Polish-Slovak border and the Main European Watershed: water from the northern slopes flows to the Baltic Sea, from the southern slopes to the Black Sea.

For decades Krawcula was an intensively used pasture – hence the traditional name "hala" (in the Carpathians this was the term for meadows that were grazed rather than mown). In the second half of the 20th century grazing on the high meadows of the Polish Carpathians collapsed because it was no longer profitable. Today, however (according to 2019 data), so-called cultural sheep grazing has resumed on the hala as part of the active protection of meadow communities, and part of the meadows is mown regularly. Several types of meadow community survive here, including gladiolus–bentgrass meadow and fens with entire-leaved valerian and yellow sedge. The saw-toothed bellflower, rare and protected in Poland, grows on Krawcula.

Until the 1970s this area was rarely visited by hikers. Everything changed with the PTTK bacówka on Krawców Wierch, built in 1975–1976 on the initiative of Edward Moskała and opened on 4 December 1976; it was renovated in 2000–2005. Since then both the hut and the hala have become a frequent goal on the popular Beskid route from Wielka Racza to Hala Rysianka. Until 21 December 2007 there was a border crossing to Slovakia nearby, on the Glinka pass; since both countries joined the Schengen Area the border can be crossed freely.

What to see and do

• A wide panorama from the meadow, especially to the south – as far as the Slovak Malá Fatra – and over the Beskid ridges; near the summit of Krawców Wierch there is a viewpoint looking towards the Tatras.
• A rest on the hala: the meadow has a junction of marked trails, a shelter and tables for hikers, and a fireplace.
• "Noc Krawculi" – a night hike to the bacówka that has been organised for several years.

How to get there

The shortest approach is the yellow trail from the village of Glinka (Glinka Pass – Glinka): about 2 hours up and 1:30 down. The yellow trail Krawców Wierch – Przysłop Pass continues west to Hala Rycerzowa and east over Gruba Buczyna to Trzy Kopce (from Trzy Kopce via Wilczy Groń about 2:30). A blue trail leads from the village of Złatna (about 2:30 up, 1:30–1:45 down), and the Wałęgowka – Bacówka PTTK Krawców Wierch trail also passes the hala. From the hut you can also follow the Slovak border trail. It is a calm hike on forest roads without difficult sections – suitable for families with children who already walk in the mountains.

Season and safety

The hala is accessible all year and there are no tickets in the landscape park. It is best here in late spring, in summer when sheep are grazing, and in autumn. In winter, on the open meadow it is easy to lose your bearings in fog – stick to the waymarks. Keep away from the flock and the sheepdogs and do not leave litter. Mountain rescue GOPR: 985 or 601 100 300; on the Slovak side of the border: HZS 18 300.

Nearby

East of Krawcula lie the best-known meadows of the Żywiec Beskids – Hala Lipowska and Hala Rysianka – and to the west, along the yellow trail, Hala Rycerzowa.

Photos: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Marek Ślusarczyk (Tupungato) Photo gallery, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons.