Roháčka

Roháčka is the highest summit of the Čierna hora hills, one of the units of the Slovak Ore Mountains in eastern Slovakia. It is 1028 m high and its prominence is about 500 m, so the mountain stands out clearly from Šariš and the Hornád valley. The summit lies about 3 km north of Margecany, on the border of the Prešov and Košice Regions and the Prešov and Gelnica Districts, in the cadastres of Klenov and Margecany. Around it lie Margecany to the south, Klenov to the east, Hrabkov to the north and Kluknava to the west; the closest are Klenov and Margecany (about 3 km).

Roháčka is part of a massive ridge on the northern edge of the Čierna hora. From it the crest continues north and north-west, where several tops exceed 900 m, and the only slightly lower summit of Čierna hora reaches 1024.5 m. The mountain is also called Talafús hill, after Jan Talafús of Ostrov, one of the leading captains of the Bohemian Brethren. Legend says he rested here on hunting trips; after the Hussite wars, in 1440, he came to Upper Hungary, and from 1442 he was captain of the nearby Richnava Castle.

How to get there / routes

• Blue trail (KST 2821) crosses the summit: from the east from Klenov – about 3.6 km and 433 m of ascent, roughly 2 h; from the west from Kluknava.
• Yellow trail (KST 8730) – from the south from Margecany; the shortest approach from the Hornád valley.
• A local yellow route of the Čierna hora tourism association also crosses the summit.

What you can see from the top

Tall forest covers the summit itself, so there is no view from it. Wide views open from the Rozsypaná skala rocks on the north-western slope, at about 1000 m: a belt of rock walls and huge piles of scattered boulders about 150 m long and 10–30 m high. A wooden statue and a cross stand on the rocks. From there you can see Branisko, the Šariš Highlands, Čergov and the Slanské vrchy, and in good weather part of the High and Low Tatras.

Nature and history

Beech and oak forests with raspberry thickets cover the slopes and the summit; a walk here is above all the quiet of dense forest and a wealth of birdsong. The south-western and eastern slopes drain to tributaries of the Hornád, the northern ones to tributaries of the Krížovianka, which flows into the Svinka. By the signpost on the summit a metal box holds the summit book – the mountain is visited quite often.

Safety, season and rules

The routes are wooded and easy, but at Rozsypaná skala keep away from the cliff edge and do not climb on unstable boulders. In winter the slopes are snowy and the days short – plan your time. There is no water on the summit. In Slovakia the Mountain Rescue Service (HZS) operates: 18 300 (+421 18 300); the general emergency number is 112.

Interesting facts

• Roháčka has a prominence of about 500 m – it is the main landmark of the Čierna hora.
• The mountain's second name recalls the Hussite captain Jan Talafús.
• The best view is not from the summit but from Rozsypaná skala with its cross and wooden statue.

Photos: Jozef Kotulič, CC BY 4.0; Jozef Kotulič, CC BY 2.5; Ing. Mgr. Jozef Kotulič, CC BY-SA 4.0; Ing.Mgr.Jozef Kotulič, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.