Skalisko

Skalisko (Hungarian Pozsálló; the massif is often called Volovec) is the second highest summit of the Volovské vrchy, part of the Slovak Ore Mountains, at 1,293 m. It rises above the village of Betliar, about 8 km north-east of the town of Rožňava, on the border of the Rožňava and Gelnica districts in the Košice Region. The nearest settlements are Henclová to the north, Čučma and Betliar to the south-west and Úhorná to the south-east. The highest point is a rock group more than ten metres tall that sticks out above a treeless ridge covered with dwarf pine and gave the peak its name (Skalisko means “big rock”).

How to get there / routes

The main ridge of the Volovské vrchy carries the red SNP Heroes’ Trail (Cesta hrdinov SNP), which here coincides with the European path E8; it passes a few dozen metres from the summit.

• Red from the north-west: from the Súľová saddle via Čertova hoľa and the Volovec saddle.
• Red from the south-east: from Úhornianske sedlo via Biele skaly and sedlo Krivé; from Krivé it is about 6.1 km, roughly 1 h 45 min.
• Green (Pavol Jozef Šafárik Trail): from Čučma in the south past the Volovec hut, or from Henclová in the north via the Volovec saddle.
• Yellow: from the square in Betliar past the Volovec hut, about 3 h 45 min.

About 15 minutes down the green trail from the summit, at around 1,132 m, stands the Volovec mountain hut — the highest tourist hut in the Košice Region; a spring rises next to it.

What you can see from the summit

The whole ridge is covered in dwarf pine, but the bare rocky top gives a 360° panorama. To the north-west you see the High Tatras, to the west the Low Tatras with Kráľova hoľa, to the south the plateaus of the Slovak Karst above the Rožňava basin, and to the east the continuation of the ridge. In clear weather Branisko, the Levoča Hills, the Western Tatras, the Stolické vrchy, the Revúca Highlands and the mountains of northern Hungary, including the Bükk, come into view.

Nature and history

Skalisko lies on the main ridge running from Úhornianske sedlo to the Súľová saddle, in the section known as Volovec. Nearby rise Zlatý stôl (1,322 m) — the highest peak of the Volovské vrchy — Čertova hoľa and Ramzová. Water from the northern slopes flows via the Tichá voda brook to the Hnilec, and from the southern slopes via the Zlatý and Čučmiansky brooks to the Slaná river.

Old maps marked the peak as Baracká skala or Baračka. In the early 20th century the Hungarian author Jenő Reguly called it Nagy-kő (“Great Stone”) or Ochsenberg (“Ox Mountain”). After the First Vienna Award of 1938 the new Hungarian–Czechoslovak border ran along the ridge of the Volovské vrchy, and for a few months Skalisko was the highest point of Hungary.

Safety, season and rules

The routes to Skalisko are not technically difficult, but the ridge is exposed to wind, and in winter deep snow and drifts are common. Stay on the marked trails and carry water and warm clothing. Slovak Mountain Rescue (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300); emergency number 112.

Interesting facts

• Since 1978, on the first Saturday of each new year, hikers from Rožňava and Čučma hold the traditional New Year’s climb of Volovec.
• Every early March the village of Pača organises the “Gemer Track” ski traverse over the summit.
• At the end of May Betliar holds a walk to Skalisko in memory of Daniel Fabíni, who died tragically in 1992.

Photos: Milan Bališin, CC BY-SA 4.0; Milan Bališin, CC BY-SA 4.0; Milan Bališin, CC BY-SA 4.0; Szekelyegyes, CC BY-SA 4.0; Milan Bališin, CC BY-SA 4.0; Milan Bališin, CC BY-SA 4.0; Milan Bališin, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.