Stráž

Stráž (also Veľká Stráž) is a forested 740 m hill of volcanic origin in the Spiš-Šariš Intermountain (Spišsko-šarišské medzihorie) in eastern Slovakia. It rises above the village of Fintice, about 5 km north of Prešov, between Fintice and the town of Veľký Šariš, and its tower is visible from much of the city. The hill lies in the Prešov Region, Prešov District, in the cadastre of Fintice. The nearest settlements are Fintice to the south-east (about 3 km), the Prešov borough of Kanaš to the south-west and the village of Záhradné to the north-east; a little further are Gregorovce and Veľký Šariš. The summit's prominence is about 340 m, so the hill stands out as a distinct cone above the Šariš lowland.

Stráž stands in the central part of the Stráže ridge, which runs from Lysá Stráž (697 m) to Okrúhliak (391 m). To the east lie Bukovina, Dubina, Haľagoš and the Kapušany castle hill (582 m), to the north Lysá Stráž, Hradová hora (871 m) and the distant Čergov (1050 m), to the west Šarišská hora and Šarišský vrch (570 m).

How to get there / routes

A blue trail (KST 2853) leads to the summit from the village of Fintice, easily reached from Prešov. The path climbs the wooded slope straight to the tower. There are no other marked routes to the hill, so people usually descend the same way.

What you can see from the top

Continuous forest covers the summit, and there is no view from the very top. From spots with low vegetation on the slopes you can see the surrounding peaks of the Spiš-Šariš Intermountain, Čergov, the Levoča Hills, Bachureň, Branisko, Čierna hora, the Volovské vrchy, the Slanské vrchy and the Ondava Highlands. The hill with its tower, on the other hand, is visible from afar – from Šariš Castle, the Prešov Calvary or the fields around Vyšná Šebastová.

Nature and history

Stráž is built of Neogene volcanic rocks – a rarity in flysch-dominated Šariš, where sandstones and shales prevail. Broadleaf forest covers the slopes and turns bright colours in autumn. The eastern and south-eastern slopes drain via the Fintický potok to the Sekčov river, the western ones via the Kanašský potok to the Dzikov and the Torysa.

On the summit stands a reinforced-concrete tower with a steel superstructure carrying radio, mobile and internet transmitters for Prešov and its surroundings. The summit also serves as a relay point, so the tower is the hill's most visible feature.

Safety, season and rules

The climb is short and possible all year; in winter the forest path can be slippery. The transmitter area is fenced – do not enter it. 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

• Stráž is a volcanic hill, although flysch hills dominate the surroundings.
• The summit tower provides radio and mobile coverage for Prešov.
• Polish sources count the hill to the Čergov range, Slovak ones to the Spiš-Šariš Intermountain.

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