U Jancoka Shepherd's Hut, Brzegi: oscypek from Poland's first female baca
The U Jancoka shepherd's hut (bacówka) stands beside regional road 960, which runs from Bukowina Tatrzańska to the Łysa Polana border crossing, in the village of Brzegi. It is run by Janina Rzepka of Brzegi, whom the regional portal "Małopolska To Go" calls the first woman baca in the history of shepherding: she passed the state craft examination and earned the official right to run a hut on equal terms with men. According to a Bukowina guide, she took the business over from her husband Andrzej. The family grazes its flock on a meadow nearby and makes cheese the Podhale way.
The flagship product is oscypek, a hard smoked cheese with a carved pattern, protected in the EU as a Protected Designation of Origin. Alongside it the hut makes the soft and fresh sheep's and cow's milk cheeses that Podhale shepherds have known for centuries. The hut and the family's farm hold a certificate of the Małopolska Culinary Heritage Network (Sieć Dziedzictwa Kulinarnego Małopolska), which recognises natural, traditional and regional food.
Why go
People stop here on the way to Morskie Oko or Slovakia: the hut is right by the road, there is parking and no walking into the mountains is needed. In season the owners are happy to explain how milk becomes bundz and bundz becomes oscypek, so you can see part of the process and taste cheese on the spot. Many come specifically to meet the "baca in a skirt", a rare sight in a traditionally male trade.
It is a good short stop with children; the meadow looks out towards the Tatras and you may see the flock on the slopes nearby. Mornings are best: the cheese is at its freshest and there is no queue yet from coaches heading to Morskie Oko. In winter, when the flock is off the pasture, there is no fresh sheep's cheese, so plan a summer trip for genuine oscypek.
What to taste and buy
- Oscypek — spindle-shaped smoked sheep's cheese.
- Bundz — young, soft sheep's cheese from which bryndza is made.
- Bryndza — salted, crumbled sheep's cheese for bread and potatoes.
- Redykołka and gołka — small figured and cylindrical smoked cheeses.
- Korbaczyki — braided string cheese.
- Żętyca — sheep's whey that shepherds drink instead of water.
- Also honey and home-made preserves.
Practical information
Getting there: from Bukowina Tatrzańska follow road 960 towards Łysa Polana; about a kilometre past the upper Klin roundabout and some 200 m after the turn to Brzegi, the hut is by the road. It is about 25 km from Zakopane. Buses to Łysa Polana and Morskie Oko use this road, but a car is more convenient. Parking is available.
Hours: according to Google Maps, daily 8:00–19:00 (as of October 2026). Fresh sheep's cheese is available in the grazing season, roughly May to October; outside it the range is smaller, so phone ahead.
Payment: cash only. Prices are not published.
Contacts: +48 666 950 710, ujancoka.pl.
Nearby
- Shepherd's hut on Rusinowa Polana — a Tatra hut reached on foot from Wierch Poroniec.
- Shepherd's hut on Kotelnica in Białka Tatrzańska — about 10 km.
- Terma Bukovina and Terma Bania — to relax after the mountains.
- Morskie Oko — the road there passes the hut.
Official website: ujancoka.pl
Photos: ujancoka.pl.
Getting there from Ukraine
Border crossings
- Krakovets – Korczowa — road, 24/7
- Shehyni – Medyka — road, 24/7 Pedestrian crossing is not confirmed by the Ukrainian border service — check dpsu.gov.ua before the trip.
- Smilnytsia – Krościenko — road, 24/7
- Hrushiv – Budomierz — road, 24/7
- Mostyska – Przemyśl (rail) — rail, 24/7
By car
Lviv – Zakopane ≈421 km, ≈5 h 10 min without border queues. Route: M-10 Lviv – Krakovets → Krakovets – Korczowa checkpoint → A4 motorway (Rzeszów – Tarnów – Kraków) → Kraków southern bypass → S7/DK7 → DK47 ('Zakopianka') via Nowy Targ → Zakopane. The A4 Katowice – Kraków section (Balice and Mysłowice toll plazas) is tolled, but this route does not use it. In summer and at weekends the DK47 near Zakopane is often congested.
Checked 23.10.2026; border crossing hours and timetables change — check before you travel.
Location on the map
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Trails nearby
All trails
HardMulti-dayMarkedChochołów Trzy Kopce PassElevation profile469–1 132 m65.7 kmascent 1 966 m1.2 km from U Jancoka Shepherd's Hut, Brzegi: oscypek from Poland's first female baca
EasyOne-dayMarkedMałe Ciche Zgorzelisko Małe Ciche LichajówkiElevation profile838–1 101 m3.4 kmascent 263 m≈ 1.5 h walking1.6 km from U Jancoka Shepherd's Hut, Brzegi: oscypek from Poland's first female baca
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