Vápeč

Vápeč is a 955 m summit in the Strážov Mountains (Strážovské vrchy) in western Slovakia. It rises above the village of Horná Poruba, about 9 km south-east of Ilava, and its sharp, unmistakable silhouette dominates the Poruba furrow. Vápeč lies in the central part of the range, in the Zliechov Highlands, on the western edge of the mighty Suchá hora massif. It belongs to the Ilava District of the Trenčín Region and extends into the cadastres of Horná Poruba and Košecké Podhradie (the hamlet of Kopec).

A saddle links Vápeč with the neighbouring Suchá hora (986 m) to the south-east. To the south lies Homôľka (907 m), to the west Hoľazne (901 m), to the north Mačičie (758 m) and to the east Čierny vrch (855 m) and Hrubá Zliezajňa (946 m). The Podhradský and Porubský streams drain the slopes to the Váh. The nearest settlements are Horná Poruba at the western foot (about 1.6 km) and Kopec to the north-east; Dolná Poruba lies to the south-west.

How to get there / routes

• Red trail – the SNP Heroes' Trail (Cesta hrdinov SNP, also the European long-distance path E8): it passes through the Palúch saddle below the summit – from the west from Omšenská Baba via Horná Poruba, from the east from Zliechov. From Kopec it is about 3 km and an hour and a half.
• A short spur marked with a red triangle leads from the main trail to the summit cross.
• Local trails (including a blue one) come from Ilava, from Prejta via Horná Poruba and from the saddle below Homôľka.

What you can see from the top

The summit area has only patchy forest and much of it is bare rock, so the view is excellent. The surrounding peaks of the Strážov Mountains are well seen, and in clear weather you can see the Považský Inovec, the White Carpathians, the Javorníky, the Súľov Mountains, part of the Lesser and Greater Fatra, Vtáčnik, the Pohronský Inovec and the Tribeč.

Nature and history

The summit and its immediate surroundings form a national nature reserve of the same name, declared in 1993 over 75.38 ha. Geologically, Vápeč is a morphologically prominent remnant of the Hronic nappe: the slopes are built mainly of Upper Triassic ("main") dolomites, while the summit itself is Wetterstein limestone. It is a limestone-and-dolomite rocky landmark with a very varied flora and fauna, from warmth-loving to montane species. Limestone beech forests prevail, with fewer herb-rich beech woods; on the slopes below the summit there are grassland communities dominated by warmth-loving plants, while montane species keep to cooler spots.

Safety, season and rules

The last stretch to the summit is stony and the rocks around the cross drop steeply – keep to the path and take care in wet or icy weather. The summit lies in a nature reserve, so stay on marked trails and do not pick plants. Slovak Mountain Rescue Service (HZS): 18 300 (+421 18 300); general emergency number 112.

Interesting facts

• Signposts and older photos give the height as 956 m; the refined value is 955.5 m.
• Vápeč is clearly visible even from Ilava Castle in the Váh valley.

Photos: Pe3kZA, CC BY-SA 3.0; User:Prazak, CC BY-SA 3.0; Prazak, CC BY-SA 3.0; Michal Jakubský, CC BY 3.0; Michal Jakubský, CC BY 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.