Wierch Lubania Glade

Wierch Lubania is a meadow on the summit of Lubań, the highest mountain of the Lubań range in the south-eastern part of the Gorce. It lies at 1,180–1,200 m on a fairly large flat area between Lubań's two summits – the western one (1,211 m), famous for its panoramas, and the wooded Średni Groń. The meadow belongs to the village of Krośnica in the commune of Krościenko nad Dunajcem; it is not part of Gorce National Park. The Geoportal map gives the name Lubień, but all older sources call the meadow Wierch Lubania.

The meadow used to be grazed. As late as the 1970s a temporary pond formed here after heavy downpours – a trace of a former pool. Lubań's tourist history was started by spa guests from Szczawnica: as early as 1860 they came up here on peasant carts, and in 1912 the first marked trail was laid out from Krościenko. In 1936–1939 the Tatra Ski Society built a hut with about 100 beds by the Samorody rocks on the southern edge of the meadow. During the Second World War it was used by partisans and by local people hiding from the Germans; on 24 September 1944 the Germans burnt the hut and killed two partisans – a memorial cross stands by the ruins. A PTTK bacówka built in 1973–1974 on the neighbouring Wyrobki meadow was destroyed by fire in January 1978; only its stone foundations remain.

Since the 1960s the Lubań student tent base has operated on the meadow in July and August, and its shelter can serve as a refuge from bad weather all year. Below Samorody, by the blue and green trails, there is a spring of drinking water. Among Lubań's rare plants are the woolly thistle (Cirsium eriophorum) and the melancholy thistle (Cirsium heterophyllum).

What to see and do

• The observation tower on the western summit (2015): wooden, 30 m high, with a terrace at 20.7 m reached by 138 steps. Its shape recalls the wooden Gothic churches of the region. From the tower you can see the Gorce, the Pieniny, Lake Czorsztyn, the Spiš Magura, the Spisz-Gubałówka Foothills and the Tatras.
• The meadow itself – a good picnic spot with views of the Tatras, the Pieniny and the Beskids; a large information board about Lubań stands on the terrace on the south side.
• The Samorody rocks of Magura sandstone, the ruins of the pre-war hut, and a field altar on the western summit commemorating Karol Wojtyła's mountain hikes.

How to get there

Three marked trails cross on the meadow. The red Main Trail of Beskidy: from Krościenko via Marszałek 3:10 up (2:10 down), from Przełęcz Knurowska via Runek 3:35. The blue trail Tarnów – Wielki Rogacz: from Ochotnica Dolna 2:15, from Przełęcz Snozka 2:05. The green trail Grywałd – Polana Gabrowska: from Ochotnica Dolna 2:30, from Grywałd 2:10. Another green trail leads from Tylmanowa (2:15). These are ordinary mountain hikes of 2–3.5 hours on forest paths, manageable for children who already hike; not with a pram.

Season and safety

The meadow is open all year, and access to it and to the observation tower is free (the tower has no fee according to OpenStreetMap). It is best here on a clear morning, when the Tatras are most sharply visible, and in autumn. In winter the ridge is covered with snow and people come up on skis or on foot along packed trails. In fog it is easy to lose the trail on the open meadow – stick to the waymarks. Mountain rescue GOPR: 985 or 601 100 300.

Nearby

At the foot of Lubań, above Lake Czorsztyn, stand the Czorsztyn Castle ruins, and on the opposite shore Niedzica Castle (Dunajec Castle). Following the Main Trail of Beskidy west you reach the pastures of Gorce National Park, including Gorc Kamienicki Glade.

Photos: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Gorofil, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Krzysztof Dudzik-Górnicki (User:ToSter), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.