Zadni Mnich

Zadni Mnich (Slovak Druhý Mních, German Mönch II) is a 2,172 m rock summit on the main ridge of the High Tatras, on the Polish–Slovak border. Shaped like a rock needle, it is one of the most distinctive peaks of the Polish Tatras; Władysław Cywiński regarded it rather as a rock tower. Zadni Mnich rises between Cubryna (2,376 m) and Ciemnosmreczyńska Turnia (2,142 m): the notch Przełączka pod Zadnim Mnichem (2,135 m) separates it from Cubryna, and Ciemnosmreczyńska Przełączka (about 2,115 m) from the neighbouring tower. To the south it rises above the Piarżysta valley, to the north above the Dolina za Mnichem; Morskie Oko lake is about 1.7 km away.

Of the three Tatra "Monks" (the others being Mnich and Żabi Mnich), only Zadni Mnich cannot be seen from the shore of Morskie Oko, as Mnich hides it. It is, however, well visible from the road to Morskie Oko, for example from the former car park on the Włosienica glade.

Getting there / trails

No hiking trail crosses Zadni Mnich — it is a climbers' summit. It lies in an area of the Tatra National Park open to climbing. The easiest ascent is from Ciemnosmreczyńska Przełączka: grade I or II UIAA depending on the variant, about 15 minutes. The other routes are much harder: the right pillar (III), the Głazek chimney (V), the Motyka, Orłowski, Janowski and Nyka routes (V–VI) and modern routes of grade VII–VIII. The north face above Zadni Mnichowy Upłaz is about 100 m high, the south face above the Piarżysta hollow about 80 m. Towards Przełączka pod Zadnim Mnichem the ridge drops in a 30 m step: on descent it requires an abseil, and on ascent it is one of the hardest (VI) points of the Tatra main ridge.

Slovak and Czech Wikipedia note that, despite its elegant lines, the summit is less popular today because it cannot be seen from hiking trails and the approach from Slovakia through the Temné Smrečiny valley is long. Cywiński describes it as a beautiful, solid and sheer tower, adding that because the routes are short, climbers usually do several of them in a day.

What you can see from the top

The sources do not describe the panorama from the summit. From its position on the main ridge it overlooks the Dolina za Mnichem on the Polish side and the head of the Temné Smrečiny valley on the Slovak side, next to the Cubryna massif.

Nature and history

In the 19th century the summit was called the Sugar Rock or Sugarloaf, and shepherds jokingly called it the Organist, Monk's Old Woman or the Nun. In the early 20th century the name Mnich II, or Second Monk, became common. The present name was introduced by Gyula Komarnicki in 1909 (the summit reminded him of a hooded figure), and the Polish form by Mieczysław Świerz in 1919. Rare plants found in Poland only in the Tatras grow at its foot: Artemisia eriantha and Tatra scurvygrass.

The first summer ascent was made by Janusz Chmielowski and Klemens Bachleda on 13 September 1904 by the west ridge, the first winter ascent by Henryk Bednarski, Józef Lesiecki, Leon Loria and Stanisław Zdyb on 13 March 1910. In 1934 R. Donath, K. Kurt, Stanisław Motyka and Štefan Zamkovský climbed the 30 m step itself. In 1922 Wiktor Biegański filmed a scene of the Tatra film "Otchłań pokuty" on Zadni Mnich.

Safety, season and rules

Zadni Mnich is only for experienced climbers with equipment or with a licensed guide. Hikers without climbing skills cannot go here: there are no marked paths. The summit lies in the Tatra National Park on the Polish side and in TANAP on the Slovak side; in both parks climbing off trails is permitted only under park rules, on the Slovak side to members of climbing organisations or with a guide. In winter and spring avalanche danger in the valleys below is high. Rescue: on the Polish side TOPR (985 or +48 601 100 300), on the Slovak side HZS (18 300, +421 18 300); the general emergency number is 112.

Interesting facts

• Zadni Mnich is the only one of the three Tatra "Monks" that cannot be seen from the shore of Morskie Oko.
• The step between the summit and Cubryna is one of the hardest places on the whole Tatra main ridge.
• In the 19th century the summit was known as the Sugarloaf.

Photos: Adam Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; The original uploader was Makarczuk at Polish Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5; Rafał Kozubek, CC BY-SA 4.0; The original uploader was Makarczuk at Polish Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5; Krzysztof Dudzik-Górnicki (User:ToSter), CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.