Ždiarska vidla

Ždiarska vidla (Polish Płaczliwa Skała, German Greiner) is a 2,142 m summit, the second highest in the Belianske Tatras after neighbouring Havran (2,152 m). It rises above the village of Ždiar, about 19 km north-west of Kežmarok, in Poprad District of the Prešov Region, and reaches into the cadastres of the town of Vysoké Tatry and of Ždiar. The nearest settlements are Tatranská Javorina to the north-west, Podspády to the north and Ždiar to the north-east. The massif lies in the Tatra National Park (TANAP) and in the Belianske Tatry National Nature Reserve with the highest, 5th degree of protection. The summit is closed to hikers – no trail has led to it since 1978.

Ždiarska vidla stands in the middle of the main Belianske ridge, between Havran to the west (separated by the Tristárske sedlo, 1,969 m) and Hlúpy (2,061 m) to the south-east, separated by the Široké sedlo (1,825 m). From the south it looks like a helmet; together with Havran, Muráň and Nový it forms a distinctive group visible from many places in the High Tatras. South of the ridge lies Zadné Meďodoly, north of it Tristárska dolina. Water drains in three directions: via the Meďodolský stream to the Javorinka and the Dunajec; the Biela river rises on the northern slopes, and its tributary the Rígeľský stream drains the eastern ones to the Poprad.

How to get there / routes

Going to the summit itself is forbidden. The closest approach is the red trail from Ždiar through Monkova dolina to the Široké sedlo, which passes the mountain on the east and continues to the Kopské sedlo on the border with the High Tatras. From Ždiar through Monkova, Do Regle and Široká dolina, over the Široké sedlo and the Szalony Przechód to the Kopské sedlo takes about 3 h 55 min (down 3 h 10 min) with 1,075 m of ascent. At the Kopské sedlo the red trail crosses the blue one from Tatranská Javorina through Zadné Meďodoly to Tatranské Matliare; from the junction below Muráň it takes 2 h 30 min (down 2 h) to the Kopské sedlo. Both trails give the best views of Ždiarska vidla, and it is seen even better from Jahňací štít.

What you can see from the summit

The summit is covered only with low vegetation. From it you can see part of the main Belianske ridge and many High Tatra summits – especially the Lomnica and Ľadový štít massifs – and in good weather also the Volovské vrchy, Branisko, Bachureň, Čierna hora, Čergov, the Levoča hills, the Pieniny, the Spiš Magura, the Orava Beskids and the mountains of southern Poland. In 1904 the panorama from the summit was painted by Theodor Compton, known for his Alpine landscapes.

Nature and history

The mountain is built of Jurassic limestones, the summit itself of marls; the type section of the so-called Ždiar Formation was described on its northern slopes. The slopes of Ždiarska vidla are a refuge for chamois, and the protection of plants and animals, above all chamois, was the reason for closing the trail.

The name was given by the people of Ždiar: to them this summit and Havran (once called Panská vidla) formed a two-pronged pitchfork. Locally it was also called the Weeping Rock – because of springs whose water “weeps” down the slopes after rain, or, by other explanations, because of the “crying” wind heard by shepherds or the dark streaks on the pale wall that look like tears. The German name Greuner (today Greiner, “the weeper”) appears as early as 1644. The yellow trail from the Široké sedlo to the summit was opened by the Hungarian Carpathian Society in 1898 and closed in 1978. The first winter ascent was made by Hungarian climbers in 1913. In 2004 Ždiar, despite TANAP's negative opinion, obtained the environment ministry's consent to reopen the trail, but two years later the decision was found invalid because of a procedural breach.

Safety, season and rules

Leaving the marked trails in the Belianske Tatry reserve is forbidden and can be fined. TANAP's high-mountain trails are closed from 1 November to 31 May, so plan the red trail over the Široké sedlo for summer and early autumn. Mountain Rescue Service HZS: 18 300 (+421 18 300) or 112.

Interesting facts

• Measurements differ: Slovak geodesy gives 2,141.6 m, older Polish sources 2,146 m and 2018 lidar data 2,145.4 m.
• In 1893 Walery Eljasz-Radzikowski considered Ždiarska vidla the highest summit of the Belianske Tatras.

Photos: Kristo, CC BY-SA 3.0; Radek David, CC BY-SA 4.0; Kristo, CC BY-SA 3.0; Ing.Mgr.Jozef Kotulič, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.