Over the years, the mountain has spawned lusts and legends. One of them speaks of knights sleeping in one of the numerous caves on the northern slope of the mountain. These knights are supposed to wake up at a time when Poland will be threatened. When the time comes they will mount their horses, which are said to be sometimes heard near the mountain, and shoulder to shoulder they will ride to defend the Polish mountains and country.
Another legend tells of the fate of Giewont, the youngest of the children of the Dragon and Magura. He wanted from an early age to become a knight. This dream came true. Giewont in shining armor defended his sister, Osobita, against numerous suitors.He was defeated only by trickery by Frost and Winter. She picked him up, and when he lost his guard - Frost froze the ground under his feet. Giewont fell on his back and fell asleep. And so he sleeps to this day, only to wake up when it is again necessary to defend the weak.
Giewont is one of the most popular routes in the Tatra Mountains. Many tourists set themselves the goal of climbing this mountain no matter what. Today there are as many legends about the preparation of tourists for this route as there are about the sleeping knight himself. Because although this route is not difficult - to overcome it in flip-flops or stilettos can be counted as extreme irresponsibility and riskiness.
Going to Giewont you should remember that this route in part leads through steep approaches, equipped with chains. During bad weather on Giewont it is also very easy to get lost and fall down one of the steep northern gullies. In good weather, on the other hand, the trail is crowded and there is a queue to the summit, in which you have to stand for up to several tens of minutes, without any cover from the sun or wind. Because of the crowding at the entrance to Giewont, we advise against this route during the vacation season, or suggest going out on the trail very early in the morning to be at the summit before the queue forms.
Suggested route:
Kuźnice - Kondracka Polana - Kondracka Przełęcz - Giewont - Wyżnia Kondracka Przełęcz - Grzybowiec Pass - Dolina Strążyska (the route through Grzybowiec is closed from 1.11 to 30.04 due to nature protection).
Walking time about 5h 30 minutes; route length 13.5 km.
Level of difficulty: medium route - not for children
We leave from Kuźnice. You can get to Kuźnice by cab or bus, leaving from under the bus station, or take it on Zamoyskiego Street, opposite the church. as the road is closed to traffic except for public transport. It is also possible to walk to Kuznice - then you should add about 25 minutes to the time of the trip.
From Kuźnice we walk half an hour along the Brother Albert's Way to Kalatówki. It is a road paved with granite stones, built in 1938-1939.The road climbs quite steeply. It passes the power plant, built by Count Władysław Zamoyski in 1884-1905. 800 meters after Kuźnice, on the right you pass Krokiew (1378 m). From here the tourist trail to the Albertine Monastery on Sleepy Mountain leaves. Above, on the left, is the Albertine Monastery on Kalatówki, built in 1912. Following the Brother Albert's Road, we reach Kalatówki, and after passing them - we take the blue trail towards the hostel on Hala Kondratowa. We will cover this section in one hour and twenty minutes.
The hostel on Hala Kondratowa is located at an altitude of 1333m. It is the smallest of the Tatra hostels on the Polish side of the border. It has only 20 places in 6- and 8-person rooms. The hostel runs a ski storage room, an inn and a buffet. You can stop there for a hot meal and tea.
The hostel is another hour and fifteen minutes' walk from our next destination, Kondracka Pass. The pass is located at an altitude of 1725 m. From the pass we take the blue trail already out to Giewont, which is 1894 m above sea level. This approach takes about 30 minutes. Of course, only if there is no giant queue to the top. Along the way, numerous facilities have been installed in the form of chains on the difficult and steep approach. In this section the trail is one-way - with one leg you ascend to the summit, with the other (equally steep) you descend from it.
On the summit you have to be very careful - especially on rainy days, when it is slippery and very crowded. This is because a 600-meter precipice descends to the north.
Having a photo under the cross on Giewont is one of the most prized souvenirs of your stay in the Tatra Mountains. This cross, the most famous in Poland, was installed at the top of the mountain by the residents of Zakopane on August 19, 1901, to commemorate the 1900th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. The cross is 17.5 meters high, but 2.5 meters of the structure was dug into the rocks. The arm of the cross is 5.5 meters long. The structure weighs 1819 kilograms. During construction, all elements were brought by carts to Hala Kondratowa, and then - carried on the back to the top of Giewont. Since then, the cross has already undergone one major overhaul and two reinforcements of the foundations.
The metal structure of the cross has already attracted several hundred thousand lightning bolts over the more than 100 years of its existence. Therefore, you should avoid climbing this peak on rainy and stormy days.
It takes 10-15 minutes to return from Giewont to Vyšnia Kondracka Pass. Continue along the red trail through Grzybowiec. In about 1h 45' we descend to the Strążyska Valley. From there it's only a 35-minute walk to the center of Zakopane.
In winter, due to the closure of the trail through Grzybowiec the return journey can be overcome by the yellow trail through the Mała Łąka Valley.
