Smreczyński Staw: a Tatra Lake in the Forest

Po polsku: Smreczyński Staw

Did you know that locals once believed a Tatra lake had no bottom? Smreczyński Staw is a small glacial lake in the Western Tatras, in the mountains south of Kraków, and it looks quite different from most lakes in the Tatras.

A lake in the forest, not under cliffs

Staw means a small mountain lake or pond. Smreczyński Staw lies at 1226 m above sea level, at the mouth of the Pyszniańska Valley (Dolina Pyszniańska) and the Smreczyny Meadow (Hala Smreczyny). It is above the Kościeliska Valley (Dolina Kościeliska). The name comes from the old Hala Smreczyny.

The lake formed in a hollow between the moraines of two glaciers. A moraine is a pile of stones and earth left behind by a glacier. Most Tatra lakes sit at the bottom of a glacial bowl surrounded by steep walls. This one is different. It lies on flat ground in the forest.

The numbers and the nature

The lake is small. Its surface is 0.75 ha, the average depth is 1.8 m and the maximum depth is 5.3 m. The water is not very clear, and you can see only 1.5 to 2 m down. The banks are boggy and covered with marsh plants.

It is a lovely spot. Forest surrounds the lake, and above the trees you can see several peaks:

• Smreczyński Wierch (2086 m)
• Kamienista (2126 m)
• Błyszcz (2158 m)
• the slopes of Starorobociański Wierch (2178 m)

Close to the lake, in the forest, are two clearings that are slowly becoming overgrown: Wyżnia Smreczyńska Polana (Upper Smreczyny Clearing) and Niżnia Smreczyńska Polana (Lower Smreczyny Clearing).

Another difference from other Tatra lakes is the rich organic life here. Amphibians live in the lake, including the alpine newt (traszka górska), the Carpathian newt (traszka karpacka) and the common frog (żaba trawna).

The legend of the bottomless lake

The highlanders (górale) once believed that Smreczyński Staw had no bottom. The legend tells of a farmer (gazda) who began to dig a drainage ditch. He wanted to empty the lake and turn it into a meadow. A voice from the water warned him that he would flood every village all the way to the sea.

How to get there

A black trail leads to the lake from the Kościeliska Valley, just below the PTTK mountain hut on Hala Ornak. PTTK is the Polish tourist society that runs many mountain huts.

It is a short walk. My tip: wear proper walking shoes, because the ground near the lake can be wet and boggy.

More in the Tatras: Chochołowska Valley and Czerwone Wierchy. All guides: Kraków & Małopolska in English.

Łukasz, Niezwykła Małopolska