Czertyżne is one of those abandoned Lemko villages in the Low Beskids that can move a hiker more deeply than many a mountain summit. Tucked away in a secluded valley of the Czertyżnianka stream, it's now a place of silence, history and beautiful wild nature - perfect for lovers of quiet, off-the-beaten-path walks.

The little valley where the village once stood was sheltered from winds and richly sunlit, which in the past supported good harvests and relative prosperity among its inhabitants. Today that same microclimate gives the place a gentle, pastoral feel - green and hushed in summer, glowing with autumn colours, and quietly solitary under winter snow. All that remains of the village are traces: an old cemetery ringed by spruce trees at the confluence of two streams, and a cross marking the site of the former church.

• Banica - trail connecting former Lemko villages, walking time depends on chosen route, difficulty: easy/moderate
• Uście Gorlickie - a good starting point for exploring the region's other abandoned villages

• The site lies within the Uście Gorlickie commune, Gorlice county, Lesser Poland Voivodeship
• A Greek Catholic church of St Michael the Archangel, built in 1791, was dismantled in 1952 - only a cross now marks its location
• The surviving cemetery sits at the confluence of two streams, surrounded by distinctive spruce trees

The village's name comes from the Ruthenian word czerteż, meaning a forest clearing - Czertyżne was one of the last villages founded in the region, established only in 1584 by settlers Iwan Michniewicz and Maksym Tokajski.