Hawrań (2152 m a.s.l.) is the highest peak of the Belianske Tatry and — remarkably — the highest limestone summit in the entire Tatra mountain range. Wild, seldom visited and wonderfully preserved, it offers a perspective on the High Tatras that you simply cannot get from any other vantage point.
Rising from the centre of the western half of the Belianske Tatry on the Slovak side, Hawrań is flanked by Nový Vrch to the west across the distinct Hawrań Saddle, and by Plačlivá skala to the east. The massif is built entirely of limestone, giving it a brighter, more dramatic character than the granite peaks of the High Tatras. Five valleys radiate from its flanks, and the slopes are carved by gullies and ridges that give the mountain an almost architectural presence. In summer the views from the summit ridge take in a sweeping panorama of the High Tatras; in autumn the valleys below blaze with colour, making the approach walk equally rewarding.
How to reach the summitIn 1887 Prince Christian Hohenlohe purchased this part of the Tatras for hunting, fenced it off and barred all visitors — an act that, unintentionally, helped preserve the area in near-pristine condition. The peak also inspired a poem by Polish poet Władysław Broniewski, written in 1935.