Wielka Orla Turniczka (2162 m a.s.l.) is one of the most dramatic rocky towers along the eastern ridge of Świnica in the Polish High Tatras — the taller and more westerly of the two 'Eagle Towers'. The famous Orla Perć trail skirts its summit, but the passage across its steep northern face — secured with chains, iron rungs and a ladder — is an experience you won't easily forget.
Wedged between Skrajny Granat and Mała Orla Turniczka, this granite pinnacle drops sharply southward via a bold pillar into Dolinka Buczynowa, and steeply northward toward the gullies of Granacka Przełęcz. In summer, clear-day views stretch across the Granaty peaks, Kozi Wierch and deep into the Slovak Tatras. Come spring or autumn, icy rock and exposed terrain make the crossing genuinely demanding even for seasoned hikers.
How to reach the peakThe first recorded ascent was made by Zygmunt Klemensiewicz and Jerzy Maślanka on 13 August 1904 — bold pioneers who mapped out routes where iron chains now guide today's hikers.