Zazadnia is a small, peaceful forest clearing along the Oswald Balzer Road, which connects Zakopane and Jaszczurówka with Morskie Oko in the High Tatras. It is a pleasant spot to pause during a walk deeper into the mountains, especially if you are looking for a quieter starting point for further trails.

The clearing sits at 907 m, at the mouth of the Filipka Valley, on the eastern bank of the Filipczański Stream, roughly 13 km from Zakopane. It is surrounded by typical sub-Tatra forest - calm, green in summer and blanketed in snow during winter. An old forester's lodge from 1892 stands here, built on the site of an earlier steam sawmill, giving the place a touch of historical character.

How to get to the top

• Zazadnia to Rusinowa Polana: blue trail, about 1:15 h up, 1 h down, moderate difficulty
• Rusinowa Polana to Palenica Białczańska: 40 min one way, 50 min back

Practical information

• About 800 m south of the forester's lodge there is a parking area, a bus stop, and a Tatra National Park (TPN) fee point
• From there the blue trail begins, leading to the Marian Sanctuary at Wiktorówki and to Rusinowa Polana
• The route is especially popular on Sundays, so expect more foot traffic

The name Zazadnia comes from the phrase 'za Zadnią' ('beyond Zadnia') - from the perspective of the residents of Małe Ciche, the clearing lies just beyond Zadnia Polana. The first forester here was Władysław Bieńkowski, an expert on Tatra forests, who died at this very spot in 1926.