Żleb pod Banie is a modest yet fascinating gully on the eastern slopes of Ornak in the Western Tatras, dropping from beneath Suchy Wierch Ornaczański down to Dolinka Iwanowska. It is a place where the landscape hides a remarkable mining history dating back to the 15th century.

In its upper reaches near the summit, the gully is grassy, though since grazing ended it has been gradually overgrown by dwarf mountain pine. Lower down it turns rocky and rugged in character. Once part of the Ornak pastures, it now lies within a strict nature reserve, giving the landscape space to return to its wild state. In winter the gully can be dangerous, as avalanches regularly sweep down it, something worth keeping in mind if hiking outside summer season.

How to get there

• Kościeliska Valley (parking at Kiry) - via Dolinka Iwanowska, requires good fitness, difficulty: moderate to demanding

Practical information

• The area lies within the Pyszna, Tomanowa, Pisana strict nature reserve - hikers must stay on marked trails
• Avalanche risk in winter - exercise caution and check TOPR mountain rescue warnings

Few realize that between 1765 and 1768, miners working here on the orders of King Stanisław August Poniatowski discovered as many as 7 old mining adits, and archaeological research in 1958-1959 uncovered the remains of a furnace once used for smelting silver and copper. In 1856, an avalanche in this gully claimed the lives of five miners, including a father and his two sons, a stark reminder of the dramatic past hidden beneath today's quiet slopes.