Leśnica

A bit of history

Lesnica is a small village whose history dates back to the late 13th century. Three centuries later it came into the possession of the monks of the Red Monastery, but for the following centuries it remained almost completely cut off from the world. The first connection to civilisation was only the Pieniny Road, which was built at the end of the 19th century. The inhabitants of Lesnica had to wait until 1967 for a road from Velký Lipník! The centuries-long isolation, however, also had its positive aspects, as it is thanks to this that traditional customs and architecture were preserved in Lesnica for a relatively long time. After the end of World War I a dispute arose over Lesnicka between the reborn Poland and the then Czechoslovakia. At that time the village became part of our southern neighbour's territory, but in 1938 Poland annexed Lesnica again. This state of affairs lasted until the outbreak of another war, after which the border finally took its present shape.

What is worth seeing?

There is a large tourist base in Lesnica (restaurants, guesthouses, a hostel, a ski lift), but the biggest attraction is the Leśnicki Potok Gorge, in whose valley the village is located. The gorge itself is about 500 m long and is located directly at the mouth of the stream into the Dunajec River. In 1987 it became a strict nature reserve. It is protected mainly by rock vegetation - among others the Sabine juniper, the grape rockfoil and the frayed carnation, as well as relict pines.

Hiking trails

From Leśnica you can get to the Polish part of the Pieniny along two trails: the blue and the yellow one. First, however, we should reach their crossroads, from where we can turn right (walking from Leśnica) and join the yellow trail, which will lead us through Szafranówka to Szczawnica, or we can continue straight along the Leśnicki Stream until we reach the Pieniny National Park. And from there it is just a stone's throw to Sokolica!