Gronków: Rocks, Trails and a Log-Built Church

Gronków combines trails through the surrounding area with a church of particular architectural significance. These themes offer different starting points for planning a stay: the landscape and routes alongside the town’s architecture. If you’re looking for hotels in Gronków, you can use local attractions and the church’s history as a guide when planning your trip.

Rocks and landscape

The built-up area of the village lies between 580 and 650 metres above sea level. East of the village, Cisowa Skałka rises to 685 metres above sea level. Mała Skałka is also known as Grzebieniowa; both rocks lie just outside the village.

The nearby area also has steep red limestone rocks among the fields. They have retained their original vegetation, are used for recreation and offer a viewpoint over the eastern part of Podhale. The area thus brings together open, field-dominated landscapes and striking rock formations.

Routes with different destinations

The Szlak wokół Tatr runs from Gronków across the gently rolling plain of the Nowy Targ Basin. The section between Gronków and Nowa Biała is considered scenic throughout. The route description therefore combines a specific course across the basin with the scenery of the stretch to Nowa Biała.

A green hiking trail runs along the foot of the ascent, leading from Szaflary through the Pieniny Spiskie to the castle in Niedzica. Its endpoints set it apart from the Szlak section mentioned between Gronków and Nowa Biała: this route runs from Szaflary to the castle, while the other connects Gronków with Nowa Biała.

The direction of Dursztyn offers another point of reference. As part of the project’s second phase, construction of nearly 13 kilometres of cycle paths on the Szlak wokół Tatr between Gronków and Dursztyn was completed. The information about the hiking trail, the scenic Szlak section and the cycle-path construction therefore highlights different aspects of route planning.

Church and architectural history

The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Gronków was built in the 18th century as a subsidiary chapel of the parish in Szaflary. As a subsidiary chapel, it belonged to that parish; it did not become an independent parish until the 20th century. Its history thus spans its construction as a chapel and its later independence.

Architecturally, the church is considered an example of sacred architecture in Podhale. It was built using log construction without nails. Log construction is a method of building with wooden beams laid one above another. The church was extended and renovated several times over the course of its history, while retaining its original character. Its construction method and the later structural changes can therefore be viewed as distinct aspects of its history.

Discover more destinations: Lasek, Falsztyn, Waksmund, Obidowa, Podwilk, Huba, Szaflary, Ratułów.

For the broader travel overview: Nowotarski.