Mount Giewont cross is 110 years old

The trek involves a three-hour hike, with a very hazardous, rocky stretch at the end of the trail.

A holy mass will be celebrated at the top of the mountain, at 1894 metres, to mark the 110th anniversary of the dedication of the 15 metre-high steel cross standing there.

Two years ago, its foundations were reinforced and the entire structure was cleaned and covered with an anti-corrosion coating.

With its silhouette reminiscent of a sleeping knight, Giewont is the most distinctive of the Tatra peaks.

A listed monument of architecture, it is featured on the coat-of-arms of the town of Zakopane and has been popular with tourists for decades, even though the area is extremely dangerous, particularly during thunderstorms.

In a homily during his visit to Zakopane in 1997, Pope John Paul II referred to the Giewont cross in these words: “I thank God for the people who took that cross to the peak of the mountain. That cross looks out on the whole of Poland, from the Tatras to the Baltic coast. That cross speaks to us saying, 'Lift up your hearts!' I pray that all of Poland will look toward that cross and hear that invitation. 'Let us lift up our hearts!” (mk)