Szlachtowa

Ruś Szlachtowska (Shlakhtov Ruthenia) was a name introduced in 1930s by Prof. Roman Reinfuss to denote the region surrounding the villages of Biała and Czarna Woda, Jaworki, and Szlachtowa in the Grajcarek valley in the Pieniny mountains, in the Nowy Targ County of southern Poland. The region was the westernmost area inhabited by Lemkos. It was separated from the rest of the Lemko Region by the Polish-dominated Poprad valley which led to isolation of the local population and its gradual assimilation with Poles and Slovaks, until Operation Vistula in 1947, when the Lemkos were deported together with Ukrainians to other areas of Poland and to the Soviet Union. Since then, the villages of Jaworki and Szlachtowa were gradually settled by Polish population from Podhale and Spisz, and the remaining two villages do not exist today. It is not known for certain when the first settlers arrived in the valley, but it was probably not before the 15th century because Jan Długosz states nothing about the settlement in his Liber beneficiorum.

Jaworki [jaˈvɔrkʲi] (Lemko: Явіркы, Ukrainian: Явірки, romanized: Yavirky) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Szczawnica, within Nowy Targ County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It was formerly part of the town of Szczawnica, but was made a separate village on 1 January 2008 (as was Szlachtowa). It includes the former villages of Biała Woda ("white water") and Czarna Woda ("black water"). The village used to constitute a part of Ruś Szlachtowska region, the westernmost area inhabited by Lemkos. Two other villages of this region Biała Woda and Czarna Woda are now part of the village Jaworki.

Gmina Szczawnica is an urban-rural gmina (administrative district) in Nowy Targ County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland, near the border with Slovakia. Its seat is the town of Szczawnica. The gmina covers an area of 87.9 square kilometres (33.9 sq mi) and has a population of 7380. Until 1 January 2008, Szczawnica was an urban gmina (a town having gmina status). The urban-rural gmina (Gmina Szczawnica) was created when certain settlements which had been within the town's boundaries were designated as villages in their own right. These are Jaworki (including the former villages of Biała Woda and Czarna Woda) and Szlachtowa.

The Pieniny (sometimes also the Pienins or the Pienin Mountains, Hungarian: Pieninek) is a mountain range in the south of Poland and the north of Slovakia. It is classified within the eastern section of the Western Beskids. The Pieniny mountain range is divided into three parts – Pieniny Spiskie (Slovak: Spišské Pieniny) and Pieniny Właściwe (Slovak: Centrálne Pieniny) in Poland; and, Małe Pieniny (English: Lesser or Little Pieniny; Slovak: Malé Pieniny) in Poland and Slovakia. The Pieniny mountains consist mainly of beds of limestone and dolomite. The most famous peak, Trzy Korony (Three Crowns), is 982 metres high. It is also the summit of the Three Crowns Massif. Pieniny's highest peak – Wysoka (Polish); Vysoké Skalky (Slovak) – reaches 1,050 metres above sea level. Pieniny mountains formed at the bottom of the sea in several geological epochs. They were folded and raised in Upper Cretaceous. At the beginning of the Paleogene geologic period a second wave of tectonic movements took place causing a further shift. The third wave of movements during the Paleogene and Neogene resulted in a more complex tectonic structure. At the same time erosion resulted in stripping of the outer mantle rocks and further modeling of terrain. Peaks were built from weather resistant Jurassic rocks, mainly limestone. Valleys and passes were created from softer and more susceptible to weathering rocks of Cretaceous and Paleogene periods. Caves are few and rather small. By contrast, rivers and streams are often deeply indented in the rock, creating approximately 15 ravines and gorges. The most famous gorges of the Pieniny mountains are the Dunajec River Gorge in Pieniny National Park and the Homole Ravine (Polish: Wąwóz Homole). Hills along the northern border of Pieniny are of volcanic origin.

Szczawnica ([ʂt͡ʂavˈɲit͡sa]; Rusyn: Щавниця) is a resort town in Nowy Targ County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. As of June 30, 2007, its population was 7,378.Szczawnica has been a well-known resort town since the mid nineteenth century. Due to the presence of alkali sorrel springs and favorable climatic conditions, many respiratory and digestive tract illnesses are treated there. In 2005 the popular local spa was officially returned by the Polish government to its prewar owners – Count Stadnicki family. The spa has almost two-hundred-year history. Its last private owner was Count Adam Stadnicki, whose grandson – Andrzej Mańkowski – is the founder of the new Spa Town Museum being fitted in the center of Szczawnica, at Dietl Square (2009). The museum of the Szczawnica resort aims to present more than 350 different types of artifacts associated with the local therapeutics, archival documents, drawings, plans of buildings, old photographs, postcards and books. Szczawnica has many skiing trails and slopes. The longest (2 km) at Palenica, is fitted with a 4-person ski lift with overhead lighting and a capacity of 2,200 people per hour. It is operated by a state agency.

Stráňany (until 1948: Folvark; Hungarian: Nagymajor; Polish: Folwark; Rusyn: Страняны) is a village and municipality in Stará Ľubovňa District in the Prešov Region of northern Slovakia. The village is traditionally inhabited by Rusyns, as one of their westernmost settlements. There is Greek Catholic church built in 1857.

Veľký Lipník (Rusyn: Великый Липник; Ukrainian: Великий Липник; Hungarian: Nagyhársas) is a former Lemko village and municipality in Stará Ľubovňa District in the Prešov Region of northern Slovakia. The village is traditionally inhabited by Rusyny/Ruthenians , as one of their westernmost settlements. There is Greek Catholic church built in 1794. The village of Vel’ky Lipník began behind the Spišská Magura mountain range which is part of the outer western Carpathian mountains which reach to the international border with Poland. Settlement began in this area early but in the second half of the 13th century during the reign of Hungarian King Béla IV, Ruthenians and Germans settled in the area during the years of 1235 to 1270. During the years 1308 to 1342 Hungarian King Karol Róbert donated this area to Julius Gorgey from Spišský Hrhov-Gargov. In 1314 the first written mention of Veľký Lipník was made. During the 15th and 16th century the village was inhabited mostly by Ruthenians from Southern Poland (Galicia.) They mostly worked as farmers and also bred various livestock. Due to their working mostly on farms, the village crest which was utilized from the 16th to the 19th century denoted this trade.

Lesnica (Hungarian: Erdős, until 1899: Lesnicz) is a large village and municipality in the Stará Ľubovňa District in the Prešov Region of northern Slovakia.

Grajcarek is a minor river, a stream, running between foothills of the Lesser Pieniny and Beskid Sądecki. It starts at Jaworki, as the confluence of the Biała Woda and Czarna Woda streams. The river flows through Jaworki, Szlachtowa, and flows into the Dunajec in Szczawnica, just before the characteristic Kotuńka Rock, at an elevation of 430 metres. After the crossroads of the roads is a bridge, under which flows the river Grajcarek, after which the Pieniny Trail Road begins.The source of Grajcarek are considered to be at the source of Biała Woda, which is found at a height of approximately 950 metres. The basin area of the river is 85,5 km², the length from the source to the mouth of the river is about 15 km, with an average fall of 3.5%. The river flows in the general direction of East to the West of the valley, which is also the border between the Pieniny and Beskid Sądecki. Formerly Grajcarek was called Ruski Potok which can be translated as Ruthenian Stream (before Operation Vistula when the villages which were located around the river Szlachtowa, Jaworki, Biała Woda and Czarna Woda were inhabited by Lemkos, see Ruś Szlachtowska). The name of the river Grajcarek was given by tourists and bathers at the end of the 19th century.

The Kotuńka Rock is a prominent rock found in the centre of the current of the river Dunajec just before the entry into Szczawnica. Built from limestone, the rock is well seen from the road and is a characteristic landmark in the area. Just above the rock the Grajcarek flows into the Dunajec. On from the rock is a bridge, after which begins the Pieniny Trail Road which heads to a border crossing. Around the Kotuńka rock the Dunajec river rapid is very strong and creates a swirl. This water feature is used by mountain kayakers, which often train in the area, to the left of the Kotuńka rock are embedded gates for such activities. As with many Pieniny rocks, the Kotuńka rock also has a legend. According to the legend, the devil carried a rock which he tried to bring to the Pieniny Castle on the Castle Mountain in the Pieniny, before which in the Tatra Mountains Kinga of Poland was hiding in. However along the way a rooster crowed and the devil's energy went away. The rock fell from the devil's hands and tumbled down into the river without getting anybody hurt. This is the most famous of the legends about the rock. Kotuńka rock has a height of 9.5 metres, and the tip of the rock is situated at a height of 438 metres. In the years 1875 to 1912 there was a sculpture of a Goral, which welcomed visitors heading to Szczawnica, in the year 1997 a similar statue was placed. Jadwiga Łuszczewska in the year 1869 wrote "we call it Kotuńka rock, because it creeps out of the water, like a sly cat lurking".

Haligovce (Hungarian: Helivágása) is a village and municipality in Stará Ľubovňa District in the Prešov Region of northern Slovakia. Former name of the village was "Hedvigina Poruba".

Krościenko nad Dunajcem [krɔˈɕt͡ɕɛŋkɔ nad duˈnai̯t͡sɛm] is a village in southern Poland situated in the Nowy Targ County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999 (previously in Nowy Sącz Voivodeship, from 1975 to 1998). Located near Poland's border with Slovakia, it is approximately 31 kilometres (19 mi) east of Nowy Targ and 78 km (48 mi) south-east of the regional capital Kraków. Town rights were given to Krościenko by Kazimierz Wielki in 1348.