“Čergov Nature Trail” – Oltarkameň. The Baranie nature trail together with the Tokáreň and Priehyby trails form the “Čergov Nature Trail”. Along its route you will also find Oltárkameň – a lonely massive prismatic sandstone boulder with a plate-like layer near the top of Lysá (1,068 m above sea level) north of Drienica. This boulder ends the largest ridge running from the main ridge of the Čergov mountains.
The place gave rise to many legends and myths, also thanks to mysterious, hard-to-decipher symbols and letters engraved in a stone. The stone is an ancient monument, a testimony to the cult customs of our ancestors, a refuge for believers persecuted for their religious beliefs. According to some sources, there was a fortified settlement where the Crusaders hid in the 12th century. Later, Hussites (15th century) and Protestants from the surrounding towns and villages met there for services. The first mention of the massive sandstone block dates back to 1786. Today there stands a wooden chapel dedicated to the Transfiguration of Jesus from 2001. It belongs to the Greek Catholic parish in Drienica. Services are held here once a year. Another interesting place on the trail is the Črchľa saddle, which is part of the Čergov protected bird area (part of the Natura 2000 system). Other interesting stops include the settlements of Ambrušovce and Baranie. Scattered settlements in the valleys of Čergov north of the Lysá – Ostrý kameň, disappeared throughout the 1960s. The locals were engaged in agriculture, forestry, charcoal, shingles and troughs production. Fortunately, monuments in the cemetery as well as scattered wooden houses have been preserved and today are used for recreational purposes. Nowadays, these monuments are administered by the municipality of Olejníkov.
