Upper Ochotnica

Ochotnica Dolna and Ochotnica Górna are two villages that, until 1910, formed a single settlement known as Ochodnicza. Its founding document was issued by King Władysław Jagiełło in 1416. The first village leader (sołtys) was Dawid Wołoch. The name Ochodnicza refers to a trade route that enabled merchants from Nowy Targ to reach the Sądecczyzna region. In the 16th century, the hamlet of Babieniec was established in the Ochotnica Valley, and by the 18th century, due to an influx of Polish settlers, the Vlachs and Ruthenians became a minority. In 1910, the village was formally divided into Upper (Górna) and Lower (Dolna) Ochotnica. During World War II, the area witnessed dramatic events, including the Ochotnica battle and the pacification of Ochotnica Dolna, known as the 'Bloody Christmas Eve,' in which 56 people lost their lives. A monument designed by Henryk Burzec commemorates these tragic events in the village. One notable historical figure associated with Ochotnica is Wiktor Grzesicki, an officer of the Polish Legions and a major general in the imperial army. Ochotnica Górna, picturesquely situated in the Ochotnica River valley, features varied elevations reaching up to 1,030 meters above sea level. It is dominated by a historic wooden smokehouse (chałupa kurna) from 1839 and a new church built in 2003 on the site of the former one. The village is popular for mountain tourism, offering numerous guesthouses and agritourism stays, as well as educational trails leading to sites such as the crash location of the American B-24 Liberator bomber. Ochotnica Górna also boasts a private ethnographic open-air museum with a house-museum, chapel, and forge. Numerous hiking trails lead from the village to nearby peaks such as Gorce, Lubań, and Turbacz, making it an attractive destination for tourists eager to explore the beauty of the Gorce Mountains.