Silesian Beskids

Silesian Beskids
	View from the observation tower on the Barania Góra
Highest peak	Skrzyczne ( 1257 m npm )
location	Poland , Czech Republic
part of	West Beskids
Coordinates	49 ° 41 ′ N , 19 ° 2 ′ E Coordinates: 49 ° 41 ′ N , 19 ° 2 ′ E

Street in the old town of Bielsko-Biała

View from the Cieszyn castle from

Panorama from Skrzyczne from

Panorama with Skrzyczne

The Silesian Beskids ( Polish Beskid Śląski ; Czech Slezské Beskydy ) are a mountain range of the Western Beskids in Poland and the Czech Republic .

etymology

For the etymology of the term Beskydy see there . The Silesian Beskids form part of the Beskids, which is largely located in the extreme south-east of Silesia. The Silesian Beskids do not lie entirely in historical Silesia (the eastern slopes are part of the Lesser Poland Saybuscher Land ), nor are the Silesian Beskids the only mountain range of the Beskids that lies in historical Silesia. They are not exclusively located in the new Silesian Voivodeship , because the western slopes of the Czantoria ridge belong to the Czech Republic.

history

The Silesian Beskids were settled from the Danube region through the Moravian Gate. Until the Stone Age, the inhabitants of the Silesian Beskids were hunters and gatherers. Around 2500 BC the first farmers and shepherds settled down. The Amber Road ran west of the Silesian Beskids from the Roman Empire to the Baltic Sea. Roman coins found in the region are exhibited in the City Museum in Cieszyn. In the 9th century the Silesian Beskids came under the influence of the Great Moravian Empire and in the 10th century to Poland. During Polish particularism , the Duchy of Teschen of the Silesian Piasts was established in 1290 , which recognized the Bohemian feudal rule in 1348 and to which most of the Silesian Beskids belonged. The east and south slopes of the Barania ridge were part of the Duchy of Auschwitz , which was separated off in 1315 and returned to Poland in 1457. Medieval settlement took place along the river valleys of the Vistula and Olsa. In 1653 the Silesian Piasts died out in Teschen and the Duchy of Teschen came directly to the Habsburgs. With the First Partition of Poland in 1772, the eastern and southern parts of the Silesian Beskids came to the Habsburgs as part of Galicia. The tourist development of the area began in the 19th century by the Polish Tatra Society , the Beskid Society and the Polish Tourist Board Beskid. After the end of the First World War, the Polish-Czechoslovak border was drawn on the western edge of the Silesian Beskids on the Czantoria ridge. This demarcation was confirmed after the Second World War. After the breakup of Czechoslovakia, their share came to the Czech Republic.

Political division

Significant cities that are upstream Beskid are in Silesian foothills to the north: Bielsko-Biala , Cieszyn and Skoczów and the Zywiec Basin in the East Zywiec .

The municipalities that are part of the Silesian Beskids are:

Locality	population	surface	along the river
Bielsko-Biała	176.453	124.51 km²	Biała
Ustroń	015,415	058.92 km²	Vistula
Wisła	011,810	110.26 km²	Vistula
Istebna	011,279	084.25 km²	Olsa
Brenna	010.164	095.54 km²	Brennica
Szczyrk	005,810	039.07 km²	Żylica
Wilkowice	013,327	033.90 km²
Buczkowice	011,126	019.33 km²
Łodygowice	014,131	035.20 km²
Lipowa	010,497	058.08 km²
Radziechowy-Wieprz	013,086	065.94 km²
Węgierska Górka	015,107	077.06 km²	Soła
Milówka	010,047	098.33 km²	Soła
Yes	007.191	021.13 km²
Leszna Górna	000540	009.06 km²

geology

The Silesian Beskids are, like the whole Carpathian Mountains, a relatively young fold mountains. They were formed during the Alpid orogeny around 20 million years ago and are therefore among the youngest mountain ranges in Poland. Like most of the Beskydy mountain ranges , they consist of the northern Carpathian flysch , i.e. sediments and sedimentary rocks - in particular conglomerate , sandstone , slate , marl and limestone . The stones were formed on the seabed of the Tethys in a period of about 200 million years (up to the Upper Jurassic ). The oldest rocks - the so-called Teschen layers - can be found at Tuł and Jasieniowa , the latter already being part of the Silesian foothills . A few rock layers are of volcanic origin.

Mineral springs occur in the Silesian Beskids, which are particularly used in Ustroń.

The Silesian Beskids are the Beskids mountain range in which most of the caves occur. A total of 415 caves are currently known with a total explored length of 12,276 km.

geography

The Silesian Beskids extend southwest of the city of Bielsko-Biała and southeast of the city of Cieszyn, mainly on Polish territory. The western slopes of the Czantoria ridge belong to the Czech Republic. In the south they extend up to about five kilometers north of the border triangle Poland , Czech Republic and Slovakia .

To the north, the Silesian Beskids merge into the Silesian Foothills and in the northeast, separated by the Valley of the Biała ( Wolfsdorf Gate ), into the Little Beskids . In the east the mountain range descends into the Saybuscher Basin , behind which the Beskid Makowski (Makower or Mittelbeskiden) join. To the southeast, the Soła and the Przełęcz Zwardońska mountain pass form the natural delimitation to the Saybuscher Beskids . In the southwest, the Olsa valley separates the Silesian Beskids from the Jablunkauer Bergland . The Jablunkau furrow , which is also traversed by the Olsa, separates the mountain range in the west from the Moravian-Silesian Beskids . The Beskid foothills and the Ostrava Basin connect to the northwest .

The predominantly wooded mountains with an area of 560 km² are mostly on Polish territory, the Czech part is 54 km². The highest point is the Skrzyczne ( 1257 m npm ).

The Silesian Beskids can be divided into the following mountain ridges:

Czantoria crest ( Pasmo Czantorii ), west of the Vistula
Barania Ridge ( Pasmo Baraniej Góry or Pasmo Wiślańskie ), east of the Vistula
Klimczok ridge ( Pasmo Klimczoka ), adjoining the Barania ridge to the north
Równica Ridge ( Pasmo Równicy ), between the Vistula Valley and the Brennica Valley

topography

The Silesian Beskids are a low mountain range. At 1257 m above sea level, they are among the higher low mountain ranges in Central Europe.

mountains

20 peaks of the Silesian Beskids exceed the 1,000 meter limit. They are all on Polish territory. The Czantoria Wielka on the Polish-Czech border is the highest Czech peak in the Silesian Beskids at 995 m above sea level.

In the Czantoria ridge

Czantoria Wielka ( 995 m ), Kiczory ( 990 m ), Stożek Wielki ( 978 m ), Kyrkawica ( 973 m ), Cieślar ( 918 m ), Soszów Wielki ( 886 m ), Czantoria Mała ( 866 m ), Stożek Mały ( 843 m ) m ), Młoda Góra ( 834 m ), Soszów Mały ( 762 m ), Bukowa ( 713 m ), Ostry ( 709 m ), Krzywy ( 646 m ), Tuł ( 621 m ), Czajka ( 572 m ) and Wróżna ( 571 m ).

In the Barania ridge

Skrzyczne ( 1257 m ), Barania Góra ( 1220 m ), Małe Skrzyczne ( 1211 m ), Wierch Wisełka ( 1192 m ), Równiański Wierch ( 1160 m ), Zielony Kopiec ( 1152 m ), Malinowska Skała ( 1152 m ), Magurka Wiślańska ( 1129 m ), Przysłop ( 1029 m ), Jaworzyna ( 1020 m ), Ostre ( 930 m ), Skalite ( 864 m ), Kubalonka ( 830 m ), Beskidek ( 830 m ), Góra Zabawa ( 823 m ), Mała Cisowa ( 828 m ), Szarcula ( 803 m ), Kołowrót ( 798 m ), Motykowa Górka ( 792 m ), Filipionki ( 779 m ), Kozińce ( 776 m ), Niesłychany Groń ( 744 m ), Zadni Groń ( 728 m ), Górna Równia ( 676 m ), Mała Barania ( 659 m ) and Równia ( 610 m ).

in the northern ridge Malinów ( 1114 m ), Pass Przełęcz Salmopolska ( 934 m ), Grabowa ( 907 m ), Kotarz ( 948 m ), Hyrca ( 929 m ), Beskid Węgierski ( 930 m ), Beskid ( 860 m ) and the pass Przełęcz Karkoszczonka ( 736 m ),
in the southern side ridge Karolówka ( 930 m ), Gańczorka ( 901 m ), Tyniok ( 892 m ), Pass Przełęcz Koniakowska ( 732 m ), Sołowy Wierch ( 850 m ), Ochodzita ( 894 m ), Koczy Zamek ( 847 m ), Siwoniowski ( 798 m ), Złoty Groń ( 710 m ) and Szyroki Wierch ( 702 m ),
in the eastern side ridge Trzy Kopce ( 1082 m ), Stołów ( 1035 m ), Kościelec ( 1022 m ), Magurka Radziechowska ( 1108 m ), Muronka ( 1021 m ), Glinne ( 1034 m ), Wielka Cisowa ( 872 m ), Czerwieńska Grapa ( 838 m ), Cupel ( 882 m ), Cupel ( 736 m ), Łazek ( 713 m ), Syberia ( 637 m ), Zebrzydka ( 579 m ) and Sumowa Grapa ,
as well as in the western ridge of Stary Groń ( 798 m ), Horzelica ( 797 m ) and Cienków ( 957 m ).

In the Klimczok ridge

Klimczok ( 1117 m ) with the pass Przełęcz Siodło ( 1042 m ), Magura ( 1095 m ), Szyndzielnia ( 1028 m ), Błatnia ( 917 m ), Pod Błatnią ( 853 m ), Przykra ( 824 m ), Wielka Polana ( 788 m ), Wysokie ( 756 m ), Cuberniok ( 731 m ), Kopany ( 690 m ), Palenica ( 688 m ), Dębowiec ( 686 m ), Kozia Góra ( 683 m ) and Bucznik ( 683 m ).

In the Równica ridge

Równica ( 884 m ), Smerekowiec ( 835 m ), Gościejów ( 818 m ), Orłowa ( 813 m ), Trzy Kopce Wiślańskie ( 810 m ), Jawierzny ( 799 m ), Kamienny ( 790 m ), Obora ( 790 m ), Tokarnia ( 712 m ), Lipowski Groń ( 743 m ), Żar ( 688 m ), Palenica ( 672 m ) and Skalica ( 487 m ).

Mountain passes

Most of the mountain passes of the Silesian Beskids lie on the Barania ridge.

Name of the mountain pass	German name	Height (m above sea level)	annotation
Przełęcz Baracht	Baracht Pass	765	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Beskidek	Beskidek pass	668	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Beskidek	Beskidek pass	684	Czantoria ridge, Poland and the Czech Republic
Brama Wilkowicka	Wolfsdorfer Tor	415	Silesian Beskids / Little Beskids , Poland
Przełęcz Jabłonkowska	Jablunka Pass	553	Silesian Beskids / Moravian-Silesian Beskids , Czech Republic
Przełęcz Karkoszczonka	Karkoszczonka Pass	729	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Kołowrót	Kołowrót Pass	770	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Koniakowska	Kaniaków Pass	766	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Kozia	Goats pass	608	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Kubalonka	Kubalonka pass	758	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Łączecko	Łączecko Pass	774	Czantoria ridge, Poland
Przełęcz nad Roztocznym	Above the Roztoczny Pass	1058	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz pod Tułem	Under the Tuł Pass	535	Czantoria ridge, Poland
Przełęcz pod Zebrzydką	Under the Zebrzydka Pass	520	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Siodełko	Small saddle pass	795	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Przysłop	Przysłop Pass	701	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Rupienka	Rupienka pass	672	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Salmopolska	Salmopol Pass	934	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Siodło	Saddle pass	742	Barania Crest, Poland
Siodło pod Klimczokiem	Under the Klimczok saddle	1042	Klimczok Ridge, Poland
Siodło pod Przykrą	Under the Przykra saddle	824	Klimczok Ridge, Poland
Siodło pod Równią	Under the Równia saddle	598	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Szarcula	Szarcula Pass	761	Barania Crest, Poland
Przełęcz Zwardońska	Zwardoń Pass	675	Silesian Beskids / Saybuscher Beskids , Poland

Przełęcz Beskidek , Poland / Czech Republic
Brama Wilkowicka , Poland
Przełęcz Siodełko , Poland
Przełęcz Rupienka , Poland
Przełęcz Salmopolska , Poland
Siodło pod Klimczokiem , Poland
Przełęcz Zwardońska , Poland

Mountain valleys

The most important mountain valley in the Silesian Beskids is the Vistula valley, which separates the Czantoria ridge in the west from the Barania ridge and the Równica ridge in the east. In the Barania ridge, the rivers Brennica, Wapienica, Żylica and Olsa form mountain valleys.

Upper Vistula Valley , Poland
Lower Vistula Valley , Poland
Brennica Valley , Poland
Wapienica Valley , Poland
Olszówka Valley , Poland
Żylica Valley , Poland
Olsa Valley , Czech Republic

Waters

Lakes

There are two reservoirs in the Silesian Beskids:

Name of the lake	German name	flow	Height (m)	image
Jezioro Czerniańskie	Czerna lake	Vistula	500
Jezioro Wielka Łąka	Big meadow lake	Wapienica	478

Flowing waters

The Silesian Beskids are drained to the north and east by the Vistula and its tributaries such as the Brennica, Iłownica, Biała and Soła, and to the west by the Olsa and Hluchová towards the Oder . The Czadeczka flows south towards the Danube.

water falls

In the Silesian Beskids there are numerous waterfalls and rapids on the upper streams of the mountain rivers. The best known are the Kaskady Rodła on the upper Biała Wisełka on the slope of the Barania Góra .

Name of the waterfall	German name	Brook	Height (m)
Kaskady Rodła	Cascades of the Rodło	Biała Wisełka	5

Kaskady Rodła , Poland
Biała Wisełka , Poland
Biała Wisełka , Poland
Biała , Poland
Wisełka , Poland
Biała Wisełka , Poland
Czarna Wisełka , Poland

caves

The Silesian Beskids are rich in caves. There are no more caves in any other part of the Beskydy Mountains than in the Silesian Beskydy Mountains. The currently known 415 caves measure a total length of over 12,000 km. The longest cave in the Beskids, Jaskinia Wiślańska , is also located in the Silesian Beskids. The caves of the Silesian Beskids are generally only accessible to professional cave-goers. Inexperienced amateurs can enter some of the caves on so-called open days under the supervision of an experienced cave explorer.

In the Silesian Beskids there are numerous waterfalls and rapids on the upper streams of the mountain rivers. The best known are the Kaskady Rodła on the upper Biała Wisełka on the slope of the Barania Góra .

Name of the cave	German name	mountain	Length (m)
Jaskinia Wiślańska	Vistula Cave	Malinów	2275
Jaskinia Miecharska	Miecharska cave	Malinów	1838
Jaskinia w Trzech Kopcach	Cave in the three hills	Trzy Kopce	1250
Jaskinia Salmopolska	Salmopol Cave	Przełęcz Salmopolska	1010
Jaskinia Ostra-Rolling Stones	Sharp Rolling Stones Cave	Ostre	885
Jaskinia Głęboka w Stołowie	Deep cave	Stołów	554
Jaskinia Dująca	Blowing cave	Stołów	498
Jaskinia Ali Baby w Klimczoku	Ali Baba Cave	Klimczok	328
Jaskinia Malinowska	Malinów cave	Malinów	231
Jaskinia Wiślanka	Small Vistula Cave	Malinów	147
Jaskinia Piętrowa w Klimczoku	Step cave	Klimczok	130
Jaskinia Chłodna	Cold cave	Muronka	125
Dziura w Stołowie	Hole in the Stołów	Stołów	104
Jaskinia Pajęcza	Spider cave	Skrzyczne	61
Jaskinia pod Balkonem	Cave under the balcony	Muronka	45
Jaskinia Lodowa w Szczyrku	Ice cave	Hyrca	32

nature

Logo of the Silesian Landscape Park

flora

The flora of the Silesian Beskids can be divided into different sections according to altitude, with no tree line:

1,000–1,250 m above sea level - there are coniferous forests here and the spruce ( Picea abies ) dominates.

up to 1,000 m above sea level - there are mixed forests with spruce, fir and beech trees. Oak and hornbeam forests , which originally dominated here, are now rare. The sycamore maple can be found on the slopes . There are alluvial forests in the stream valleys . At all altitudes there are alpine pastures and mountain meadows, but most of them are overgrown.

fauna

Among the birds, the following occur in particular: ring owl , mountain pipit , capercaillie and hazel grouse . Native mammals are: wolf , lynx and brown bear , the latter mostly only temporarily migrating from the Saybuscher Beskids . Numerous species of bats can be found in the caves. Numerous species of butterflies appear on the mountain meadows and alpine pastures, including the great fire butterfly . Fire salamanders and bullheads can be found on the streams.

natural reserve

Forest on the Równica

Most of the Silesian Beskids on the Polish side - the Barania Ridge and the Czantoria Ridge - is protected by the Silesian Beskids Landscape Protection Park (Polish: Park Krajobrazowy Beskidu Śląskiego). The 38,620 ha (plus 22,285 surrounding area) landscape park was created in 1998. It is located in the municipality of Bielsko-Biała , Szczyrk , Węgierska Górka , Milówka , Istebna , Wisła , Ustroń , Brenna , Buczkowice , Goleszów , Jaworze , Lipowa, Radziechowy-Wieprz and Wilkowice . There are numerous strictly protected nature reserves within the landscape protection park:

Name of the nature reserve	German name	size	local community
Rezerwat przyrody Barania Góra	Widderberg nature reserve	383.04 ha	Wisła
Rezerwat przyrody Czantoria	Czantoria nature reserve	97.71 ha	Ustroń
Rezerwat przyrody Dolina Łańskiego Potoku	Łański Potok Valley Nature Reserve	46.89 ha	Jasienica / Grodziec
Rezerwat przyrody Jaworzyna	Jaworzyna nature reserve	40.03 hectares	Bielsko-Biała
Rezerwat przyrody Kuźnie	Blacksmiths nature reserve	7.22 ha	Lipowa / Twardorzeczka
Rezerwat przyrody Stok Szyndzielni	Szyndzielnia-Hang nature reserve	54.96 ha	Bielsko-Biała
Rezerwat przyrody Wisła	Vistula nature reserve	17.61 ha	Wisła
Rezerwat przyrody Zadni Gaj	Hinterer Hain nature reserve	6.39 ha	Goleszów
Lasy Beskidu Śląskiego	Forests of the Silesian Beskids	39.80 ha	Wisła

climate

Winter on the Barania Góra

The Silesian Beskids are characterized by high precipitation, 800 to 1200 mm per year, and a long snow cover. The amount of precipitation and the length of the snow cover increase with the altitude. Cold and wet north-westerly winds predominate.

The annual mean temperature on the peaks is 5.4 C and in the valleys 8.5 C. The coldest month is January and the warmest is July. In spring and autumn, foehn occurs, which is called Halny (German: Almwind) here.

Thanks to the clean mountain air, the intense solar radiation and humidity, the microclimate of the Silesian Beskids is considered healthy for those with lung, heart and nervous diseases, which is why Ustroń is valued as a climatic health resort.

Culture

Hala Przysłop

Hala Radziechowska

Almauftrieb Koniaków

Silesian Góralen

Saybuscher Góralen

Żywiec Brewery

Alpine farming

During the Middle Ages, hunters and shepherds came to the Silesian Beskids. From the 13th to the 15th century, settlers from Wallachia came to southern Poland. The Wallachians were mainly shepherds and ran cattle and mountain pastures in the Beskids . From the early modern period, the valleys of the Silesian Beskids were also used for alpine farming. Mixed and coniferous forests were cleared to create pastures for cattle breeding. The alpine pastures (Polish: Hala ) were usually named after the rich shepherd families who acquired ownership rights to the pastures. Many landowners in the Silesian Beskids were expropriated after the Second World War. The alpine pasture is still operated in the Silesian Beskids. Many alpine pastures also grow over with the original vegetation. The old alpine huts and the names of the mountain meadows in the Silesian Beskids are still traces of alpine farming.

Name of the Alm	German name	location	Access	Remarks
Hala Barania	Widderalm	Barania Góra / Magurka Radziechowska	marked hiking trail	Alm grows over with coniferous forest
Hala Jaworowa	Jawor Alm	Kotarz	marked hiking trails	Alpine huts preserved
Hala Skrzyczeńska	Skrzyczne Alm	Skrzyczne	marked hiking trails, ski lifts	Szczyrk Mountain Resort ski area
Hondraski		Skrzyczne	marked hiking trails	Alpine huts preserved
Hala Jaskowa	Johannes Alm	Skrzyczne	marked hiking trail	Alpine huts preserved, partially overgrown with coniferous forest
Hala Jaworzyna pod Skrzycznem	Jaworzyna Alm under the Skrzyczne	Skrzyczne	marked hiking trails, ski lifts	Szczyrk ski area
Hala Kamienicka	Steinalm	Szyndzielnia	marked hiking trails, ski lifts	Ski Szyndzielnia , mountain hut Szyndzielnia
Hala Przysłop	Przysłop Alm	Barania Góra	marked hiking trails	Cross-country ski run, Barania Góra refuge
Hala Radziechowska	Radziechowska Alm	Glinne and Magurka Radziechowska	marked hiking trails	Alpine farming operated
Stokłosica	Stokłosica	Czantoria Wielka	marked hiking trails, ski lift	Czantoria ski area , summer toboggan run

Góralen

The architecture, art, costume, music, cuisine and literature of the Silesian Beskids are seen as part of the Góralen culture . The Góralen are mountain people, "góra" is Polish for mountain. In the Silesian Beskids, Silesian Góralen (Polish: Górale śląscy) live in the valleys of the Brennica, Vistula, Soła and Olsa in Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as Saybuscher Góralen (Polish: Górale żywieccy) in the eastern part of the mountains. Their folklore goes back in part to the Wallachians who came to the Beskids from Wallachia in the late Middle Ages.

The Silesian Góralen inhabit the higher sections of the mountain valleys, which originally belonged to the Duchy of Teschen - on both sides of the border of the Olsa area. Their dialect and folklore are closely related to those of the other górals in the Beskids. The Silesian Góralen Cultural Festival takes place in Jablunkov every year in August. The lower mountain valleys, on the other hand, are inhabited by the Silesian Lachen (Polish: Lachy śląskie), who speak the Teschen dialects and differ from the Górals in their folklore.

In addition to the eastern slopes of the Silesian Beskids, the Saybuscher Góralen also inhabit the Little Beskids and the Saybuscher Beskids in the Saybuscher Land in Lesser Poland .

Beer culture

Already in the Middle Ages it was recognized that the water of the mountain streams of the Silesian Beskids is very suitable as brewing water. In the 15th century a brewery was established in Cieszyn, managed by the townspeople, which brewed with water from the Olsa . In 1838 Karl Habsburg decided to build a brewery on the Teschener Burgberg . The Cieszyn Castle Brewery was entered in the commercial register in 1847 - in its final years of operation. His son and successor Albrecht Habsburg founded a second brewery in Żywiec in 1852 - registered in the commercial register in 1856 - which brewed with the water of the Leśna . Both breweries in the Silesian Beskids were very successful and exported their products to all lands of the Habsburg monarchy. In the interwar period, the Habsburg breweries were among the largest beer producers in the Second Polish Republic . In the course of the Soviet occupation of Poland, the Habsburgs were expropriated in 1944, but the breweries continued to function in the People's Republic . Today, both breweries are the main producers of Grupa Żywiec , the second largest Polish brewer with a market share of around 30%. The Heineken Group currently holds 61% of the shares in Grupa Żywiec SA

buildings

There are numerous baroque wooden churches in the Silesian Beskids, some of which date back to the 16th century. A specialty of the region are the Protestant forest churches, which were built at the time of the Habsburg Counter-Reformation, when the holding of Protestant church services was forbidden in the Duchy of Teschen . Lookout towers are located on the peaks of Barania Góra , Skrzyczne and Czantoria Wielka . The most important buildings in the Silesian Beskids include:

Building	Place / mountain	image
Presidential Castle	Wisła
Hedwig's Church	Wisła
Habsburg hunting lodge	Wisła
Anna Church	Ustroń
Observation tower	Barania Góra

tourism

Transport links

Bielsko-Biała Główna railway station

Wisła Głębce Railway Station

S1 at Laliki

The Silesian Beskids are the best part of the Beskids for tourism . In particular, Bielsko-Biała , Ustroń , Wisła , Brenna and Szczyrk have a well-developed tourist infrastructure.

train

The railway line 117 connects Krakow with Bielsko-Biala , the northeast corner of the Silesian Beskid. There is also a well-developed railway connection between Katowice and Bielsko-Biała main station , the railway line 139 , which continues on the eastern and southern edges of the Silesian Beskids through the Wolfsdorf Gate , the Saybuscher Basin and the Przełęcz Zwardońska to Zwardoń on the southern edge of the Silesian Beskids and continues to Slovakia. Line 190 runs from Bielsko-Biała to Cieszyn on the northern edge of the Silesian Beskids , and continues to the Czech Republic.

From here the railway line 191 branches off in Goleszów through the Vistula valley to Wisła Głębce in Wisła to the south and runs through the middle of the Silesian Beskids between the Równica / Barania and the Czanrotia ridge. The route, built in the 1930s, was originally intended to be connected to route 139 in Zwardoń in the south with a tunnel under the Przełęcz Kubalonka pass , but the plans were thwarted by the Second World War and were not resumed afterwards.

Street

In the south of the Silesian Voivodeship , the A1 motorway crosses from the Czech border in the south to Gdansk in the north and the A4 motorway from the German border at Görlitz in the west to the Ukrainian border at Przemyśl in the east. Bielsko-Biała can be easily reached from Kraków via the S52 expressway in around two hours and from Katowice via the S1 expressway in around an hour. The S52 expressway continues on the northern edge of the Silesian Beskids to the west, where it merges into expressway 48 near Cieszyn in the Czech Republic. The S1 expressway continues on the eastern and southern edges of the Silesian Beskids to the south, where it merges into the D3 expressway near Zwardoń in Slovakia. The Czech expressway 11 runs along the western edge of the Silesian Beskids.

Provincial road 941 runs from Skoczów , where it is the southern extension of expressway 81 from Katowice , through Ustroń and Wisła to Istebna, right through the middle of the Silesian Beskids in a north-south direction . In Wisła the voivodship road 942 branches off to the east , which leads via Szczyrk to Bielsko-Biała. On the Olsa Valley, the 943 voivodship road runs from Laliki via Koniaków to Istebna and on to the Czech Republic in a west-east direction . In Ustroń, a serpentine mountain road branches off from Voivodship Road 942 to the top of Równica .

Airports

There is a commercial airfield in Bielsko-Biała , from which glider pilots also take off. The nearest international airports are located in Krakow-Balice on the S52 approx. Two hours by car east of Bielsko-Biała and in Katowice-Pyrzowice on the A1 and S1 approx. 1.5 hours north of Bielsko-Biała.

Summer sports

Stożek Wielki hiking trail

Hiking trail on the Równica

Long-distance cycle routes in Wisła -Głębce

Hiking and mountaineering

Before Poland and the Czech Republic joined the Schengen Agreement, there were eleven border crossings in and around the Silesian Beskids. Since joining, the green Polish-Czech border can be crossed at any point. There are no border controls. In nature reserves, however, leaving the marked hiking trails to protect nature may be prohibited. The main Beskydy hiking trail also begins in the Silesian Beskids and runs as follows in the Silesian Beskids:

▬ Marked in red from Ustroń - Równica - Czantoria Wielka - Stożek Wielki - Przełęcz Kubalonka - Barania Góra - Węgierska Górka

Mountain huts

There are several refuges for hikers in the Silesian Beskids.

Mountain hut	Height in m above sea level	image
PTTK - Błatna Mountain Hut	891
PTTK - Klimczok Mountain Hut	1034
PTTK - Barania Góra Mountain Hut	900
PTTK - Równica Mountain Hut	785
PTTK - Skrzyczne Mountain Hut	1250
PTTK - Stożek Mountain Hut	979
PTTK - Szyndzielnia Mountain Hut	1001
Skibówki mountain hut	885
Kozia Góra mountain hut	686
Dęboiec mountain hut	686
Soszów Wielki Mountain Hut	792
Stecówka mountain hut	760
Uncle Tom's hut on Przełęcz Karkoszczonka	736
Telesforówka mountain hut on Trzy Kopce Wiślańskie	810
Pietraszonka mountain hut	600

Lifts

Hikers and winter sports enthusiasts can use the following lifts and gondolas.

Chair lift / gondola lift	mountain	Valley location	length	image
Szyndzielnia gondola	Szyndzielnia	Bielsko-Biała	1810 m
Hala Skrzyczeńska gondola lift	Małe Skrzyczne	Szczyrk	1427 m
Skrzyczne chairlift	Skrzyczne	Szczyrk	2773 m
Czantoria chairlift	Czantoria Wielka	Ustroń	1604 m

Climb

In the Silesian Beskids there are isolated rock formations that would be suitable for climbing, but these are usually protected, so climbing is prohibited here.

water sports

Bathing and swimming is popular on the lower reaches of the Vistula in Wisła and Ustroń in the summer months.

bicycle

Driving and motorcycling are popular in the Silesian Beskids. There are designated cycle routes in and around the Silesian Beskids. The Tour de Pologne is often a guest here.

Flying and jumping

Glider pilots and parachutists take off from the Żar glider airfield in the Little Beskids . Paragliding is particularly popular from the peaks around Szczyrk .

Winter sports

To ski

There are numerous ski areas in the Silesian Beskids.

Surname	place	Altitude in m		Lift systems	Slopes in km	Web link	image
Surname	place	from	to	Lift systems	Slopes in km	Web link	image
Cieńków ski area	Wisła	720	524	6th	6.87	Website
Soszów ski area	Wisła	886	610	5	5.7	Website
Nowa Osada ski area	Wisła	681	485	3	4th	Website
Stożek ski area	Wisła	959	713	3	3.3	Website
Stok ski area	Wisła	655	482	3	2.2	Website
Klepki ski area	Wisła			3	1.8	Website
Skolnity ski area	Wisła			2	2.1	Website
Czantoria ski area	Ustroń	851	389	4th	4.5	Website
Palenica Ustroń ski area	Ustroń	668	434	1	1	Website
Poniwiec Mała Czantoria ski area	Ustroń			2	1.1	Website
Zagroń ski area	Istebna	684	552	3	3.7	Website
Złoty Groń ski area	Istebna	700	550	3	3.7	Website
Szczyrk Mountain Resort ski area	Szczyrk	1211	618	17th	22.2	Website
COS OPO ski area	Szczyrk	1257	540	5	13.4	Website
Beskid Sport Arena ski area	Szczyrk	840	590	4th	2.67	Website
Szyndzielnia ski area	Bielsko-Biała	1001	509	4th	2.5	Website
Dębowiec ski area	Bielsko-Biała	525.5	420	2	0.7	Website

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is particularly popular in Wisła . The cross-country ski trail begins on the Przełęcz Kubalonka pass and leads over the slopes of the Barania Góra .

Ski jumping

In the Silesian Beskids there are two large ski jumping hills in Wisła ( Malinka ) and Szczyrk ( Skalite ski jumps ). There are also numerous smaller, lesser-known jumps.

Jump	mountain	place	Hill record	image
Malinka	Cienków	Wisła	139 m
Skalite ski jumps	Scalite	Szczyrk	116 m

literature

Mirosław Barański: Beskid Śląski. Pasmo Baraniej Góry. Warszawa 1999, ISBN 83-7005-423-4 .
Mirosław Barański, Mirosław: Beskid Śląski. Pasma Klimczoka i Równicy. Warszawa 1995, ISBN 83-7005-360-2 .
MJ Barański: Beskid Śląski. Pasmo Stożka i Czantorii. Warszawa: Wydaw. PTTK “Kraj”, 1996, ISBN 83-7005-370-X .
MJ Barański: Beskid Śląski. Przewodnik. Oficyna Wydawnicza “Rewasz”, Pruszków 2007, ISBN 978-83-89188-71-7 .
Wladyslaw Krygowski: Beskidy. Śląski, Żywiecki, Mały. Warsaw 1974.
Jerzy Działak: Beskid Śląski. Warsaw 1953.
T. Rzeczycki: Góry Polski. Emmanuel, Katowice 2004, ISBN 83-86704-10-1 .

Web links

Commons : Silesian Beskids - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Wikivoyage: Silesian Beskids - travel guide

panorama

Panorama from the Barania Góra