Barania Góra

Barania Góra is 1,215 m above sea level and, after Skrzyczne, is the second highest peak of the Silesian Beskids. A height of 1,220 m is often given, but it refers to the geodetic point on a concrete obelisk, situated almost 5 m above the ground. On the western slopes the Vistula begins its course, and on the summit stands a steel viewing tower.

Where it lies and what the reserve protects

The peak lies in the Silesian Voivodeship, on the border of Cieszyn and Żywiec counties, and on its summit the boundaries of Wisła and Kamesznica meet.

The western slopes are the source area of the Vistula: two of the three source streams rise there, the Biała and Czarna Wisełka. The third, the Malinka, has sources that are easy to reach on the slope of Malinowska Skała. The summit areas of the mountain together with the springs are covered by the "Barania Góra" nature reserve of 386 ha. The watercourses are additionally protected by the "Wisła" reserve, in which the brown trout is protected. In the area there are also closer sites, such as the Barania Góra nature reserve.

The slopes are covered with fir and beech forests with an admixture of ash, sycamore and spruce, and on the summit there are outcrops of thick-bedded Istebna sandstone. Among plants rare in Poland, the Carpathian soldanella and the Moravian monkshood grow here.

The viewing tower on the summit

On the summit stands a publicly accessible steel viewing tower, erected in 1991 on the initiative of the Beskid Guides' Circle in Katowice.

It is 15.2 m high, and inside the structure there is a concrete pillar that serves as a triangulation point. The summit is treeless, but so extensive that without the tower the views are limited, and growing trees block the western slope. From the platform there is a panorama of the mountains of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia: the Little Beskids, the Maków Beskids, the Żywiec Beskids with Babia Góra, the Tatras, the Little Fatra, the Moravian-Silesian Beskids, and in very good visibility even the Jeseníky. Four engraved plaques describe the panoramas in every direction. In April 2024 the tower was closed because of its poor technical condition, and after renovation it was reopened on 12 September 2024. Description of the tower: Viewing Tower on Barania Góra.

Trails to Barania Góra

The Main Beskid Trail runs through the summit, and a junction of trails leads, among others, to Skrzyczne, Malinowska Skała, the Salmopol Pass, Wisła Czarne and Węgierska Górka.

The shortest approach begins at the PTTK mountain hut at Przysłop below Barania Góra, situated at an altitude of about 900 m (according to different descriptions between 900 and 951 m). According to the trail description, the walk from there to the summit takes about an hour. Other approaches have the following times given: from Kamesznica about 3 hours, from the Kubalonka Pass via Stecówka about 3 hours, from Skrzyczne about 3.5 hours, from Wisła Czarne through the valleys of the Biała or Czarna Wisełka about 2.5 hours, and from Węgierska Górka about 4.5 hours. The times are approximate, so check them on a current map. The hut is described in the entry PTTK Mountain Hut at Przysłop below Barania Góra.

In the valleys of the Czarna and Biała Wisełka there is a nature trail. On the slopes there is also a ski lift with runs.

Practical information

• Location: the Silesian Beskids, municipality of Wisła, on the border with Kamesznica.
• The most convenient start: the PTTK mountain hut at Przysłop below Barania Góra, then the trail to the summit. Check the trail colours on a current tourist map.
• On the summit the rules of a nature reserve apply, so keep to the trail.
• Check the condition of the viewing tower and the hut's opening hours before setting out.