Koczy Zamek

Koczy Zamek (847 m above sea level) is a treeless hill in the Beskids above Koniaków, known as a viewpoint. You reach the summit in a few minutes from the car park at its foot, and the panorama is hardly inferior in range to the view from nearby Ochodzita.

Location and structure

The hill lies in the Jabłonków-Koniaków Interfluve, in the ridge running towards the Koniaków Pass. Poland's main watershed runs through here, separating the basin of the Soła (Vistula) from the basin of the Olza (Oder). It is built of Krosno sandstones, and its western part is cut by a quarry with a ten-metre face. Just below the summit runs the road from Koniaków to Milówka.

Origin of the name

According to local legend the hill was named after a Hungarian count Kocsi, who was supposed to have had a small castle here. Another explanation is regarded as more probable: the name dates from the time of the Hussite wars, when the Taborites fortified themselves on bare hills with a ring of wagons linked by chains. The Hungarian "kocsi" means "wagon". This theory was put forward by Franciszek Kotula. In the national register of geographical names the hill appears as Koci Zamek.

Practical information

• Village: Koniaków, Silesian Voivodeship.
• Below the quarry, the blue trail from Zwardoń to Barania Góra runs along a field track.
• In the area lies the Lace Museum in Koniaków.