Pilsko Nature Reserve

Pilsko Nature Reserve protects upper montane spruce forest and the summit parts of the Pilsko massif on the Polish side of the border. It lies in Korbielów, in Jeleśnia municipality in Żywiec County, within the Żywiec Landscape Park.

What the reserve protects

The original Pilsko reserve was created in 1971 to protect upper montane spruce forest. It covered 15.41 ha in the area just below the summit, at an altitude of 1,280 to 1,370 metres. The stands there were about 200 years old, and many spruces had passed 350 years of age, more than 30 metres in height and 70 centimetres in trunk diameter. 65 species of vascular plants and 26 species of bryophytes have been recorded here.

Next to it was the Pięć Kopców reserve (88.74 ha), which also protects spruce forest, along with thickets of dwarf mountain pine and patches of grassland with rare, protected species of plants and animals. In 2005 the two reserves were merged. The present reserve covers 105.21 ha and includes most of the summit part of the massif on the Polish side, up to 1,534 m above sea level.

Pilsko in the border massif

The highest peak of the massif, Pilsko (1,557 m above sea level), lies entirely on the Slovak side. The Polish-Slovak border runs along the ridge, as does the Main European Watershed, which separates the Baltic Sea basin from the Black Sea basin. On the Polish side the highest point is Góra Pięciu Kopców (1,543 m), about 400 metres north of the main summit.

The summit is a popular viewpoint, with a panorama of the Western Beskids, the Tatra Mountains and the mountains of Slovakia. By the yellow trail, on the slope of Góra Pięciu Kopców, stands a cross commemorating a soldier killed at this spot on 1 September 1939.

Meadows and surroundings

On Hala Cebulowa grows a community of plants that is rare nationally, made up of white asphodel, Siberian garlic and alpine pasqueflower. This is a separate place of natural value: Hala Cebulowa lies about a kilometre from the reserve. On Hala Miziowa, about 800 metres from the reserve, is the Hala Miziowa mountain hut.

In winter the northern slopes of the massif attract skiers. On the slopes descending towards Korbielów is the Pilsko Ski Resort in Korbielów.

Practical information

• Village: Korbielów, Jeleśnia municipality, Żywiec County.
• The reserve is in the mountains, so prepare as for a Beskid hike and check the forecast.
• The rules for moving around the reserve are set by its manager, the Complex of Landscape Parks of the Silesian Voivodeship. Check them before setting out on the trail.