Karkoszczonka Pass

Karkoszczonka is a pass in the Silesian Beskids, at 723 m above sea level, between Trzy Kopce (1,082 m) to the north and Beskidek (860 m) to the south. The border between Brenna and Szczyrk runs across its saddle.

Why this pass matters for the ridge

Karkoszczonka links the Klimczok and Szyndzielnia range with the rest of the Silesian Beskids, together with the Węgierski Beskid and the Salmopol Pass. Leaving aside the Wilkowice Gate, it is the lowest point of the watershed between the Vistula (here: the Brennica) and the Soła (here: the Żylica) in the Silesian Beskids. It is therefore the most convenient crossing between Szczyrk and Brenna, and residents have used it for many centuries.

A border that divided regions

At this point the ridge separated the Żywiec region from the Duchy of Cieszyn. After the Second World War the border between the Kraków and Katowice voivodeships ran here, and the border between Żywiec and Cieszyn counties runs here to this day. For over nine centuries the pass also lay on the border of the Kraków and Wrocław dioceses. The differences can be seen even in costume: in Brenna the dress of the Silesian highlanders is worn, in Szczyrk that of the Żywiec highlanders.

The pass used to be commonly called “Skałka”, and residents of Szczyrk Biła sometimes call it “Granica” (the border). The present name comes from a former shepherds' settlement in the clearings below the pass and from the word “karkosze”, which highlanders used for branches chopped from felled conifers.

Trails and access

Several hiking trails cross at the pass: to Brenna Bukowa, to the centre of Szczyrk, to Klimczok and to the Salmopol Pass. Just below the saddle, on the Wilczy Potok valley side, stands the mountain hut Chata Wuja Toma.

From Szczyrk a road leads to the pass along the valley of the Wilczy (Biła) stream, and from Brenna Bukowa along the small valley of the Polczany stream. These are narrow roads, mostly asphalted. Passage over the pass was closed to cars (a barrier on the Brenna side, a forest road under the control of the State Forests).

Practical information

• Location: the border of Brenna (Cieszyn County) and Szczyrk, Silesian Beskids.
• Access: on trails from Brenna Bukowa and from Szczyrk, with the option of continuing up Klimczok.
• Car traffic over the pass is restricted; check the current rules before you travel.