PTTK Mountain Hut on Wielka Racza

The PTTK mountain hut on Wielka Racza lies in the Żywiec Beskids, just below the summit of Wielka Racza, at an altitude of 1236 m above sea level. It stands at the junction of two Polish trails, the red and the yellow, and the Slovak green one. It was built in the 1930s and extended in the 1990s.

How the hut came into being

Private owners began building a primitive hut in a clearing below the summit in 1933. A year later the unfinished building was bought by the Bielsko branch of the Polish Tatra Society, which put it into use on 17 December 1934. At first, 40 people could spend the night on bunks in four rooms.

In 1937 the hut gained a telephone connection to Rajcza, and a postal agency was opened at the hut. The hut's official website recalls that Bronisław Jarosz was the host here from its opening.

The war and the post-war years

In August 1939 a squad of the Border Protection Corps appeared in the building with the task of observing the Kisuca valley. During the war the hut was taken over by the Beskidenverein, which in October 1940 assigned it to its Żywiec branch. In 1942 a Luftwaffe post linked to the observation tower on the summit was set up here. In April 1945 two artillery shells hit the building, and its furnishings were looted.

In the border zone the hut began to fall into disrepair. In 1964 a PTTK commission was to decide on demolition, but instead decided on a general renovation. Electricity was installed in the 1960s, and water in 1982. In the 1990s a masonry section was added to the wooden building.

What the hut offers

The hut has 50 beds in rooms for three to eight people, as well as dormitory rooms and a buffet with a dining room. The hut's website describes the various rooms and allows bookings to be made. Nearby there is a viewpoint with a map of the surrounding mountains.

Right next to the hut, about 0.1 km away, stands the viewing tower on Wielka Racza.

Trails to the hut

The hut can be reached from Zwardoń (5 hours), from Rycerka Górna Kolonia (1 hour 45 minutes), from Oščadnica via the cabins on Rača (2 hours 45 minutes) and from the hut on Przegibek (about 3 hours 40 minutes). The times vary, so work out the exact time on a map.

Not far away is Hala na Małej Raczy, about 0.9 km from the hut.

About 3.1 km further on lies the Śrubita nature reserve.

Practical information

• Location: Żywiec Beskids, below the summit of Wielka Racza, 1236 m above sea level.
• Trails: red and yellow (Polish) and green (Slovak).
• Accommodation and bookings: the hut's website wielka-racza.pttk.pl.
• In winter and after rain the approach can be harder, so check conditions before setting out.