Rysianka

Rysianka is 1,322 m above sea level and lies in the Lipowski Wierch and Romanka Group in the Żywiec-Orava Beskids. Along its ridge runs the border between Złatna and Żabnica in Żywiec County. On the north-eastern slope lies the Rysianka meadow with a PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society) mountain hut and a large junction of tourist trails.

How the mountain is built

Rysianka is a junction of three ridges and rises above three valleys.

The south-eastern ridge links it with Trzy Kopce in the Pilsko Group, the Romanka ridge runs off to the north, and a ridge runs south-west towards Redykalny Wierch. The valleys are the Żabniczanka, the Bystra and the Sopotnia. The massif is built of Eocene thick-bedded sandstones interbedded with thin layers of shale. The mountain is almost entirely covered with forest, and the spruces in the upper montane zone are stunted, many of them dead. On the plateau between Rysianka and Lipowski Wierch lies a peat bog about 200 m long with boggy patches and small pools.

The meadow and the hut

The Rysianka meadow is a large, scenic clearing on the north-eastern slope, and on it stands the PTTK hut at an altitude of 1,290 m above sea level.

Right below the summit, on the northern slopes, lies also the Kaziorka meadow. On the northern slopes of the pass between Rysianka and Trzy Kopce the Pod Rysianką nature reserve was established. The hut is described in the entry PTTK Mountain Hut on the Rysianka Meadow.

Trails

The Main Beskid Trail runs through Rysianka, and the meadow itself is a large junction of trails.

The routes described include, among others: Węgierska Górka, Abrahamów, the Słowianka meadow, the Pawlusia meadow, the hut on the Rysianka meadow, Trzy Kopce and the hut on the Miziowa meadow; Milówka via the hut on the Borcza meadow and Lipowski Wierch to the Rysianka meadow and to Żabnica-Skałka; Rajcza via Redykalny Wierch and the Lipowska meadow; Złatna via Bacmańska Góra. The neighbouring peak is Romanka.

Practical information

• Location: the border of Złatna and Żabnica, Żywiec County.
• The most convenient intermediate goal: the Rysianka meadow and the hut. Several routes from different valleys lead to the hut. We do not give walking times or trail colours, so check them on a current map.
• Trails also pass by the Pod Rysianką reserve, so keep to the marked routes.
• Check the hut's opening hours and rules for stays before setting out.