PTTK Mountain Hut on Magurka Wilkowicka

The PTTK Mountain Hut on Magurka Wilkowicka stands in the western part of the Little Beskids, at an altitude of 909 m above sea level, above Wilkowice near Bielsko-Biała. The first building was put up here in 1903 by German hikers from the Bielsko section of the Beskidenverein, and the present brick building dates from 1913. Today it is named after the tourism activist Józef Grzybowski and belongs to PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society).

How the hut came to be

The first hut was opened on 27 September 1903. It was a timber building on a stone foundation, with an open veranda at the front, a restaurant room on the ground floor and rooms in the attic. It burned down after only two years. The rebuilt hut was opened on 18 August 1907 under the name Erzherzogin Maria Theresia-Schutzhaus auf dem Josefsberge, that is, the Archduchess Maria Theresa Hut on Josefsberg. The Germans then called Magurka Josefsberg, after the spring of St Joseph and the chapel standing beside it.

In 1912 the hut burned down again. A new brick building, raised on a high basement, was put into use on 19 October 1913. It had nine rooms and one dormitory, a clothes-drying room and a store for ski equipment. The hut's website notes that it was associated more with a restaurant or a mountain hotel than with an ordinary mountain hut.

Magurka as a winter sports centre

In 1907 German hikers from the Bielsko Beskidenverein founded a ski club. Its members practised skiing on the clearings below the summit and ski jumping on a jump below the hut, on the way down towards Rogacz. A sledding run also operated near the hut. Excellent skiing conditions made Magurka a winter sports centre.

In the interwar period the hut still belonged to the Beskidenverein, and its name was written in two languages: Schutzhaus - Schronisko, Josefberg - Magórka. After the Second World War, which the building survived apart from the loss of part of its furnishings, it was taken over by the Polish Tatra Society and later by PTTK. According to the hut's website, it was put back into use in September 1946. A renovation in 1972-1974 brought new sanitary installations and a dozen or so rooms for two to five people.

How to get there

The hut's website lists about ten trails. From Wilkowice-Bystra railway station the green trail leads up (about 2 hours 15 minutes), from the Przegibek pass the blue trail (about an hour), and from Mikuszowice Krakowskie via Rogacz the red trail (about 1 hour 45 minutes). Nearby is Chatka na Rogaczu. Routes also lead from Straconka, Międzybrodzie Bialskie and Czernichów. The times are given according to the hut's website.

An asphalt road from Wilkowice also leads to the hut, closed to traffic except for residents.

Where to go next

The hut is a stopping point on longer hikes in the Little Beskids. The hut's website suggests directions for further walks: to Łodygowice via Czupel, to Bielsko-Biała Lipnik via the Przegibek pass, and to the huts on Hrobacza Łąka and on Kozia Góra. The Mountain Hut on Kozia Góra lies about 6.6 km from Magurka in a straight line, and the walk along the trail takes about 3 hours 15 minutes according to the hut's website.

To the hut on Hrobacza Łąka, that is the Hrobacza Łąka Tourist and Retreat House, you take the blue trail via the Przegibek pass and then the red one, about 2 hours 45 minutes.

Practical information

• Address: Magurka Wilkowicka 7, 43-365 Wilkowice. The building belongs administratively to the village of Wilkowice in Bielsko County.
• The hut's website honours PTTK discounts, and on site there is a buffet and all-day meals. Check the current rules for overnight stays and the opening hours at magurka.beskidy.pl.
• The number of beds differs between sources (the hut's website gives 24, other sources 56), so confirm it with the staff before you set out.