PTTK Mountain Hut at Przysłop below Barania Góra

The PTTK mountain hut at Przysłop below Barania Góra stands at 951 m above sea level in the Silesian Beskids, in a clearing above the Czarna Wisełka stream. It is a base for trips to Barania Góra, where three trails end and a nature trail begins. The present building is several decades old, but the history of the place goes back to the end of the 19th century.

From a hunting lodge to a mountain hut

The first building at Przysłop was a wooden hunting lodge of Archduke Friedrich Habsburg. It was built in 1897 as a base for hunting capercaillie. Towards the end of the First World War the lodge was vandalised and its management was taken over by the State Forests.

After several years the building was taken over by the Upper Silesian Branch of the Polish Tatra Society. The renovated building was handed over to hikers on 15 July 1925. It survived the Second World War without damage and in 1946 was again receiving guests. In 1953 the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society bought it from the State Forests.

Growing tourist traffic meant that in 1973-1979 PTTK built a new, brick, three-storey building alongside. The old lodge, already withdrawn from use by hikers earlier, was dismantled in 1985 and moved to Wisła, to Lipowa Street. It stands there to this day and is the seat of the Wisła branch of PTTK.

A museum by the hut

By the hut stands a wooden outbuilding of the former lodge, called the "GOPR-ówka". It houses the Barania Góra Centre for the History of Mountain Tourism "At the Sources of the Vistula", that is the Museum of Mountain Tourism at Przysłop below Barania Góra. The visiting hours have to be checked with the hosts.

Trails from the hut

Three trails pass by the hut, all leading to the summit of Barania Góra. The blue one comes up from Rupienka, the green from Istebna, and the red one, the Main Beskid Trail, from Kubalonka.

A nature and educational trail to Barania Góra also leads from here, and points 11, 12 and 13 of it are by the hut. The summit itself is 1,215 m above sea level and lies in a reserve whose boundaries take in the spring-fed slopes of the Biała and Czarna Wisełka, two of the three streams that form the Vistula. At the summit stands a steel viewing tower.

Accommodation and food

According to the hut's description, the building has more than 90 beds, a kitchen and a large dining room. The venue's website lists rooms for 2-3 people with a bathroom, 4-person rooms and larger ones for groups. The cooking is home-style, with vegetarian and vegan options, and bread is baked on site. Bicycles and hiking baby carriers can be hired.

In winter, cross-country and ski-touring routes lead through the area. The hut also offers local spirits and craft beers.

Practical information

• Address: Czarna Wisełka 8, 43-460 Wisła, Silesian Beskids.
• Altitude: 951 m above sea level; access from the blue (Rupienka), green (Istebna) and red (Kubalonka) trails.
• On site: rooms, a dining room, a bicycle and baby-carrier hire, and a mountain tourism museum in the wooden building alongside.
• Check the rules for booking accommodation and the current kitchen hours on the hut's website before you travel.