Mountains
a wooden bacówka from 1975 on a meadow with views of the Tatras, Babia Góra and Malá Fatra
Parks and nature
Carpathian beech wood with thousands of snowdrops on the slopes of Muńcuł and Kotarz
Churches and monasteries
wooden church built from a post-war chapel, on the Wooden Architecture Route
Places with character
a clearing below Wielka and Mała Rycerzowa with a PTTK shepherd's hut, views and a junction of trails
a strict Carpathian beech wood reserve by the Slovak border, on the slopes of Oszus
forest reserve of Carpathian beech on the north-western slope of Majcherowa
Things to do in Soblówka: three nature reserves, the Rycerzowa meadow with its PTTK hut and a wooden church from 1949-1950.
Soblówka is a Beskid village in the Ujsoły commune, beside the Slovak border, and a calm village in the Żywiec Beskids. Most destinations lie within the Żywiec Landscape Park, so it suits people who like forests, silence and wide views.
Three reserves lie near Soblówka: Muńcoł, Dziobaki and Oszast. Each protects a different piece of Beskid forest, and entering them requires no ticket.
Muńcoł was set up in 1998 on forty-five hectares, on slopes between 925 and 1,120 metres. It protects a patch of fertile Carpathian beech forest and the largest stand of snowdrops in the Żywiec district. Dziobaki, created in 1995 on thirteen hectares, preserves Carpathian beech forest on the slope of Majcherowa near Rycerka Górna. Oszast is a strict reserve: it protects beech and spruce forest, a remnant of the primeval Carpathian Forest, on the slopes of Oszus beside the Slovak border. All three appear under parks and nature in Soblówka.
On the Rycerzowa pass lies Hala Rycerzowa, a large meadow at about 1,165 metres with wide views and a trail junction. On it stands the PTTK Bacówka on Rycerzowa, a wooden mountain hut at 1,120 metres.
The bacówka opened on 14 September 1975 as the first of a series of small huts for serious hikers, called bacówkas. The idea first appeared in 1939 but the war interrupted it. In the Carpathians a hala meant a meadow that was grazed rather than mown. The second part of the name derives from Rycerka Dolna and Górna. From the meadow you can climb Wielka and Mała Rycerzowa.
Take a look at the wooden Church of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was built in 1949-1950 as a chapel to a design by the then parish priest of Ujsoły, Father Józef Półka. It has yellow window frames, and a free-standing bell tower stands beside it. The church is on the Wooden Architecture Trail of the Silesian Voivodeship.
More places without fees are gathered in free things to do in Soblówka, and the remaining natural sights are described under nature in Soblówka.
Three: Muńcoł, Dziobaki and Oszast. All lie in the Żywiec Landscape Park.
In the PTTK Bacówka on Rycerzowa, a wooden hut on Hala Rycerzowa, opened in 1975.
Yes, the Church of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary from 1949-1950, on the Wooden Architecture Trail.
Yes, entry costs nothing, but nature protection rules apply. Oszast is a strict reserve, so keep to the paths.
