Atrakcje: Szczyrk

Things to do in Szczyrk: Skrzyczne, five ski resorts, the Skalite ski jumps and an aquapark in the Silesian Beskids, for winter, summer and rainy days.

Szczyrk lies at the foot of Skrzyczne, the highest peak of the Silesian Beskids, and for most visitors it is first of all a town of mountains and skiing. Beyond the slopes you will find wooden churches, shrines, mountain huts and places for bad weather: an aquapark, a rope park and a small museum.

Where should you start sightseeing in Szczyrk?

Start with Skrzyczne. It stands 1257 m above sea level, is one of the peaks in the Crown of Polish Mountains, and a chairlift runs from town to the summit. A PTTK hut stands just below the top, and a radio and television mast crowns the mountain.

The lift to Skrzyczne belongs to the COS OPO resort and has two sections: from Szczyrk to Hala Jaworzyna and from Jaworzyna to the summit. The massif separates the upper Żylica valley from the Żywiec Basin and falls steeply towards it. If you like views, begin here and walk down to town afterwards. Places for people who travel alone are collected on the page for solo visitors in Szczyrk.

The history of the village, from a settlement below Skrzyczne to a ski resort, is told in the article Szczyrk: how a village under Skrzyczne became a ski resort.

Where to ski in Szczyrk?

Several slopes of different character operate in Szczyrk: large resorts with runs of varied difficulty, a smaller slope for families and a ski jump complex. They are collected on the pages for skiing in Szczyrk and sport and recreation.

The COS OPO resort lies on the northern slope of Skrzyczne and is run by the Central Sports Centre. It has three chairlifts and a drag lift, 12.5 km of runs of varied difficulty and four cross-country trails, from 2.5 km to 7.5 km. Czyrna-Solisko works on the northern slopes of Mały Skrzyczne (1211 m) and has a gondola, three chairlifts and a drag lift. Its runs total about 25 km, and the hardest, black and red ones, include Bieńkula and Golgota.

Beskid Sport Arena in Szczyrk-Biła is a smaller resort, which means shorter queues. It has a detachable six-seat chairlift 750 m long and two drag lifts, with four runs. Biały Krzyż on Grabowa street, near the Salmopol Pass, is meant for beginners and families with children. Two lifts serve a gentle, wide run that is groomed, lit in the evening and equipped with snowmaking.

Skalite is not a slope but a complex of three year-round ski jumps on the northern side of Skalite peak, at 620 m: the normal hill K95, the medium K70 and the small K40. The Olympic Preparation Centre of the Central Sports Centre manages it, and in 2018 it was named after the Beskid Olympians. The stands hold 1472 spectators. The article Skiing in Szczyrk, the Żywiec region and Bielsko-Biała compares slopes in the region.

Where to go in Szczyrk on a wet day or with kids?

For a day without good weather choose the Aqua Aries aquapark or the Museum of Technology, and with children also the rope park. All three are collected on the page for rainy-day places in Szczyrk.

Aqua Aries at Górska 7, in the centre of the resort, is an aquapark by the Aries hotel. It has three slides, a leisure pool with loungers, a splash pool with a water playground for the youngest, several jacuzzis and a sauna area of about four hundred square metres with Finnish and infrared saunas.

Base Camp Rope Park at Myśliwska 9 has more than three hundred metres of routes and 37 obstacles. For children aged three to thirteen there is the Mini Park course, while older visitors take two Adventure routes and the Adventure Extreme route, all with continuous safety lines.

The Museum of Technology at Podmagura 1a is a small permanent display of old appliances, motorcycles of makes such as MZ, WFM and SHL, and radios, supplemented by temporary exhibitions. It stands by the blue trail to Klimczok, above the Shrine on Górka, so it is easy to combine with a walk. Read about Klimczok and neighbouring Szyndzielnia in the article Szyndzielnia and Klimczok: two peaks above Bielsko and Szczyrk.

Which churches and shrines are worth seeing in Szczyrk?

The oldest is the wooden St James's church from 1797-1800, roofed with shingles. Since 2011 it has been a diocesan shrine on the Silesian route of wooden architecture. Its interior is filled with late Baroque furnishings from a former monastery in Nowy Sącz. Szczyrk long belonged to the parish of Łodygowice, and the decree for its own parish was issued in April 1787.

The Marian Shrine stands in the northern part of town at 670 m, in a place called Górka. It lies on the trail from Szczyrk to Klimczok, and worship here dates to 1894. There are an apparition chapel and a grotto with a spring. The Marian shrines of the region are compared in the article Four Marian shrines: Leśniów, Rychwałd, Hałcnów and Szczyrk.

The third is the Lutheran church in Salmopol from 1991-1995, designed by Karol Gaś. A Lutheran community has existed here since 1803, when the first families arrived from Wisła. Every church is listed under churches and monasteries in Szczyrk.

Which mountain huts and trails lead above Szczyrk?

Two places along the trails are the working Chata Wuja Toma and the vanished hut on Trzy Kopce. The first welcomes guests, while the second survives only as a trace on the ridge.

Chata Wuja Toma, below the Karkoszczonka Pass at Pasterska 9, occupies a highland cottage from 1918 and is open all year. Its first owner was Adam Porębski, and from the late 1970s it served as a student hut. It is a goal for short trips for people staying in Szczyrk.

The hut on Trzy Kopce stood on a ridge of the Silesian Beskids at about 1080 m, with permission to open it issued on 29 April 1937. The building no longer exists, and only remains of foundations lie beside the yellow trail, so there is nothing to visit inside. Couples looking for quiet routes will find a list of places for couples in Szczyrk.

What does the pietà on Beskidzka street commemorate?

The pietà at Beskidzka 107 is a tribute to soldiers of the "Bartek" unit from the eighth district of the NSZ, who fought between 1944 and 1947. It is a monument to the post-war anti-communist underground. The inscription speaks of sons of this land fighting for a free Poland, and a second one refers to the anniversary of the killing of the unit's soldiers by the Security Office. It is a place for reflection, without facilities for visitors.

Frequently asked questions

What to see in Szczyrk in summer?

In summer you can choose Skrzyczne with its chairlift, mountain huts on the trails, the wooden St James's church, the shrine on Górka and the year-round Skalite ski jumps. For families there is the Base Camp rope park.

Which ski resort in Szczyrk should you pick first?

Beginners and families can start at Biały Krzyż, where the slope is gentle, wide and lit. The larger resorts, COS OPO and Czyrna-Solisko, have runs of varied difficulty, and Beskid Sport Arena is smaller than the others.

What to do in Szczyrk when it rains?

You can choose the Aqua Aries aquapark, the Museum of Technology or the rope park with its Mini Park course for children. The town also has churches, of which the oldest is the wooden St James's church.

Do the Skalite ski jumps work all year?

Yes, all three hills are year-round. They have installations for freezing the in-run tracks and for snowmaking, and the Olympic Preparation Centre of the Central Sports Centre manages the complex.

Can you ride a lift up Skrzyczne?

Yes, a chairlift with two sections leads to the summit of Skrzyczne: from Szczyrk to Hala Jaworzyna and from Jaworzyna to the top. A PTTK hut stands below the peak.