Szyndzielnia

Szyndzielnia (about 1,028 m above sea level) is a peak in the Klimczok and Szyndzielnia Range in the Silesian Beskids, rising just north of Klimczok. It lies within the Silesian Beskids Landscape Park, and the boundary between Bielsko-Biała and the village of Bystra runs along its ridge. Below the summit stands a PTTK mountain hut, and a gondola lift runs up from Bielsko-Biała.

Origin of the name

It used to be called Szyndzielny Groń. The name comes from the word szyndzioł, which in the dialect of the local highlanders meant a wooden shingle. The inhabitants of the villages of Kamienica and Olszówka Górna, at the foot of the mountain, made shingles for Bielsko from the wood of its slopes.

In German the mountain was called Kamitzer Platte, that is the Kamienica Plate, after the flattening below the summit, at whose northern edge the upper cable car station stands today. The ridge falling to the north was formerly occupied by the Kamienica Alpine Meadow (Hala Kamienicka).

What is at the summit and below it?

Below the summit, at 1,001 m above sea level, stands the large PTTK Mountain Hut on Szyndzielnia, built in 1897 by the Beskidenverein and extended in 1954-1957. From the hut and its surroundings you can see the Żywiec Basin, the Little Beskids, Babia Góra and Pilsko, and in good weather the Tatras as well.

Just below the hut is an alpinarium of about 400 m². It was founded in 1905 by the Bielsko museum curator and naturalist Edward Schnack, on the initiative of the Beskidenverein president Wilhelm Schlesinger. Plants of the Beskids and the Eastern Alps grow in it. The garden fell into decline and was closed in 2010 for safety reasons, and after revitalisation it was reopened on 13 October 2011. It is looked after by the Bielsko Forest District, which has included it in the route of the nature education trail across Szyndzielnia.

By the upper cable car station stands an 18-metre viewing tower, opened on 14 August 2015. On the western slope, in the forest, are rocks known as the Devil's Mills (Diabelskie Młyny).

How to get to the top

Since 1953 the Szyndzielnia gondola lift has run to just below the summit; it was modernised in 1994-1995 and in 2017. The hut's information says that the ride takes 8 minutes and ends at 956 m above sea level. From the upper station to the hut is a 15-minute walk along a comfortable road that a pram or wheelchair can use. The lower station is the Szyndzielnia Cable Car, Lower Station.

On foot, trails lead up. The walk from Wapienica takes about 1.5 hours, from Olszówka Górna via Dębowiec about 2 hours, from Bielsko-Biała via Koźia Góra about 2.5 hours, and from Klimczok about 45 minutes. At the hut a junction of marked trails meets, leading to Wapienica, Olszówka, Bystra, Szczyrk, Brenna, Jaworze and to Klimczok, Błatnia and Koźia Góra.

Practical information

• Location: Silesian Beskids, on the border of Bielsko-Biała and Wilkowice municipality (Bystra).
• The hut is open all year and offers accommodation and meals. Check the hours of the lift and the hut before you travel at szyndzielnia.com.pl.
• The hut also has a space for remote working, which has to be booked in advance.
• On the trail and in the upper parts the weather changes quickly, so take warm clothing.