Discover Tresna on Lake Żywieckie

Tresna is a destination for travellers who want to combine a lakeside stay with marked hiking trails and a striking structure. The village lies on the northern and southern shores of Lake Żywieckie and on the slopes of Kościelec and Góra Przysłop. The dam is located in Tresna and also serves as a reference point for trails and boat trips. Here, a waterside landscape, mountain ridges and a major infrastructure project come together in one place.

The lake and dam define Tresna

The Żywieckie Reservoir was created in the 1960s, when the Soła was dammed and its valley blocked by a dam. The lake is therefore closely linked to the structure and the course of the river valley. If you are interested in the landscape, in Tresna you can view both the lake and the dam as part of its history.

The Żywieckie Dam is in Tresna, is 310 metres long and rises 39 metres above the valley floor. These dimensions convey two different aspects of the structure: its length and its height above the valley. The crest of the dam is also a landmark for hiking trails that provide access to the lake and surrounding mountain ridges from different directions.

Hiking trails with different landmarks

A yellow-marked hiking trail leads from Tresna I, by the bus stop, to Solisko at an elevation of 635 metres. This gives you a specific starting point and a named destination for your hike. Before setting out, it is advisable to check current trail conditions.

The blue-marked hiking trail passes through Tresna and over the crest of the Żywieckie Dam. Its full route starts in Bielsko-Biała Lipnik and runs over the mountain ridges of Czupla and Magurka Wilkowicka. At Tresna, it crosses the Soła Valley over the dam and then climbs to the Cisowych Grap ridge, where it joins the red-marked Mały Szlak Beskidzki. While the yellow route leads from Tresna I to Solisko, the blue trail can be identified by its named ridges and the crossing of the valley. Check conditions before setting out on either trail.

Boat trips and walking paths by the lake

In Tresna, the departure point for boat trips on Lake Żywieckie is right next to the dam. If you are planning a trip, check the current departure times. A 2022 tourism article mentions parking at the departure point and travel by public transport, including MZK Żywiec buses. Check current services when planning your journey.

If you have time to spare before or after a planned boat trip, you can walk along the crest of the Tresna Dam to a viewpoint on Góra Żar. A 2022 tourism article also describes a walking path with benches on the right bank of Lake Żywieckie. So, besides marked hiking trails, shorter waterside walks and a viewpoint offer different ways to find your bearings around Tresna.

When choosing accommodation in Tresna, you can first consider what you want to focus on during your stay: hikes with named destinations, crossing the valley over the dam, or spending time by the lake. The trails and excursions described here give you specific points of reference, so you do not have to think of the lake, dam and mountain ridges as separate destinations.

Discover more destinations: Złatna, Ślemień, Żabnica, Łękawica, Ujsoly, Krzyżowa, Sopotnia Wielka, Korbielow.

Back to the main travel overview: Żywiec.