Zwardoń: Hiking Trails and Chapel History
Accommodation in Zwardoń
Zwardoń can be explored via trails on Rachowiec and through its layered local history. Rachowiec offers several distinct reasons to visit: a red-marked route leads over the 954 m-high summit, the Zwardoń Ski station is on its northern slope, and in summer the summit offers views across named mountain peaks all the way to the Tatra Mountains. The chapel adds a separate historical dimension.
File:Schronisko w Zwardoniu 1937.jpg
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Hiking Trails on Rachowiec and Beyond
The red hiking route starts at Zwardoń PKP station, crosses the 954 m-high Rachowiec, and ends at Sól PKP station. The walking time given for the route is two to two and a half hours. Check current trail conditions before setting out.
Zwardoń’s hiking trails also include a red-marked trail over Skalanka to Wielka Racza, another red-marked trail to Rachowiec, and a blue-marked trail to Koniaków and Barania Góra. These destinations and trail markings give you different starting points when planning your hikes around a particular direction or summit.
The 34 km-long Ścieżka Trzech Harnasi also passes through Zwardoń. Between Trójstyk in Jaworzynka and Rajcza, it passes, among other places, through Sól-Kiczora and Milówka-Zabawa. There are six rest areas, as well as bicycle stations and bicycle repair points along the route. Check the condition of the facilities before relying on the repair points.
The Szlak Papieski in the “Worku Raczańskim” passes through Zwardoń, among other places. The routes described connect Rajcza and Wielka Racza, and Rycerka Dolna and Oźna, with Zwardoń. For a walk to the PKP station in Zwardoń, a route description published in 2022 describes a narrow asphalt road. As route conditions can change, check them before setting out.
The Zwardoń Ski station is also on Rachowiec’s northern slope and has a four-person chairlift. This means you can find both marked hiking trails and a ski station on the same mountain; specific details about both offerings help distinguish the different things to do in the area.
Chapel and Religious History
The brick chapel in Zwardoń was completed in 1896. It is built in the Gothic style and has a small tower. Ten years later, in 1906, it was enlarged with a choir at the initiative of stationmaster Józef Janos. In August of the same year, a large Gothic altar with the Virgin Mary at its center was brought from Tyrol. The two dates therefore mark distinct stages: first the chapel’s completion, followed later by its enlargement and the addition of the altar.
The church grounds also contain a grotto dedicated to Our Lady of La Salette. Its dedication adds another religious theme in Zwardoń to the chapel’s architectural details.
Summer Views and Nature Reserve
Rachowiec is part of the Wielka Racza group and rises above the resort of Zwardoń. In summer, the summit offers views north to Ochodzita, Barania Góra, and Skrzyczne; east to Romanka, Lipowska, Pilsko, and the Tatra Mountains; and south to peaks in the Wielka Racza group. These directions divide the panorama into several clearly identified mountain views.
The hard-to-reach Butorza Nature Reserve lies on Rachowiec’s northern slopes. It protects a spruce forest more than a hundred years old, as well as valuable animal and plant species. Summit views and protected woodland on the slopes thus represent different aspects of nature around Rachowiec.
Discover more destinations: Krzyżowa, Soblówka, Żabnica, Żywiec, Lodygowice, Ślemień, Wieprz, Lipowa
Return to the main travel overview: Żywiec.
