Skrzyczne is a mountain in southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, in the

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...

, close to the town of

Szczyrk Szczyrk (; ; ) is a town in the Beskid Śląski mountains of southern Poland, situated in the valley of the Żylica river. It is part of the Silesian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously being part of the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship (1975–1 ...

. It is the highest mountain of the

Silesian Beskids Silesian Beskids (, , ) is one of the Beskids mountain ranges in the Outer Western Carpathians in southern Silesian Voivodeship, Poland and the eastern Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. Most of the range lies in Poland. It is separa ...

and the fifth most topographically prominent peak in Poland. Skrzyczne is one of the peaks which make up the

Crown of Polish Mountains Crown of Polish Mountains (Polish: ''Korona Gór Polski'') – a list of 28 peaks one per each of the mountain ranges of Poland. It was suggested by geographer, traveller and writer and Dr. Wojciech Lewandowski in the tourism and local lore ...

, a list of the highest points in each of Poland's 28 mountain ranges. The peak can be reached by hiking paths, and there is also a

gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...

which starts in Szczyrk and comes up to around above sea level. The slopes of the mountain are also known for the many blueberries which grow on them and which are frequently collected by hikers and other visitors. A mountain hut, ''PTTK Skrzyczne'', is located very close to the peak of the mountain. The first hut, built in 1933, was destroyed in a fire. A second hut was built in the late 1930s, and stands to this day. There is likewise a tall () radio and television tower atop Skrzyczne, which makes it easy to recognise the peak from afar. In addition to multiple hiking trails, the Skrzyczne area also hosts a ski resort with several pistes, as well as

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

trails. Several trail races also cross the peak, most notably ''Zamieć'', a 24-hour race which takes place in the winter. Legend has it that Skrzyczne takes its name from the croaking of frogs (in Polish: ''skrzyczenie''), which supposedly inhabited the (now nonexistent) ponds near the peak.Andrzej Komoniecki, ''Chronografia albo Dziejopis Żywiecki''. Żywiec: Towarzystwo Miłośników Ziemi Żywieckiej, 1987, p8.

Notes

References

{{commons category, Skrzyczne Silesian Beskids Silesian Beskids one-thousanders Mountains of Poland Bielsko County