Szczyrk (; ; ) is a town in the Beskid Śląski mountains of 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 ...

, situated in the valley of the Żylica river. It is part of 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 ...

(since 1999), previously being part of the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship (1975–1998). It has a population of 5,734 people (2019). __TOC__

History

First permanent human settlements in the area of present-day Szczyrk were reported in 16th century. According to chronicles, the village was inhabited by around 100 people in the 1730s. Initially, the majority of inhabitants were exclusively engaged in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

sheep farming Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk (sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin ...

. Over the course of time, they began producing cloth from sheep's wool. Timber felling was also carried out in the area. In the 19th century, the process of timber felling expanded rapidly and numerous

water mill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production ...

s and

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

s started to be constructed. In the early 20th century, Szczyrk slowly bagan transforming into a resort town by attracting more and more tourists. In the 1920s, the area was popular with industrialists who erected villas and mountain hostels in the town. In 1927, mountain shelters on Mount Klimczok and Sampolska Pass were built. In 1933, the popular shelter on Skrzyczne was opened. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the town experienced a tourist boom. Thanks to its picturesque location and Silesian Beskids mountains, it became a popular and well-known resort town and a winter sports center. In 1959, a

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers. They are the primary on-hill tran ...

leading to Mount Skrzyczne was opened becoming one of the top tourist attractions of the town. In 1973, Szczyrk was granted city rights.

Tourism and geography

The town is a popular winter sports centre, with over 60 km of ski runs served by 30 ski lifts. Poland's

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

athletes train in Szczyrk for events such as

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

and

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

. The two mountain ranges that surround the valley are dominated by the peaks of Skrzyczne at and Klimczok , both of significant interest to tourists since they have commanding views from either peak. Moreover, both peaks are accessible to most people in one day's hike via the tourist routes. Skrzyczne is also accessible via a

. To the west of Szczyrk is Wisła, a town where the source of the

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

(Wisła) river can be found (around the Barania Góra mountain). The town is home Mercure Szczyrk Resort, Europe's longest hotel, which opened in 2024 and measures 330 meters (1,082 ft) in length. Situated 660 meters above sea level, the 447-room four-star hotel is also the highest altitude hotel in Poland.

Gallery

File:SZCZYRK, AB. 025.JPG, Square in the town centre File:SZCZYRK, AB. 070.JPG, Hotel Alpin File:Szczyrk.Wyciąg krzesełkowy na Skrzyczne. - panoramio.jpg, Ski lift File:Skocznia narciarska Skalite - Szczyrk.JPG, A ski jumping hill in Szczyrk

Twin towns – sister cities

Szczyrk is twinned with: * Ciorăşti, Romania (2004) * Mikołajki, Poland (2007) *

Zetel Zetel () is a municipality in the district of Friesland, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km southwest of Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal to ...

, Germany (2008)

References

External links

Official website

Skiing in Szczyrk

TrekEarth - photos from Szczyrk

Detailed site about Szczyrk

Photo gallery from Szczyrk
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Silesian Voivodeship Bielsko County Silesian Beskids Ski areas and resorts in Poland