Istebna to the south is a separate township (gmina) stretching to the Slovak border; its attractions are also described here.
Understand
[edit]Wisła was a tiny farming village until hill-walking, winter sports and other leisure activities developed in the 19th century. For centuries this area was part of Bohemia then Austria-Hungary, with a majority Lutheran population, joining Poland at independence in 1920. It's now an all-year resort.
Tourist information is available at the "Hapsburg Palace" just north of Uzdrowisko railway station, open Tu & Th 14:00-16:00, W F Sa 09:00-14:00. It's an old hunting lodge transplanted from elsewhere. Just be careful which door you enter as part of it is an escape room.
Get in
[edit]
By plane
[edit]Katowice (KTW IATA), Kraków (KRK IATA) and Ostrava (OSR IATA) all have a good range of European flights and are about 90 minutes drive.
By train
[edit]Regional trains run from Katowice every two hours, taking two hours to Wisła via Tychy, Pszczyna, Zabrzeg, Skoczow and Ustron. Trains make five stops in Wisła:
- 1 Wisła Jawornik
- 2 Wisła Uzdrowisko is the main station.
- 3 Wisła Dziechcinka
- 4 Wisła Kopydło
- 5 Wisła Głębce is the end of the line.
By bus
[edit]Long-distance buses don't come here, Wispol is the local bus line:
- W2 from Bielsko-Biała: six a day, taking an hour via Ustroń.
- W3 from Cieszyn: six a day, taking an hour via Goleszów and Ustroń, and continuing from Wisła to Przełęcz Salmopolska and Szczyrk.
- 52 from Cieszyn hourly on the same route, and continuing to Wisła Głębce, Istebna and Koniaków.
The main bus halt is outside Wisła Uzdrowisko railway station.
Get around
[edit]This is a long straggly valley where you need wheels to carry all your winter sports clobber.
The trains from Katowice and buses from Cieszyn serve the main valley.
Some half-a-dozen taxi firms ply the valley and wait at the railway station.
See
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- Special Forces Museum (Muzeum Spadochroniarstwa i Wojsk Specjalnych) is a personal collection of parachuting and special-ops equipment. It's at Przylesie 1A, north end of the village.
- Beskid Museum, Pawła Stellera 1 (Wisła centre near Uzdrowisko station), ☏ +48 33 855 2250. M-Sa 10:00-15:00, Su 08:30-13:30. Displays of local history and culture.
- Lutheran church is just south of the central marketplace. Wisła, unusually for Poland, is predominantly Lutheran, and this church was built in neo-classical style in 1838. It's seldom open.
- Museum of Magic Realism, Ochorowicza 6 (500 m south of Dziechcinka station), ☏ +48 690 044 214. Tu-Su 11:00-18:00. Gallery of surreal paintings.
- 1 President's Palace, Zameczek 1, ☏ +48 33 854 6500. This modernistic mansion was built between 1929 and 1931. From 1981 to 2002 it was a holiday complex for families of mine-workers, but thereafter it's been an official residence of the President of Poland. No visits unless you're an ambassador or something.
- Source of River Wisła is the barrage lake east of the President's Palace, gathering two tributaries into the great river at the heart of Poland.
- 2 Jerzy Kukuczka Museum, Istebna Wilcze 340, ☏ +48 508 389 558. W-Sa 10:00-16:00, Su 10:00-14:00. Home of the mountaineer Jerzy Kukuczka (1948-89). He was a high altitude specialist, ascending all 14 mountains over 8000 m in an eight year span, mostly by new routes or in winter. He fell when his rope broke on Lhotse south face and his body was never found.
- 3 Studio of Jan Wałach in Istebna can be visited by appointment only. He worked internationally but lived (1884-1979) mostly in the Beskids.
- 4 Chata Kawuloka, Istebna 163, ☏ +48 33 855 6231. Wooden farm cottage where the owner demonstrates his grandparents' rustic way of life.
- 5 Centrum Pasterskie, Koniaków, ☏ +48 602 128 388. Apr-Sep daily 09:00-18:00. Sheep farm and creamery where you can watch the production of sheep cheese, and of course buy some. Free.
- Lace Museum is next to Centrum Pasterskie, open daily 10:00-16:00. Craftswomen make and sell their lace here.
- 6 Na Grapie Museum, Jaworzynka 720, ☏ +48 508 844 275. Apr-Sep M-Sa 09:00-15:00. Guided display of life and crafts in these mountains. Adult 8 zł, conc 5 zł.
- 7 Trojmedzie is the tri-border point of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, reached by short easy trails from each country.
Do
[edit]- Winter sports: some dozen lifts take you onto the nearby mountains, and several also run in summer for hikers and mountain bikers. For example Nowa Osada has a main run of 1 km descending 200 m from top to base. Cieńków – Malinka is a somewhat larger area.
- Ski jumping: Adam Małysz Ski Jumping Hill is on Highway 942 southeast of the village. It hosts Grand Prix competitions and the record (set in 2024) is a 144.5 m jump. Adam Małysz (b 1977) has retired from jumping and rally-driving, and since 2022 is CEO of the Polish Ski Federation.
- Hiking: Kazmierz Sosnowski Main Beskid Trail (Główny Szlak Beskidzki imienia Kazmierza Sosnowskiego, "GSB") is a 496 km trail through the mountains. The record for running it is a shade under 94 hours.
Buy
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- Aldi is the main supermarket, at 1 Maja just north of Uzdrowisko station, open M-Sa 06:00-22:00.
- Several convenience stores along the valley, Żabka and Biedronka are the commonest chains.
Eat
[edit]- Muzeum Stolica Pradziadków, Biskupa Juliusza Bursche 33 (500 m north of Uzdrowiska station), ☏ +48 505 060 504. Styled a museum, but it's a restaurant serving trad food by historic methods. They need 24 hours notice.
- Rynek the market square has Stara Karczma (within Beskid Museum), Pizza Tutto, Ondraszkowa Izba, PHU Tomaso, Fajno Chatka, Hospoda s Knedlíkem, U Zosi, Pizzeria Palermo and Robert Fiedor.
Drink
[edit]- Cafes serve alcohol, there isn't a stand-alone pub.
Sleep
[edit]- The valley is packed with hotels, guesthouses and rooms for rent.
- 1 Hotel Gołębiewski, Biskupa Juliusza Bursche 3, ☏ +48 33 855 4700. Large spa hotel with spacious clean rooms, a bit dated. B&B double 1000 zł.
- 2 Pensjonat Karina, Bukowa 16B, ☏ +48 33 855 2470. Friendly guesthouse with a large garden. B&B double 350 zł.
- Crystal Mountain is a vast slab on the mountainside above Pensjonat Karina.
- 3 Hotel New Wave (formerly Gawra), Górnośląska 44, ☏ +48 33 855 2392. Pleasant small hotel. B&B double 300 zł.
- 4 Maria i Natasza, Wyzwolenia 46, ☏ +48 602 116 290. Comfy self-catering apartments with communal canteen. Double (room only) 360 zł.
- 5 Hotel Stok, Jawornik 52A, ☏ +48 33 856 4100. Spa hotel in Jawornik side valley, lots of facilities and entertainment for children. B&B double 500 zł.
Connect
[edit]As of July 2024, Wisła and its main approach road have 4G from Orange and Play, and 5G from Plus and T-Mobile.
Go next
[edit]- Szczyrk is another mountain resort in the next valley east.
- Cieszyn straddling the Czech border has many medieval buildings.
- Hairpin roads climb over the Beskids into Slovakia.