Bobek

Bobek (Slovak also Bobok) is an 871 m hill on the border of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovak geographers place it in the Turzovka Highlands (Turzovská vrchovina, Zadné vrchy subunit) of the Western Beskids, Czech ones in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids. The summit lies on the western edge of the Kysuce region, above the village of Korňa, about 9 km west of the town of Turzovka; on the Czech side the municipality of Bílá lies below. The hill carries the boundary of the Žilina and Moravian-Silesian Regions and of the Čadca and Frýdek-Místek Districts; its eastern part belongs to the cadastre of Vysoká nad Kysucou, the western part to Bílá. The nearest settlements are Bílá (about 3 km), Korňa (5 km), Klokočov (6 km), Makov and Vysoká nad Kysucou (about 7 km).

Bobek is not a typical wild summit: its slopes have long been settled. On the Czech side, close to the top, lies the hamlet of Bobek, on the Slovak side the hamlet of Ulčáky. The meadows around the houses give open views, while the summit itself is covered by patchy forest.

How to get there / routes

No marked trail leads to the very top, but two routes cross nearby:

• Red trail – the border ridge route: from the north-east from the Konečná pass (road II/484), from the south-west from Hluchánka. According to the signpost at the Bobek junction (850 m), Konečná is about 4 km and Hluchánka 3.5 km away. The long-distance routes Via Slovakia and Via Czechia also use this section.
• Blue trail – from the Czech village of Bílá, about 3 km to the Bobek junction.

From the junction the highest point is only a few dozen metres away across the meadow and the forest edge. A cycle route also runs along the forest road from Černá and turns towards Kavalčanky below the Ulčák hamlet.

What you can see from the top

Patchy forest covers the summit, so the view is limited. From open spots you can see the peaks of the Turzovka Highlands, the nearby Moravian-Silesian Beskids and the Javorníky, and in good visibility the Kysuce and Orava Beskids and the Lesser Fatra. To the north rise Těšíňočka (919 m) and Lysá hora (1328 m), to the west Trojačka (987 m), Kněhyně (1257 m) and Smrk (1276 m).

Nature and history

The main European watershed between the Black Sea and the Baltic runs along the ridge of Bobek. Water from the eastern slopes flows via the Kornianka to the Kysuca and on to the Danube, from the northern slopes via the Chladná voda and from the southern ones via the Čurábka to the Bílá Ostravice, the Ostravice and the Oder. The Čurábka rises on the western slope and soon, at Kavalčanky, joins the Smradlavka; on the northern slope springs the Chladná voda, one of the tributaries of the Černá Ostravice.

The Slovak part of the hill belongs to the Kysuce Protected Landscape Area (CHKO Kysuce), the Czech part to CHKO Beskydy. The slopes are covered with spruce and mixed forests alternating with meadows and scattered hamlets – the typical landscape of the Wallachian and Kysuce hills.

Safety, season and rules

The routes to Bobek are easy and suitable for walks all year round; in winter a cross-country ski track is groomed along the ridge road. Follow the rules of both protected landscape areas and do not enter the private grounds of the hamlets. On the Slovak side the Mountain Rescue Service (HZS) operates: 18 300 (+421 18 300); on the Czech side the Horská služba ČR (+420 1210); the general emergency number is 112.

Interesting facts

• The summit lies exactly on the state border, and the hill has two names: Czech Bobek and Slovak Bobok.
• The Black Sea–Baltic watershed runs over Bobek.
• A hikers' shelter with a table and benches stands on the meadow below the top.

Photos: Hugo, CC BY-SA 4.0; Hugo, CC BY-SA 4.0; Hugo, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.