Hala Boracza

Hala Boracza is a shepherds' pasture in the Żywiec Beskids, in the Lipowski Wierch and Romanka group. It occupies a pass saddle at about 860 m between Prusów (1,010 m) and an unnamed 998 m top on the north-western ridge of Redykalny Wierch, and its meadows slope down into the valleys of the Żabniczanka and the Milówka stream. The boundary between Milówka and Żabnica runs across the pasture. The name most likely comes from an owner — the surname Borak is found in the area.

Unlike high mountain pastures, the meadows of Hala Boracza were once fields: mainly oats and potatoes were grown here. Numerous heaps of stones, which farmers collected from the fields and usually piled under rowan trees, still recall those times. When cultivation was abandoned, the fields turned to grassland with some 40–60 species of flowering plants; in spring cuckooflower blooms en masse. Thanks to the "OWCA plus" programme supporting the economy and cultural heritage of the Beskids, sheep grazing has returned. The pasture also includes a small settlement of the same name, and nearby, beyond a strip of forest, lie the Cukiernica Niżna pasture and the Studzianka glade.

Hala Boracza has a unique chapter of history. In 1926 (1925 according to other sources) the Jewish Sports Society "Makkabi" from Bielsko built a wooden hut here — the first Jewish mountain hut in the world. In 1928–1934 a new brick building named after the writer Max Nordau was erected next to it; it was one of the most modern in Poland, with electricity, a post office and, from 1936, a telephone. During the Second World War the hut was looted and handed to the German Beskidenverein, and on 29 September 1946 the Polish Tatra Society reopened it; today it is run by PTTK.

What to see and do

• Views of the Romanka and Lipowski Wierch group, Sucha Góra, the Żabniczanka and Soła valleys, and from the hut also the Silesian Beskids with Barania Góra.
• Grazing sheep and the spring flowering of cuckooflower on the former fields.
• The Boracza Cave — the best-known cave of the Żywiec Beskids, a small fissure cave of landslide origin near the top of Redykalny Wierch; in winter it freezes completely and ice formations grow inside. Do not enter without equipment and experience.
• The memory of "Makkabi" — the story of the first Jewish mountain hut.

How to get there

Six marked trails meet on the pasture. The shortest is from Żabnica Skałka: the trail Żabnica Skałka – Hala Boracza takes about 1 h 10 min up and 50 min down. From Milówka it is 2 h 15 min (1 h 45 min down) on the trail Milówka – Cięcina, from Rajcza 3 h (2 h down), from Węgierska Górka via Prusów 3 h. From Hala Lipowska along the ridge it is 1 h 30 min down to Boracza. The approach from Żabnica Skałka is one of the easiest walks to a pasture in the Żywiec Beskids, suitable for families with small children; the others are ordinary moderate mountain paths.

Season and safety

The pasture lies outside any national park and there is no entry fee (as of October 2026). It can be reached on foot all year, and in winter a ski lift runs near the hut. The Boracza Cave has narrow fissure passages on two levels, so it is best admired from outside. The GOPR mountain rescue number is 985 or 601 100 300.

Nearby

From here you can climb along the ridge to Hala Lipowska and on to Hala Rysianka with its Tatra panorama. The trail Rajcza station – Żabnica crosses the pasture between the Soła and Żabniczanka valleys.

Photos: Adrian Tync, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; maczopikczu, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Pudelek (Marcin Szala), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Unknown authorUnknown author Published: Bielsko : nakł. Fy. „Bazar..., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons.