Hala Lipowska

Hala Lipowska is a large glade on the south-eastern slope of Lipowski Wierch (1,324 m on most maps) in the Żywiec Beskids, within the Żywiec Landscape Park. Together with the adjoining lower glade Toczysko, now also counted as part of Lipowska, it stretches from roughly 1,150 to 1,290 m. The name comes from the lime trees (lipa) that probably once grew on these slopes; administratively the pasture belongs to the village of Złatna in Ujsoły commune.

The first to settle this massif were the Vlachs — itinerant Carpathian shepherds. Using the "cyrhlenie" method (gradually cutting and burning the forest) they cleared a pasture here and grazed their sheep; hence the traditional word "hala", which in the Beskids means a pasture rather than a natural belt of alpine meadows. Grazing on Lipowska ended long ago. A reminder of the shepherding days is a wooden cross where Masses were once said for shepherds from this and neighbouring pastures. The cross has been restored, a chapel built beside it and a memorial stone set up — it marks the end of the "Way of Light" commemorating the Kraków bishop Karol Wojtyła, who used to come to Hala Lipowska.

The ridge above the pasture is interesting too: there is a landslide trench and piles of sandstone blocks, and along the ridge run bogs and fens with small pools, protected in the "Lipowska" nature reserve. The top of Lipowski Wierch itself is covered with stunted spruce forest, so the best views open from the pasture.

What to see and do

• The panorama of the Tatras, the Malá Fatra and the Żywiec Beskids right from the glade.
• The shepherds' cross and chapel and the memorial stone at the end of the "Way of Light".
• The PTTK hut — a building with a remarkable history. It was built by the German tourist society Beskidenverein in 1931–1932 despite protests by the Polish Tatra Society and named after its chairman Edward Stanowski. Before the war the huts on Lipowska and neighbouring Rysianka fought a real "war for tourists", and during the occupation a German border garrison was stationed here. At the end of the war a German unit disobeyed the order to blow up the building. After repairs the hut reopened on 9 June 1946; in 1973–1980 it was almost entirely rebuilt, and in 2011 the magazine "N.p.m." ranked it the best mountain hut in Poland.
• Neighbouring Hala Rysianka — 15 minutes' walk along the ridge.

How to get there

The most popular route starts at the hut on Hala Boracza: the trail Milówka – Cięcina runs along the ridge over Lipowski Wierch, and this section takes 2 h up and 1 h 30 min down. From Rajcza via Hala Redykalna the trail Rajcza – Romanka takes 3 h 20 min (2 h 50 min down), and from Złatna 3 h (2 h 40 min down). From Hala Rysianka to Lipowska it is only 15 minutes, so both pastures combine easily into one walk. The paths run through forest, are of moderate difficulty and have no exposed sections; suitable for families with children used to hikes of several hours. In winter a T-bar ski lift operates on the glade.

Season and safety

The pasture lies in a landscape park, not a national park, so there is no entry fee (as of October 2026). In the "Lipowska" reserve do not leave the trails — the ridge bogs are fragile. The farthest views of the Tatras come in autumn and on clear winter days; in fog it is easy to lose the path on the broad ridge. The GOPR mountain rescue number is 985 or 601 100 300.

Nearby

East of the pasture lies Hala Rysianka, further along the ridge Hala Miziowa below Pilsko, and to the north-west Hala Boracza.

Photos: Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; Nimloth, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons; SQ9NIT, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.