Lachów Groń

Lachów Groń, formerly Buciorysz, is a 1045 m summit in the Jałowiec range. It closes a ridge branching off from Czerniawa Sucha, from which a pass at about 950 m separates it. The mountain has two tops of almost equal height, 280 m apart and divided by a shallow saddle. The Koszarawa river flows around it on the north and west, and its tributary the Bystra on the south. Fields and houses of the Bystra settlement, part of Koszarawa village, climb high up the southern slopes. The summit lies in Koszarawa commune, Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship; the village centre is about 3 km away, Jeleśnia 8 km and Żywiec over 17 km.

In Jerzy Kondracki's regionalisation the Jałowiec range belongs to the Maków Beskids; tourist maps usually count it as part of the Żywiec Beskids, and the newest 2018 scheme places it in the Żywiec-Orawa Beskids.

How to get there / trails

The yellow trail Koszarawa – Lachów Groń – Czerniawa Sucha – Trzebuńska pass – Jałowiec crosses the summit. The climb from Koszarawa leads through fields, so the views start on the way up. The trail then follows the ridge to Jałowiec, the highest peak of the range.

The view from the top

The summit offers a wide panorama. To the east and south-east stretch the Babia Góra massif with Cyl and the Polica range, where Okrąglica is easy to spot by its telecom mast. To the north-east there is a good view of nearby Jałowiec, and to the south of Pilsko.

Conversely, the characteristic double-humped summit is well seen from the Hala Mędralowa meadow on the Slovak border, from the glade below Wytrzyszczoń above the Koszarawa valley and from around Kalikowy Groń, where Lachów Groń, Jałowiec and Czerniawa Sucha appear as a single panorama.

Nature and history

The Hala Janoszkowa meadow covers the area below the summit and the top itself. On its eastern edge stands a former shepherds' hut now used by hikers: you can spend the night there if needed, though in rather primitive conditions.

The name Lachów Groń was introduced on Austrian maps at the end of the 19th century. According to Bronisław Gustawicz, an expert on the Western Beskids, the original name was Buciorysz. The Geographical Dictionary of 1883 also gives it: «Between the Koszarawa and the Bystra, within Koszarawa commune, extends the broad summit of Buciorysz with numerous glades», at 1048 m. Władysław Midowicz likewise considered it the original name, and the regional writer Aleksy Siemionow insisted it should be restored. Lachów Groń prevailed, however, and is the name in the state register of geographical names.

Safety, season and rules

The trail is easy, but the open meadow is windy in bad weather and in fog it is easy to lose the waymarks. The hut is only a shelter with no facilities. Mountain rescue is GOPR: 985 or +48 601 100 300; emergency number 112.

Photos: Adrian Tync, CC BY-SA 4.0; Samsong, CC BY-SA 3.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Original uploader was Giraff at pl.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons.