Zawoja

Zawoja is a village in Poland, located in the Zawoja commune of Sucha County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The settlement lies in a picturesque valley of the Skawica river, at the foot of the Babia Góra massif, near the borders of Podhale, Orava, and the Żywiec Beskids. Zawoja is one of the largest and longest villages in Poland, stretching for about 18–19 km, and serves as the seat of the commune and the Babia Góra National Park headquarters.

The first records of Zawoja date back to 1646, when it was mentioned as a newly established settlement exempt from serfdom. Zawoja became a separate locality in 1836. In the 19th century, an iron forge, a match factory, and a steam sawmill operated here. In 1954, the Babia Góra National Park was established, with its initial administration in Zawoja Markowa.

Zawoja is known as a popular mountain resort with rich wooden architecture and the folk traditions of the Babia Góra Gorals. The headquarters of Babia Góra National Park is located here. The village is a starting point for hikes to Babia Góra, the Polica and Jałowiec ranges. Notable sights include the Church of St. Clement (1888), the chapel of St. John the Baptist, an old inn, forester’s buildings, and a wooden architecture complex at Markowe Rówienki.

Visitors can explore over 20 hiking trails in and around Zawoja, such as Gaiki – Sucha Beskidzka, Zawoja Widły – Markowe Szczawiny – Babia Góra, and Zawoja Podryżowane – PTTK shelter at Markowe Szczawiny. Peaks to climb include Babia Góra, Jałowiec, Czerniawa Sucha, Sokolicy, and Kiczorka. Attractions include the permanent exhibition of Babia Góra National Park, the waterfall on Mosorny Stream, and Markowe Szczawiny. For accommodation, there are shelters at Markowe Szczawiny and Adamy.

Getting there from Ukraine

Lviv – Żywiec ≈412 km, ≈5 h 30 min without queues or tolls: M-10 → Krakovets – Korczowa → A4 to Kraków (≈249 km) → DK52 via Wadowice → DW781 and DW946 to Żywiec. ≈333 km, ≈4 h from the border. Alternative via the tolled A4 Kraków – Katowice and the S1 via Tychy and Bielsko-Biała: ≈457 km, ≈5 h 25 min.

Джерела: Вікіпедія, Wikidata, OpenStreetMap, дані Karpaty.rocks. Докладніше — у Вікіпедії