Koskowa Góra

A few decades ago the flat, grassy top of Koskowa Góra (866 m) was still ploughed. All that is left of the fields are overgrown heaps of stones, and from the summit you can see almost the whole horizon: from Babia Góra and the Gorce range to the Beskid Wyspowy, and on a clear day even the tower blocks of Kraków. It is the highest peak of the Koskowa Góra range in the Beskid Makowski, rising between the villages of Bogdanówka and Bieńkówka, and one of the easiest panoramas to reach in this part of the Beskids.

A view instead of a forest

The summit is broad and mostly treeless, although the former fields are slowly being reclaimed by woodland. According to the county tourist guide, the summit area offers views of Babia Góra, the Polica range, the distant Silesian Beskids, the Little and Makowski Beskids, the Gorce and the isolated peaks of the Beskid Wyspowy, with the Wieliczka Foothills to the north. Only the view south towards the Tatras has been blocked by fast-growing trees. Three telecom transmitters stand on the top, including amateur radio repeaters.

Traces of history

On the northern slope you can still see the zigzag of a trench dug by the Germans in 1944, and on 28 January 1945 fighting took place on the mountain. On the shallow pass between Koskowa Góra and Parszywka stands a small brick chapel with a shingle roof, founded around 1910 by Jan Kosek. Inside is a figure of Christ falling under the cross for the third time, carved with the founder's name, and beside it a stone plinth and a wooden cross; the local Stations of the Cross end here.

The legend of the oxen

According to local tradition, the figure was commissioned in Sidzina for the pilgrimage site of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska. On the way, three pairs of oxen pulling the cart stopped on the ridge above Bogdanówka and refused to go on. People took it as a sign of God's will and built the chapel for the figure on this very spot.

Trails and access

• From Maków Podhalański via Stańkowa – about 2 h 20 min up (about 1 h 55 min down).
• From the Dział pass via Parszywka – about 1 h 15 min up.
• From Jordanów via Łysa Góra, Groń and Magurka – a long route of about 5 h 30 min.
• A trail via Bieńkówka and the Sanguszko pass towards Lanckorona.

The shortest approach is a narrow tarmac lane from the centre of Bogdanówka to the pass with the chapel. From there the summit is close, lying just to the south of the pass.

Tripto tip

Access is free all year round. Go on a day with clear air – after a weather front has passed, or in winter, when visibility is best – and take a map to identify the ranges on the horizon. From the chapel pass to the summit and back takes about an hour; the longer hike from Maków Podhalański takes half a day. Park legally in Bogdanówka and do not drive onto farm tracks; after rain the meadows can be wet and slippery.