Kozia Góra (Stefanka)

In the mid-20th century Europe's longest natural toboggan run – 2,200 metres with 30 bends – wound down the slopes of this mountain. Kozia Góra (683 m), which locals in Bielsko-Biała simply call Stefanka, is a wooded peak within the city limits, on the north-eastern ridge of Szyndzielnia in the Silesian Beskids. The ruins of the run have recently been turned into a walking path, a mountain hut more than a century old stands below the summit, and on the top there is a rebuilt gazebo from the days of Austrian rule.

Why "Stefanka"

The nickname comes from Dr Karl Steffan, long-serving mayor of Bielsko and president of the German hiking club Beskidenverein. German-speaking residents of the town built a round gazebo in his honour on the summit, called "Steffansruhe" – the local news portal gives the year as 1897. The wooden structure collapsed in the 1930s, and for decades only ruins remained. It was rebuilt in 2021–2022, with a shingle roof, a stone path and a balustrade.

The hut below the summit

At the end of the 19th century a cabin for forestry workers was built here; in 1912 it became a hut known as the Rodelhütte (tobogganers' hut). In 1921 the municipality of Bielsko handed it over to the Beskidenverein, which in 1926 added a veranda and an unusual round hall that can still be seen today. Poles first called it the "hut by the Track", and over time the name Stefanka, after the nearby gazebo, took hold. After the Second World War it was taken over by the Polish hiking association PTTK.

The toboggan run and other traces

The first run was built around 1900 for guests of the hut, and between the wars it began to be used for competitions. In the 1950s it was extended to 2,200 m, and in the 1960s it was divided into an upper section with stone bends and a lower one for summer riding on wheeled sleds. The lower section was closed before 2010, and in 2021 its remains were converted into a path with educational boards and deckchairs on the roof of the old station. By the red trail from the Błonia park stands a stone altar table called "Jan" – a reminder of the secret services held by Bielsko's Lutherans during the Counter-Reformation.

Trails

• Green trail from Mikuszowice Śląskie (Błonia) along the old run – about 2.5 km to the hut; a loop over the summit and back on the yellow trail is about 6 km and just under 2.5 hours.
• Yellow trail from Cygański Las – about 1 h 45 min to the summit.
• From Bystra via Równia – about 45 minutes, the shortest option.
• Onward along the ridge to Szyndzielnia and Klimczok.

Tripto tip

Park at the car park on ulica Czołgistów in Mikuszowice Śląskie; half a kilometre before it is the "ATH Błonia" city bus stop. Go up the green trail along the run and come down over the summit with the gazebo – from the hut it is only about 150 m on the blue trail. It makes a good half-day outing with children: there is a playground by the hut and the climb is not long. Since 2023 Stefanka has formally been a "tourist facility" rather than a mountain hut, so check the current arrangements if you plan to stay overnight.