Łamana Skała (Madohora)

Many hikers "climb Madohora" without knowing that the name was transferred to this peak by mapmakers' mistake. Its proper name is Łamana Skała (929 m) – the second-highest peak of the Little Beskids (Beskid Mały) and the highest in the Andrychów Beskids, rising above the village of Rzyki on the border of the Małopolska and Silesia regions. The summit is protected by the Madohora nature reserve, which in 2026 was enlarged more than sixfold to 447 ha.

Madohora or Łamana Skała?

The name Łamana Skała ("Broken Rock") comes from the many rocks around the summit and appears as early as 1445, in a document describing the border between the duchies of Oświęcim and Zator. Austrian maps of the late 19th century gave the name "Madohora" to the neighbouring, lower peak of Mlada Hora, and the Polish military WIG map of 1934 wrongly moved it onto Łamana Skała. The mistake stuck in guidebooks, and both names are still used interchangeably, although Łamana Skała is the official one. The mountain has two tops: 929 m above the Kocierka and Pracica valleys, and 915 m. On the higher one, the boundaries of three villages – Las, Ślemień and Rzyki – meet.

The Madohora reserve

The reserve was created in 1960 on the initiative of Professor Stefan Myczkowski, who drew attention to the exceptionally well-preserved forest. It originally covered 113.92 ha, was reduced to 71.81 ha in 1967, and in 2026 was enlarged to 447.06 ha, with just under 33 ha under strict protection. According to the regional environmental protection directorate in Katowice, its aim is to preserve natural forests, rock outcrops and rock shelters, and habitats of the wolf, lynx and brown bear. The reserve also protects the springs of the Wieprzówka, the source of drinking water for the Andrychów municipality.

What to see

• Upper montane spruce forest at the summit – in 1984 the spruces here were about 160 years old, with conical crowns reaching the ground.
• Sandstone rocks of Istebna sandstone, outcrops several metres high known as Zwalisko or Znalezisko.
• The Komoniecki Cave – a local attraction reached by a designated path within the reserve.
• Beech forest on the lower slopes; the summit is wooded, so views only open up from meadows nearby.

Trails

• Red (Little Beskid Trail) – from the Kocierska Pass about 2 h 30 min (7.4 km), from Groń Jana Pawła II about 1 h 30 min (5 km).
• Yellow – from Rzyki-Pracica via Anula towards the Chatka pod Potrójną hut and Targanice.
• Green (Łysina – Krzeszów) and blue from Ślemień (about 2 h 20 min) – both pass about 300 m from the summit.

The red and yellow trails bypass the summit itself on its northern side. To reach the highest point you have to leave the trail for a short distance – within the reserve, only where a clear, permitted path leads.

Tripto tip

Access is free all year, but within the reserve you may only walk on designated trails and paths – in 2026 the Katowice environmental directorate set them out in a separate order. A loop from Rzyki usually takes half a day; park in the Pracica valley or at the Kocierska Pass. In winter and after rain the paths can be muddy and icy, and in dense forest it is easy to lose your way in fog. The red trail continues to Leskowiec and Groń Jana Pawła II with its PTTK mountain hut, and Potrójna and the student-run Chatka pod Potrójną hut are also nearby.