Malinowska Skała

Malinowska Skała (1,152 m) is the hub of the Silesian Beskids: ridges run from its summit towards Skrzyczne, Barania Góra and the Salmopolska Pass. The boundaries of Wisła, Szczyrk and Lipowa meet at the top, which is also the old border between Lesser Poland and Silesia. Its best-known feature, though, is the pulpit-shaped rock by the trail, one of the symbols of the whole Beskids since at least the mid-20th century.

The rock that made it onto postcards

The massif is built of the so-called Malinowska Skała conglomerates, Upper Cretaceous quartz rocks studded with fragments of mica schist, granite and feldspar grains. They occur only in the Silesian, Little and Moravian-Silesian Beskids. About 60 m north of the summit, right by the trail, they form an outcrop shaped like a broken pulpit measuring 6 × 14 × 5 m, with a deep weathering niche. It used to be a bouldering spot, but since 1977 it has been protected as a natural monument.

The border of the Żywiec estate

In the early 18th century the Żywiec bailiff Andrzej Komoniecki wrote in his chronicle "Dziejopis Żywiecki" that the border of the so-called Żywiec state ran across the summit, which he called Skałka. The Malinka and Malinowski streams and the Żylica river rise below Malinowska Skała.

What to see nearby

• Malinowski Stawek – a natural, year-round pond about 10 m across at around 1,030 m, in a landslide hollow on the western slopes of the ridge towards Skrzyczne; a real rarity in the Beskids.
• Malinka Cave – on the mountain's slopes, with 16 m of passages, discovered in 1979.
• The cave on the trail from the Salmopolska Pass – near Malinów a crevice with a system of ladders and iron rungs leads down into the rock; only for the well prepared.

Tripto tips

The easiest approach is from the Salmopolska Pass via Malinów: about 1 hr 15 min up (about 1 hr down). There is a large car park and several restaurants at the pass. From Skrzyczne it takes about 1 hr 10 min, from Barania Góra about 2 hr 10 min, and from Ostre via Kościelec about 2 hr. There is no hut or snack bar on the summit, so bring water and a warm layer. The ridge is exposed to wind and storms and the paths can be stony, so wear hiking boots.