Modyń

For years Modyń (1,029 m) was a summit with little to see: dense forest blocked the panorama, and the old wooden triangulation tower, locally called a patryja, rotted away and was blown down in the 1980s. That changed in 2021, when a wooden observation tower more than 27 m tall went up on the top. The platform offers a 360-degree view over the Beskid Wyspowy, the Gorce, the Beskid Sądecki, the Spišská Magura and the Tatras – and in exceptionally clear air even Kraków.

A mountain shared by three districts

Modyń is one of the highest peaks of the Beskid Wyspowy (the “Island Beskids”), but an unusual one: instead of a single “island” it forms three ridges, running down towards Kamienica, Jastrzębie and Łącko. It has two tops, 1,028.5 m and 1,026.5 m, separated by a shallow saddle. Its slopes belong to five villages – Młyńczyska, Zalesie, Zbludza, Wola Kosnowa and Kicznia – and the summit with the tower lies in Wola Kosnowa, in Łącko district. Seen from the west, the wooded massif looks like the back of a whale.

The observation tower

Work began in 2020; the construction was handed over on 30 June 2021 and officially opened on 15 August 2021. The project was led by Łącko district with support from Kamienica and Łukowica, as Modyń is where all three meet; part of the cost was covered by EU funds. The timber tower was built by a firm from Ochotnica Dolna.

• The viewing deck is 20.7 m above ground, reached by 138 steps.
• There is a landing every eight steps, and the staircase is enclosed – helpful for anyone uneasy with heights.
• A roof over the stairs and platform means the tower can be used in poorer weather too.
• No more than 25 people may be on the platform at once.

Did you know?

Since the tower opened, the summit has been promoted as the “Mountain of Lovers”. Kazimierz Sosnowski, author of a pre-war guide to the Western Beskids, described Modyń as little visited, yet offering from a glade on its southern slope a view of “three waves of mountains”. There is also a cave a dozen or so metres long on the southern slopes.

Tripto tip

The shortest ascent starts at the car park by the wayside chapel at the Zalesie–Młyńczyska crossroads: about 40 minutes up and 25 down, with 280 m of ascent. The trail from Młyńczyska via the Cisowy Dział pass takes around 1.5 hours, from Zbludza 1 h 40 min, and the long climb from Łącko via Piechówka more than 3 hours. The blue trail from Zbludza has a good viewpoint towards the Tatras before it enters the forest. The tower is free; the best views come on cool, clear days.