Kubalonka Pass

At Kubalonka Pass (761 m) the road from Wisła to Istebna crosses the Main Beskid Trail, and right next to it stands a wooden church that came to the mountains from the lowlands near Gliwice. The pass separates the Stożek–Czantoria range from the Barania Góra–Skrzyczne range, which makes it a handy starting point for both Stożek and Barania Góra. In winter there are cross-country ski trails; in summer it is a busy trail junction with a snack bar, Beczka, known since the 1930s.

The pass and its name

Kubalonka lies between Kubalonka summit (830 m) and an unnamed top (818 m), on the boundary between Wisła and Istebna. Regional road 941 from Wisła to Istebna crosses the pass, and a narrow road branches off over Szarcula Pass towards the Presidential Castle in Wisła Czarne. Both roads were built between the wars. The name comes from the surname Kubala: a certain Mathes Kubala appears in a 1722 register of the Cieszyn estate.

What to see

• The wooden Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross from 1779, just below the saddle above the road to Istebna. It has a log structure and a shingle roof with a Baroque bell turret; inside are an 18th-century Baroque altar and a pulpit from 1697. It is part of the Wooden Architecture Route of Silesia Province.
• A former sanatorium complex from 1931–1938 (designed by Jadwiga Dobrzyńska and Zygmunt Łoboda), built for children with tuberculosis and now the Kubalonka Regional Paediatric Centre.
• Cross-country ski trails on the slopes of Kubalonka with an FIS-licensed biathlon range, plus a small beginners' ski lift.
• The Beskid Planetary Trail, which starts at the pass.

Interesting facts

The church at Kubalonka was built for the parish of Przyszowice near Gliwice, where it served as a cemetery church. In 1957–1958 it was taken apart and moved to the mountains. Until 1967 it housed a museum of Upper Silesian religious art, and in 1983 the Istebna-Kubalonka parish was founded here. So the highland village of Istebna has a church with entirely lowland roots.

Tripto tip

From the pass, the red Main Beskid Trail takes you to Barania Góra via Stecówka in about 3 hours (around 2.5 hours back), or in the other direction over Kiczory to Stożek Wielki in about 2 hours 15 minutes. Green trails lead down to Wisła Głębce and Wisła Nowa Osada in 45 minutes. There are restaurants, bars and guesthouses at the pass, so you can eat before or after a hike. You can see the church from outside at any time; to see the interior, come just before or after a service. A short walk round the pass and a visit to the church take 30–45 minutes.