Przegibek Pass

Przegibek Pass (992 m) lies in the Wielka Racza range, only about 480 m from the Slovak border, and its main draw is the PTTK mountain hut – voted the best mountain hut in Poland by the hiking magazine "n.p.m." in 2009. From Rycerka Górna you can walk up in just over an hour, and trails lead on from the pass to Wielka Racza and Rycerzowa. It is a good choice for a first night in the Beskids with children.

Pass, hamlet and border

The pass lies between the summit of Przegibek on the main ridge and Będoszka Mała, within the village of Rycerka Górna in Rajcza municipality. On the pass and its western slopes stands the hamlet of Przegibek – a few houses and around 30 residents – one of the highest settlements in the Żywiec Beskids. German fortifications from the Second World War survive here, and next to the ski slope stands a cross put up by scouts from Koszalin in the winter of 2009. The rare and protected saw-leaved bellflower grows in the area.

History of the hut

• 1923 – Józef Pietrusiewicz from Żywiec, co-founder of the Polish Tatra Society's ski section, builds a summer house here and hosts skiers in winter.
• 1935 – after his death the Bielsko branch of the Tatra Society buys the building and turns it into a basic shelter; after an extension in 1937 it is open all year from May 1938.
• War years – the hut is run by the German Beskidenverein, and its warden Anna Maciejna is helped by men hiding from the Germans; in December 1944 Soviet partisans loot the building.
• 1947 – reopening, at first in very basic conditions; full electrification arrives only in 1974.
• 1992–1996 – a brick east wing is added.
• 2009 – 1st place in the "n.p.m." mountain hut ranking, and 6th place two years later.

What to see

• Views of Wielka and Mała Rycerzowa and Wielka and Mała Racza – the hut lies in Żywiec Landscape Park.
• Będoszka Wielka with its cross, about a quarter of an hour along the blue trail from the hut.
• Śrubita and Dziobaki – strict nature reserves close to the pass.

Trails to Przegibek

• from Kolonia in Rycerka Górna – approx. 1 h 15 min (the most popular),
• from Mladá Hora in Slovakia – approx. 1 h 30 min,
• from Rycerzowa via Wielka Rycerzowa – approx. 1 h 15 min,
• from Wielka Racza along the border ridge – approx. 2 h 35 min,
• from Sól station via Będoszka Wielka – approx. 3 h.

Practical information

The hut has 38 beds in rooms for 2, 4, 6 and 12 people, and when it is full you can sleep on your own mat. There is a camping area in front of the building, a buffet with a dining room and snowshoe hire. A T-bar ski lift runs about 300 m from the hut. The pass itself is open ground, free to visit.

Tripto tip

The easiest option is the trail from Kolonia in Rycerka Górna: about 1 h 15 min up and an hour down. Without a car, you can start at Sól railway station and walk up via Będoszka Wielka – about 3 hours. If you plan to stay overnight, confirm availability and buffet hours in advance.