Mountains & peaks

Stecówka in Istebna

At 760 m above sea level, on a broad meadow sloping towards the Olza valley, lies Stecówka — a part of Istebna in the Silesian Beskids, named after the surname Stec, presumably the first settler on this land. Documents in the Cieszyn archive record Hanus Stetz as early as 1722, and the field of Steczowka in 1788. Today the meadow is one of the most colourful stops on the red Main Beskid Trail between Kubalonka and Koniaków.

A mountain hut and a shepherd hut

On the meadow stands a private mountain hut whose tradition goes back to 1934, when Michał Legierski built it. Through the decades it has been run by his family and locals, and the kitchen is known for a simple highland menu. A little further along the red trail works a bacówka shepherd hut, where sheep grazing has returned in the traditional mixed method: farmers bring their flocks to the shepherd, who grazes them together all season, after which the sheep return to their owners.

A church saved from fire

In 1956–1958 local highlanders erected here a wooden church of Our Lady of Fatima, decorated with works by artists from Istebna, including Jan Wałach and Ludwik Konarzewski junior. The church burned down in the night of 2–3 December 2013, but was rebuilt in its former style and has served worshippers again since 2016. The open meadow offers views of Ochodzita and Koniaków, and at night the lights of the Olza valley are visible.