Sopotnia Wielka Waterfall

The largest waterfall in the Polish Beskids is not hidden deep in the mountains but right in the middle of the village, just below the bridge over the Sopotnia stream. The water drops 10–12 m down a rock slab tilted at about 30° into a pool 5 m deep. It is a cataclinal waterfall, rare in Poland, protected as a natural monument since 1964, and the starting point for trails to Romanka, Rysianka and Pilsko.

What kind of waterfall

The Sopotnia Wielka stream rises above 1,300 m on the slopes of Romanka and the Lipowska-Rysianka massif, runs for about 14 km and joins the Koszarawa near Jeleśnia. It forms small cascades over many rock steps, but the one in the village centre is the highest. Its upper edge is at 620 m above sea level, and the step the water falls from is about 15 m long. Below it the stream has cut 12–15 m deep into the sandstone.

The waterfall is cataclinal – the layers of Magura sandstone dip steeply in the same direction as the water flows. The stream runs through a narrow rock channel, spreads over the sloping face and plunges into a plunge pool whose bed is covered with tilted rock slabs. Sources differ on its height: the Silesian tourist portal gives both 10 and 12 m, and Kazimierz Sosnowski's "Guide to the Western Beskids" 10–12 m.

In old descriptions

As early as the start of the 18th century, Andrzej Komoniecki, the reeve of Żywiec, wrote in his "Żywiec Chronicle" about a place called Sopot where the water fell from the rock "as from a high roof" into a pool so deep that even a long pole could not reach the bottom. Kazimierz Sosnowski described a silver cascade falling into an emerald basin and noted that the waterfall once turned a wheel 20 m in circumference at a large sawmill that later burned down.

Nature and safety

Patches of oak-hornbeam forest survive on the steep slopes above the stream, and Kablik's butterbur grows by the water. Brown trout, minnows and bullheads live in the cold, clean water, and grey wagtails and dippers can be seen on the banks. Swimming is forbidden – strong eddies in the pool and sharp slabs on the bottom are a deadly danger.

Tripto tips

The waterfall is in the centre of Sopotnia Wielka (Jeleśnia municipality, Żywiec county), right by the bridge, so 15–20 minutes is enough to look and take photos. It is most impressive after rain or snowmelt. A black trail starts by the waterfall and climbs to Kotarnica (1,156 m), from where the blue trail leads to Romanka (1,366 m) – the whole walk takes 2.5–3 hours; a yellow trail goes to Przysłopy Pass (847 m), a junction for routes towards Pilsko. Above the waterfall, below the bridge, is the last stop of the Korbielów – Pilsko – Sopotnia Wielka nature trail.