Technical monuments

Reservoir of the Porąbka-Żar Power Plant on Góra Żar

The highest point of Góra Żar in the Little Beskids looks as if someone had scraped off its summit and replaced it with a sheet of water — and that is exactly how this mountain was made. On the top, at about 750 m above sea level, lies the upper reservoir of the Porąbka-Żar pumped-storage power plant: the only underground plant of its kind in Poland and the second largest in the country.

Water as a battery

The idea is simple, though its execution required titanic work: water from Lake Międzybrodzkie, lying at about 300 m above sea level, is pumped up to the reservoir on the summit, and when the power system needs energy, it falls through penstocks, overcoming a drop of more than 400 metres, driving turbines set in chambers hollowed out of the rock. The first hydro unit was synchronised with the national grid on 6 January 1979, and the final acceptance of the whole facility took place on 31 December 1979. The plant, now owned by the PGE group, operates within the cascade of the Soła river.

To the summit by funicular

From the car park in Międzybrodzie Bialskie a funicular railway climbs to the top, and from the edge of the reservoir the eye reaches Lake Międzybrodzkie and the surrounding ridges of the Little Beskids. A power plant of this scale on a mountain summit is a rare sight — the place draws tourists, anglers and paragliders as strongly as it draws lovers of technology.

In practice

Access is signposted from Międzybrodzie Bialskie, there is a car park at the foot, and besides the funicular you can walk up on foot. The interior of the power plant is open for guided tours — check dates and bookings with the operator, as visits take place at set hours. Combine the trip with a walk around Lake Międzybrodzkie, and for the next day plan Żywiec with its castle (about 11 km) or Energylandia (about 27 km).

Reservoir of the Porąbka-Żar Power Plant on Góra Żar

Water as a battery

To the summit by funicular

In practice

What to see

Place map

Recommended tours and tickets

Places to stay nearby

Sources and further reading

Nearby attractions

Luge Track on Góra Żar

Żar Mountain in the Little Beskids

Kiczera in the Little Beskids

Lake Międzybrodzkie in the Little Beskids

Beach in Czernichów

Tresna Dam

Czupel

Chrobacza Łąka

Kozy Quarry

Reservoir of the Porąbka-Żar Power Plant on Góra Żar

About this place

Water as a battery

To the summit by funicular

In practice

What to see

Place map

Recommended tours and tickets

Places to stay nearby

Sources and further reading

Nearby attractions