Things to do in Żywiec
Żywiec, for centuries owned by the Habsburgs, combines the Old Castle with its palace park and the famous brewery with a lively old town. Surrounded by the Żywiec, Little and Maków Beskids, it is one of the best starting points for mountain trips in southern Poland.
Map of attractions in Żywiec
All 11 places on one map: see what is close together and plan your route.
All attractions (11)
Lakes
Lake Żywiec
Żywiec
Beneath the surface of Lake Żywiec lie the remains of Zarzecze, Tresna, Zadziele and Stary Żywiec — villages that disappeared when the Soła river was dammed in the 1960s. The reservoir covers about 10 km², is 6.6 km long and up to 26.8 m d…
Free entry
Hidden gemTechnical monuments
Żywiec Brewery and Brewery Museum
Żywiec
Poland's best-known beer label — a couple dancing the Krakowiak folk dance — was created in 1956 with Americans in mind. A Polish emigrant who wanted to sell Żywiec beer in the USA insisted on the traditional Kraków costumes, because they…
Hidden gemCastles
Old Castle in Żywiec
Żywiec
The Old Castle in Żywiec passed through the hands of the Skrzyński and Komorowski families, Queen Constance, the Wielopolskis and the Habsburgs — and each of them left a mark. The most valuable is the Renaissance arcaded courtyard, modelle…
Hidden gemChurches & monasteries
Co-Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Żywiec
Żywiec
According to the 18th-century chronicler Andrzej Komoniecki, the Renaissance tower of Żywiec's parish church was taller than the towers of St Mary's Basilica in Kraków. Today it stands 60 metres high, and since 2019 visitors can climb to i…
Hidden gemPalaces
Habsburg Palace in Żywiec
Żywiec
Paintings by Wojciech Kossak and Julian Fałat hung on the walls, the fireplaces came from Italy and the bathroom fittings from England. The Habsburg Palace in Żywiec, also known as the New Castle, was for half a century the main residence…
Other
Castle Park in Żywiec
Żywiec
Żywiec's Castle Park covers 26 hectares of historic greenery around the Old Castle and the Habsburg palace, a few minutes' walk from the Market Square. More than 5,000 old trees grow here, and by the canal stands the 18th-century Chinese H…
Free entry
Mountains & peaks
Grojec Hill in Żywiec
Żywiec
The steel cross on the bare summit of Średni Grojec can be seen from many parts of Żywiec and has become one of the town's symbols. Fewer people know that the higher, wooded top of the same hill once held a castle of robber knights, and la…
Churches & monasteries
Holy Cross Church in Żywiec
Żywiec
The low, plastered church with shingled roofs in Rudza, the oldest part of Żywiec, predates the founding of the town on its present site: Holy Cross Church was built around 1380. Locals call it the church of the "Three Crosses", after the…
Monuments & mounds
Alicja Habsburg Bench in Żywiec
Żywiec
In the castle park in Żywiec, next to the Habsburg Palace, a bronze Archduchess Alicja Habsburg sits on a marble bench – a Swede who chose Poland and served in the wartime underground under the code name "Alicja". The life-size sculpture w…
Free entry
Old towns & squares
Żywiec Market Square
Żywiec
Żywiec's market square was probably laid out in the first half of the 15th century, when the people of flood-prone Old Żywiec moved to the foot of Grojec hill. The regular, four-sided square has survived fires, floods and wars, and today,…
Free entry
Historic sites
Carpathian Outlaws' Trail
Żywiec
Everyone knows Janosik and the Tatra highlands, but the creator of the Carpathian Outlaws' Trail (Szlak Zbójników Karpackich) argues that the real capital of Carpathian banditry was the Żywiec region. That idea grew into a cultural route t…