Szczyrk (german: Schirk) is a town in the Beskid Śląski mountains of southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

, situated in the valley of the Żylica river. It is part of the

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province ( pl, województwo śląskie ) is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centered on the historic region known as Upper Silesia ('), with Katowice serving as its capital. Despite the Silesian ...

(since 1999), previously being part of the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship (1975–1998). It has a population of 5,734 people (2019). __TOC__ The town is a popular

winter sports Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold a ...

centre, with over 60 km of ski runs served by 30 ski lifts. Poland's

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

athletes train in Szczyrk for events such as

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ...

and

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fin ...

. The two mountain ranges that surround the valley are dominated by the peaks of Skrzyczne at and Klimczok , both of significant interest to tourists since they have commanding views from either peak. Moreover, both peaks are accessible to most people in one day's hike via the tourist routes. Skrzyczne is also accessible via a

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. Th ...

. To the west of Szczyrk is Wisła, a town where the source of the

Vistula The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in t ...

(Wisła) river can be found (around the

Barania Góra Barania Góra (Polish for "Ram Mountain") (; ) is a mountain in southern Poland. At a height of 1,220 metres (4003 feet), it is the second highest mountain in the Silesian Beskids, and the highest in the Polish part of Upper Silesia. The sou ...

mountain).

Gallery

File:Szczyrk z lotu ptaka.jpg, Aerial view File:Skocznia narciarska Skalite - Szczyrk.JPG, A

ski jumping hill A ski jumping hill is a sports venue used for ski jumping. They vary in size from temporary handmade snow structures to permanent competition venues. At the top is an in-run where the jumper runs down to generate sufficient speed, before reaching ...

in Szczyrk

Twin towns – sister cities

Szczyrk is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Jászkisér, Hungary (2004) *

Mikołajki Mikołajki () is a resort town in Mrągowo County in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in north-eastern Poland, with 3,852 inhabitants as of 2017. The town is located near the Śniardwy, the largest lake of both the Masurian Lake District an ...

, Poland (2007) *

Zetel Zetel is a municipality in the district of Friesland, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km southwest of Wilhelmshaven, and 12 km west of Varel. Zetel is twinned with the county of Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, ...

, Germany (2008)

References

External links

Official website

Skiing in Szczyrk

TrekEarth - photos from Szczyrk

Detailed site about Szczyrk

Photo gallery from Szczyrk
Cities and towns in Silesian Voivodeship Bielsko County Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Kraków Voivodeship (1919–1939) Silesian Beskids Ski areas and resorts in Poland {{Bielsko-geo-stub