Zwardoń is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the administrative district of Gmina Rajcza, within

Żywiec County __NOTOC__ Żywiec County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government r ...

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( ) is an administrative province in southern Poland. With over 4.2 million residents and an area of 12,300 square kilometers, it is the second-most populous, and the most-densely populated and most-urbanized region of Poland ...

, in the Żywiec Beskids mountain range in southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, on the border with

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. It lies approximately west of Rajcza, south-west of

Żywiec Żywiec () is a town on the River Soła in southern Poland with 31,194 inhabitants (2019). It is situated within the Silesian Voivodeship, near the Żywiec Lake and Żywiec Landscape Park, one of the eight protected areas in the voivodeship. H ...

, and south of the regional capital

Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...

. The village is mostly known for mountain tourism and as a border crossing point. In 1884, a railway line to Čadca was opened. Although Zwardoń belongs nowadays to the Silesian Voivodeship, historically it lay in

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...

Location and transport

Zwardoń, located at the elevation of 690 meters above sea level, is placed between three

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

es - ''Przysłop'', ''Zwardońska'' and ''Graniczne''. Until 1975, the village was administratively tied with

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

and

. In 1975 - 1999, it belonged to Bielsko-Biala Voivodeship, and after the territorial reform of Poland in 1999, it became part of the

, even though historically it does not belong to

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

. Zwardoń has a rail station along the historic Galician Transversal Railway, which connects

and other Polish cities with Slovak town of

Žilina Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#Z, names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the List of cities ...

, and further on,

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Since the construction of the line, Zwardoń has been a border station, and the crossing was closed down in 2007, due to Schengen Agreement. The village is also located on the Expressway S69, which goes from

Bielsko-Biała Bielsko-Biała (; ; , ; ) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 166,765 as of December 2022, making it the List of cities and towns in Poland#Largest cities and towns by population, 22nd largest city in Poland, and an a ...

to Slovakia.

History

Zwardoń is a relatively young village. It is not known exactly when it was established, most probably some time in the 17th century. Its oldest district is the settlement called ''Myto'', which was probably established by shepherds, who came to this area from the overcrowded villages around Węgierska Górka. The name Zwardoń appears on the maps for the first time in the late 18th century. The village belonged to Lesser Poland, in its extreme southwest corner, near the border with the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

. In the late 18th century, after the

Partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...

, and the creation of Galicia, Emperor Joseph II ordered the construction of a road along the Przysłop mountain pass. Zwardoń belonged to Żywiec County, and it remained a small village until 1884, when the rail line was opened from Żywiec to Cadca. By 1889, the population grew to 124, in 1891 a post office was opened here, and in 1901, an elementary school. In the 1930s Zwardoń, which belonged to Kraków Voivodeship, became a popular skiing location. Enjoying good climate, snowy winters, treeless slopes and good rail connections, the village prospered. New houses were built, in winter, special trains from

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

would bring tourists and skiers. In 1930, a ski jumping hill was opened. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Zwardoń was directly annexed by the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

. Its 356 Polish residents were expelled, and replaced by the Germans. After the war, Zwardoń remained a popular tourist center, due to well-developed skiing infrastructure, guest houses and several trails.

References

{{Gmina Rajcza Villages in Żywiec County Poland–Slovakia border crossings