Wisła (; ; ) is a town in Cieszyn County,

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 ...

, 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 ...

, with a population of about 11,132 (2019), near the border with the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It is situated in the

Silesian Beskids Silesian Beskids (, , ) is one of the Beskids mountain ranges in the Outer Western Carpathians in southern Silesian Voivodeship, Poland and the eastern Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. Most of the range lies in Poland. It is separa ...

mountain range in the historical region of

Cieszyn Silesia Cieszyn Silesia, Těšín Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( ; or ; or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and Český Těšín and bisected by the Olza River. Since 1920 it has been divided betwe ...

and ethnic region of the Silesian Gorals. ''Wisła'' is the Polish name for the

Vistula River The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra ...

, which has its source in the mountains near the town. It is the only town in Poland with a majority

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

population (as of 2006 roughly two-thirds of the population were

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, which is a drop from 94,4% in 1900). Wisła is a popular year-round tourist destination, being home to Malinka, 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 ...

. It is also known for being the home town of ski jumper Adam Małysz. Wisła is also the home of the Beskid Museum displaying

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

tools, folk costumes and

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

skin

bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...

s from the surrounding region.

History

The first people to settle in Wisła in the late 16th or early 17th century came from two directions: from Ustroń up the river

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

and

Gorals The Gorals (; Goral ethnolect: ''Górole''; ; Cieszyn Silesian dialect, Cieszyn Silesian: ''Gorole''), also anglicized as the Highlanders, are an ethnographic group with historical ties to the Vlachs. The Goral people are primarily found in thei ...

searching for new pastures in the mountains (see also:

Vlachs Vlach ( ), also Wallachian and many other variants, is a term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate speakers of Eastern Romance languages living in Southeast Europe—south of the Danube (the Balkan peninsula ...

). It was first mentioned in 1615. Politically the village belonged then to the

Duchy of Teschen The Duchy of Teschen (), also Duchy of Cieszyn () or Duchy of Těšín (), was one of the Duchies of Silesia centered on Cieszyn () in Upper Silesia. It was split off the Silesian Duchy of Opole and Racibórz in 1281 during the feudal divisio ...

, a fee of the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

, which after 1526 became part of the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

. It was first recognized as a developed village of the Teschener Kammer, named ''na Wisłach'', in 1643. The majority of its inhabitants were

Lutherans Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

. After issuing the Patent of Toleration in 1781, they subsequently organized a local Lutheran parish as one of over ten in the region. After

Revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire The revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire took place from March 1848 to November 1849. Much of the revolutionary activity had a nationalism, nationalist character: the Austrian Empire, ruled from Vienna, included ethnic Germans, Hungarians, ...

, a modern municipal division was introduced in the re-established Austrian Silesia. The village as a municipality was subscribed to the political district of Bielsko and the legal district of Skoczów. In the second half of the 19th century it became increasingly popular as a tourist destination. According to the censuses conducted in 1880, 1890, 1900 and 1910 the population of the municipality grew from 4261 in 1880 to 4685 in 1910 with a majority being native Polish-speakers (98.5%-99%) and a small minority German-speaking (at most 64 or 1.5% in 1880) and at most 4 people Czech-speaking (in 1910), in terms of religion majority were

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

(94.9% in 1910), followed by

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

(232 or 5% in 1910) and 6

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. The village was also traditionally inhabited by a specific subgroup of Silesian Gorals, speaking Cieszyn Silesian dialect. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, fall of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, Polish–Czechoslovak War and the division of

in 1920, it became a part of

. It was then

annexed Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...

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

at the beginning of

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 ...

. After the war it was restored to

. It gained town rights in 1962.

Tourism

In the winter Wisła is known for its skiing: Malinka, a ski jump hill, is located here and hosts international competitions. In the summer, hiking through its many mountain trails is popular. To support its recent growth in tourism, many hotels have been built, the largest of which is Hotel Gołębiewski. In Wisła a trail starts that leads to the Stożek Wielki, a mountain on the border with the Czech Republic that reaches a height of 978 meters. Interesting sights in Wisła are: * Wisła Castle – one of the official residences of the

President of Poland The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...

, built in 1929–1930 by Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz * Lutheran Church – klassicist church from 1838 * Habsburg hunting lodge – originally built on the Przysłop Pass, transferred to Wisła in 1985 * – museum of Adam Małysz

Notable residents

Juliusz Bursche Juliusz Bursche (19 September 1862 in Kalisz – 20 February 1942?) was a bishop of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland. A vocal opponent of Nazi Germany, after the German invasion of Poland in 1939, he was arrested by the Germans, tor ...

(1862–1942), Lutheran bishop * Adam Małysz (born 1977), ski jumper *

Piotr Żyła Piotr Paweł Żyła (Polish pronunciation: ; born 16 January 1987) is a Polish Ski jumping, ski jumper. He is a member of the national team and competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. He is the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2021, 2021 ...

(born 1987), ski jumper * Julian Ochorowicz (1850–1917), philosopher, psychologist, inventor *

Jerzy Pilch Jerzy Pilch (; 10 August 1952 – 29 May 2020) was a Polish writer, columnist, and journalist. He is the winner of the 2001 Nike Award for his novel ''Pod Mocnym Aniołem''. Critics have compared Pilch's style to Witold Gombrowicz, Milan Kunde ...

(1952–2020), writer and columnist

Twin towns – sister cities

Wisła is twinned with: * Bully-les-Mines, France *

Čoka Čoka ( sr-Cyrl, Чока, ; , ; ; ) is a town and municipality located in the North Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 3,119 and the municipality has 8,556 inhabitants. The Lederer ...

, Serbia *

Hukvaldy Hukvaldy () is a municipality and village in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,200 inhabitants. The municipality is known for the ruins of the third-largest castle in the Czech Republic, ...

, Czech Republic *

Nepomuk Nepomuk (; ) is a town in Plzeň-South District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,600 inhabitants. It is known as the birthplace of Saint John of Nepomuk, who was born here around 1340. Administrative division Nepomuk ...

, Czech Republic * Rheinhausen, Germany * Turčianske Teplice, Slovakia

Gallery

File:Wisla Poland 1939 Henryk Poddebski.jpg, Panorama of Wisła in 1939 File:014 Stok narciarski Nowa Osada, Wisla, Polska.jpg, Nowa Osada skiing station File:Wisła 1102.jpg, Lutheran church of the Apostles Peter and Paul File:Plebania ewangelicka w Wiśle 2.JPG, Lutheran rectory File:Pałacyk Myśliwski Habsburgów w Wiśle 1.JPG, Former Habsburg Hunting Palace File:Wisla 028.jpg, Presidential Castle File:POL Wisła Hotel Gołębiewski i Wisła 2.JPG, Gołębiewski Hotel File:Crystal Mountain Hotel in Wisła, Poland, September 2021.jpg, Crystal Mountain Hotel

References

External links

Wisła Town Website

Skocznia Malinka Website
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Silesian Voivodeship Cieszyn County Silesian Beskids Ski areas and resorts in Poland Cieszyn Silesia