Hostel on Magurka

With the height of 909 m above sea level, Magurka Wilkowicka is the fourth highest mountain in the Little Beskid. It is situated in the main ridge of the so-called Magurka Wilkowicka Group, which also includes Czupel, the highest mountain in the Little Beskid. The clearing underneath the peak offers a view of the Silesian Beskid, the Little Beskid, and the Żywiec Beskid. Thanks to numerous trails from Bielsko-Biała and Wilkowice, Magurka Wilkowicka is very popular among hikers and bikers, and in winter it attracts cross-country skiers – all this thanks to the cross-country trail organised on the slopes of Magurka. It consists of four loops with the length from 1 to 3.75 km. Next to the hostel there is a referee lodge with a terrace roof, from where you can observe the course of the competitions taking place along the trail.

The hostel was built by the Bielsko branch of the German tourist organisation, Beskidenverein. It was put into use in 1903. Only two years later the building burnt down. The reconstructed facility was re-opened in 1907. The second hostel was called Erzherzogin Maria Theresia – Schutzhaus auf dem Josefsberg (Hostel of Archduchess Maria Theresa on Joseph’s Mountain) in honour of Maria Theresa of Tuscany, wife of Archduke Charles Stephen Habsburg. After yet another fire in 1912, it was decided to build a brick hostel in place of the old wooden structures. And this very building – naturally after several modernisations – serves tourists to date. Currently, the hostel offers 40 beds, a buffet with a dining room, WiFi access, a fire ring, and a barbecue.