Bezkid Wyspowy
Redaktor: Administrator   
21.08.2007.
 The Tatras, with their fanious resort Zakopane, arę not the only mountains in Poi and.
Therc arę many smaller but just as pic-turesque ranges elsewhere.
One of them. Beskid Wyspowy, is only 60 kilomctcrs southcast of Kraków.
It is part of the Beskidy Zachodnie or Western Beskid rangę, situated between the Skawa Yallcy and Kłodzka Yalley.
The range's mos! charactcristic feature is nol mountains thal arę adiacent and con-tinuous bul multiple, isolated peaks that resemble islands, divided by river valleys and Iow passes. In fact, "Wyspowy" means island-likc.
Adding to the island image is the fact that Beskid Wyspowy peaks have steep slopes and fial Icips.
The "sea of fog" is another famous feature of the Beskid Wyspowy rangę. Hill-tops rising om of the fog resemble islands poking out of the sea.

One of the best times lo see fog is in au-tumn, especially in the easlern part of the rangę.
With most mountain ranges, the higher you go, Uie lower the temperaturę. But in the Beskid Wyspowy rangę, temperatures arę lower in the yalleys - in fact, some-times 10 degrees lower. That temperaturę inversion is the reason why the fog stays below the mountains' peaks.
The summit of the Beskid Wyspowy is l, 170-meter-high Mogielica. it isn't a lypical peak in the rangę because it is not island-like. U is part of a ridge slretching south to Przyslop Pass.
Those who expect a breathtaking view from the range's highest yantage point will be disappointed, however. Because of de-forestation, what you sec from the top of Mogielica is bare rock.
But there is a beautiful view about 50 meters southeast of the peak. At this Yantage point you will find a few benches and a smali metal eross dedicated to Jcihn Paul II, who likcd walking in the area before hę became pope.
The view includes glimpses of surroimd-ing mountain ranges, including Beskid Wyspowy and Beskid Sądecki on the east and the Gorce and Tatra Mountains on the south.
Another place on Mogielica with a view is Hala Stumorgowa on the southern slope, jusl helów the peak.
Thcre arę many legends connected with the mountain. One is that Ihe bodies of those who had committed suicide were thrown from Mogielica.
This legend is connected with the fact that in the past the church refused to allow suicide yictims to be buried in ccmeteries.
Several tourist trails lead to Mogielica, running through the towns of Tymbark and Jurków. The yellow trail from Tymbark takes four hours up and ihree down.
A popular mountain in the western part of the Hcskid Wyspowy rangę is l ,022-mc-ter-high Lubon Wielki. It has a character-istic islarid shape, with steep slopes and a flat peak.
On the top is a television rclay station with a high tower. Built in 1961, the sla-lion gives the mountain towns and villagcs good TV reccption.
Next to the rclay stalion is a mountain sleeping lodge built almost 80 ycars ago, It has one room with 10 beds. The toileis arę outhouses.
The lodge costs 22 to 25 zloty a night. Bedding is estra --10 zloty.
There is a buffct offcring basie farę.
In summcr 15 additional beds arę avail-able in a cottage ncxt to me lodge.
The lodge has no garbagc cans so visitors arę asked to takc Iheir Irash with them.
There arę somc inleresting lowns in the Beskid Wyspowy rangę. Two arc Rabka and Limanowa.
Rabka is a 500-meter-high setllemcnt at the foothillsoClhi; Gorce Mountainti, whcrc the Ponic/anka and Sionka nver.s join the Raba Rivcr. Althotigh Ihe town's hislory dates to the 12th cenimy, it became a wcll-known spaonty in 1864. The firsttreatment ccnter lor children was established Ihcre a fcw ycars latcr.
The healing qualities of the town's watcr arę arnong the best in Europę, according to cspcrts.
Before World War II, Rabka was the Ihird most important spa in Poland. livcry year around 30,000 patienls came.
Aftcr the war thal changed. Most of the spa-goers became children from Silcsia with respiratory and circulatory problems. That is slill the case today.
Limanowa is nol a spa but a dynamie town with a lovcly market squarc, hotcls, reslaurants and nightclubs.
Established in the I5th Century, II was destroyed by firc in 1769 but camc back to lifc about a century lato thanks to tourism and Irade.
Before the war the town had a large Jew-ish community.
The Na/is murdered morę than half of the Jcws ihere, however.
Limanowa has many things to see, including muscums, old wooden churches and chapels, other wooden buildings and clegant manor houses.
The area has several folk festivals each year - for esamplc, the Folkloric Feslival in autumn.
The town also attracts religious pilgrims. Half an hour's walk from the city center is the highest stccl cross in Poland, a spot wilh a panoramie view of the area.
Gctting to Beskid Wyspowy is not a problem. Buses and minibuses leave for Limanowa and Rabka every hour from Kraków's bus station.
Bigger towns have hotels. Many vil!ages have "agritourism farms" that offcr lodging anii traditional food.
They arę a grcat way to see how people in the Beskid Wyspowy rangę live.
 
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