UNESCO's Frozen Frontier: Babia Góra and the Beskid Żywiecki

Welcome to the Beskid Żywiecki mountains — a spectacular stretch of the Carpathians where ancient forests meet frosted peaks, and legends rise with the mist.

Surrounding peaks like Pilsko, Rysianka, and Romanka add to the drama, especially in winter, when the landscape turns into a snow-covered haven for hikers, photographers, and dreamers.

Everything here is extreme — winds can reach 150 km/h, snow buries the trails, and visibility vanishes in minutes.

Babia Góra is steeped in folklore about witches who supposedly gathered on the summit to perform rituals, especially during thunderstorms.

The mountain's sudden weather changes were said to be the result of these witches stirring up the skies.

It shelters rare arctic-alpine plants that are relicts of the last Ice Age — species that have survived here for thousands of years thanks to the park’s harsh microclimate and elevation.

Babiogórski National Park's steep slopes contain nearly 700 species of vascular plants, many of which grow nowhere else in Poland.

The landscape shifts dramatically as you hike: from lowland forest to spruce woodland, and finally to open alpine meadows and rocky ridges.

Sitting on the Polish–Slovak border, Pilsko (1,557 m) offers incredible panoramic views.

On clear days, you can see all the way to the Tatras.

It’s lesser-known than Babia, but equally majestic in winter, catching golden-hour light like a secret lookout tower.

It may not be the tallest peak, but it's a favorite for early risers.

Where snow, clouds, and sky glow in soft pastel tones.

Twilights glow in rosy violets.

Snow glitters under the pale light.

And every frost-covered tree becomes a sculpture.