In Maków Podhalański, hiking trails can be distinguished by their starting point, course and length; the town also offers specific themes in art, crafts and local history. The routes pass through named hills and settlements, while local collections range from folk art and wooden toys to photographs and historical documents. This gives you nature and culture as distinct themes to consider when planning your trip.
Hiking trails by route and length
Three marked hiking trails pass through Maków Podhalański: a blue trail from the direction of Sucha Beskidzka, a green trail that starts near the railway station and heads north into the Beskid Makowski as far as Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, and a yellow trail east to Pcim. The green trail marked by the PTTK runs for about 10.5 km from Maków via Makowska Góra and Budzów to Chełm Wschodni.
The blue trail marked by the PTTK from the Sucha Beskidzka bus station runs for about 10.8 km via Mioduszyna and the Piatkówka settlement to Maków railway station; in Maków, it passes the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Maków and the market square. Another blue trail leads from the railway station via Orkana Street towards the bridge over the Skawa, then continues through Grzechynia Zagórze and Ostra Góra to the eastern slope of Magurka. This route is about 7.5 km long.
The yellow PTTK trail heads east to Pcim. Its intermediate points include Ostrysz, Przysłopski Wierch, Koskowa Góra, Parszywka and Góra Kotoń; the route is about 27 km long. At around 10.5 and 10.8 km, the green trail to Chełm Wschodni and the blue trail from Sucha Beskidzka are similar in length. The yellow trail is considerably longer. The named starting points and intermediate locations provide additional guidance when choosing a route, alongside its length.
Mountain ridges and views
From the slope of Makowska Góra, the view extends to the Jałowieckie Range and the Babia Góra Range; farther north, the Chełm Range is also visible. The blue trail from the direction of Sucha follows the ridge of Mioduszyna, passes through the Polana settlement and by the summit of Góra Polany, at 611 m above sea level, on its way towards the Makowska Góra settlement. This trail therefore links several named points along a route over a mountain ridge.
Art, crafts and local history
The E. Wacyk Regional Room displays folk art by embroiderers and sculptors, wooden toys, household items from earlier times, and photographs and documents about the history of the town and its surroundings. The Mieczysław Głuch Author’s Gallery focuses on something different: it presents the artist’s wooden sculptures, which are sacred, modernist and classical in character. While the regional room brings together various records of local daily life and history, the gallery focuses on wood carving.
Visitors to the gallery can attend talks about the sculpting tradition in Podhale and try their hand at demonstrations of carving in wood, clay and stone. If you plan to take part in these activities, check the dates and availability in advance.
Maków embroidery is another part of the local craft tradition. Anna Koziana from Maków Podhalański uses it to decorate tablecloths, table runners, napkins, bed linen and shirts. The technique is a dense white embroidery featuring embroidered openwork patterns. The examples show how this craft is used on a variety of everyday textiles.
The Church of the Transfiguration stands in the Josephine style behind the small, almost triangular market square. Elements of its former Baroque furnishings have been preserved inside. Since the beginning of the 17th century, it has been a place of special devotion to an image of the Virgin Mary, believed to work miracles and revered as the protector of families; it is also known as the Maków Madonna.
Another historic building is the brick Filas Chapel on 3 Maja Street. J.K. Filas had it built in 1845 in the form of the chancel of the parish church. In the northeastern part of Maków Podhalański, near Moniuszki Street and the yellow hiking trail, remains of the stone wall of a 19th-century smelting furnace have been preserved. The furnace belonged to the “Maurycy” ironworks.
Discover more destinations: Zarnowka, Jachówka, Sucha Beskidzka, Kurów, Hucisko, Tarnawa Dolna, Lachowice, Krzeszów.
View the overview of the wider area: Sucha.
