The Habsburg Hunting Lodge in Wisła

The Habsburg Hunting Lodge in Wisła, built between 1897 and 1898 on the order of Archduke Friedrich Habsburg, is an example of Tyrolean architecture. Previously, the site was home to a forester’s lodge and a small hunting lodge, which turned out to be too small for the needs of the archduke and his family. Due to the Habsburgs' passion for hunting, the area was adapted for the breeding of capercaillies. The lodge, most likely designed by Albin Teodor Prokop, was a single-story wooden structure. The building witnessed many significant events, including visits by Emperor Wilhelm II and the last Habsburg hunt in 1916. After Poland regained independence, the lodge became state property, and in 1924 it was converted into a mountain shelter named Przysłop pod Baranią Górą. During the interwar period, it grew in popularity, and a ski jump was built on the nearby meadow. After World War II, the building once again served as a shelter, but in the 1970s, due to the growth of tourism, a new building was constructed nearby, and the lodge began to fall into disrepair. It was saved thanks to the efforts of the Wisła Enthusiasts Society, and in 1985 it was moved to the center of Wisła, where since 1987 it has served as the headquarters of the local branch of the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society (PTTK). The building is part of the Wooden Architecture Trail in the Silesian Voivodeship, making it an important point on the cultural map of the region. Its history reflects the traditions of hunting, forest culture, and tourism in the Beskids, as well as the changes associated with shifting administrative affiliations.