Tourist shelter on Kozia Góra

The Kozia Góra Tourist Shelter, also known as Stefanka, is a facility located in the Silesian Beskids in Bielsko-Biała at an altitude of 676 meters above sea level. It offers 30 overnight accommodations in two-, five-, and six-person rooms, as well as a buffet providing full board. Guests can enjoy a clearing with tables and benches, along with a bonfire shelter. The history of this place dates back to the late 19th century, when a small hut for forest workers was built here. In 1909, the shelter was taken over by the Society for the Promotion of Tourism, which transformed it into a tourist facility in 1912, known as Rodelhütte. In 1921, the shelter was handed over to the German organization Beskidenverein, which expanded the building by adding, among other things, a veranda and a rotunda. The facility's popularity grew thanks to a toboggan run leading to the Gypsy Forest. Poles referred to it as "the shelter above the Track" or "Stefanka," a name associated with the Steffansruhe arbor dedicated to Karl Steffan. After World War II, the shelter was devastated and later taken over by the Polish Tatra Society, and subsequently by the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society. Between 1970 and 1975, it was converted into a student hostel, and in later years, the facility was managed by various operators. In 2023, the shelter formally ceased to be called a shelter, and its status was changed to a tourist facility. The building is surrounded by picturesque hiking trails, including a green trail leading to Kozia Góra and a blue trail connecting various attractive routes in the region. The Kozia Góra Shelter is not only a place to stay overnight but also an important landmark in the history of tourism in the Silesian Beskids, combining architectural, cultural, and natural elements that attract tourists from all over Poland and abroad.