Gruba Buczyna (1132 m a.s.l.), also known as Kikula, is a forested border summit in the Pilsko Group of the Beskid mountains, straddling the Polish-Slovak frontier. What makes it truly special is that its very peak marks the Great European Watershed — rainwater falling on one side flows north to the Baltic Sea, while on the other it heads south to the Black Sea.
The summit is covered in dense beech forest, and the ridge descending towards the Bystra valley is broken up by small clearings and patches of windthrow — evidence of the powerful foehn winds that sweep through here. It is a quiet, unhurried place: expect birdsong, the scent of forest floor, and a refreshing coolness even in summer. In winter the ridge fills with snow and takes on a moody, remote character. The Polish slopes of Gruba Buczyna belong to the village of Złatna in the Ujsoły commune.
How to reach the summitThe alternative name 'Kikula' comes from the Vlach (Wallachian) language and simply means 'an overgrown mountain' — a modest name for a peak that quietly divides the waters of an entire continent.