Kotarz is a summit that hides one of the most beautiful meadow panoramas in the Silesian Beskids. Rising above Szczyrk-Solisko, its wide open glades offer views of the Skrzyczne massif that are hard to match anywhere else in the region. This is a place for those seeking quiet, open space and contact with wild nature rather than crowds.

The slopes descending toward the Żylica valley are covered with open meadows, perfect for a summer picnic with a view, while the western slopes, covered in beech-spruce forest, hide rocky scree and rifts. On the side ridge stretch Hala Jaworowa and a neighboring saddle between elevations 918 m and 828 m — places with centuries-old shepherding traditions, where hundreds of sheep were still grazed in the 20th century. In spring and summer, foxglove blooms here in one of the largest populations in Poland, while autumn brings mist and beech colors. It's also an important ecological corridor for wolves and other large mammals, so it's worth staying calm and mindful while hiking.

How to reach the summit

• From Salmopolska Pass — approx. 50 min, easy route
• From the saddle below Klimczok — approx. 2 h 10 min, moderate route
• From Brenna — approx. 2 h, moderate route

Practical information

• A telecommunications relay mast stands on the summit and upper part of the meadows
• The area lies within the Silesian Beskids Landscape Park, so nature protection rules apply
• The region is a refuge for protected species — the Ural owl, bats, and rare plants such as common polypody and clubmosses

The name Kotarz most likely derives from the Slavic word chotár, meaning a communal boundary — here, the ridge separating Brenna from Szczyrk — though folk tradition also links it to sheep lambing season on mountain pastures.