Ustroń — A health resort in the Silesian Beskids Mountains, brine and mud below Czantoria
Ustroń is the only health resort in the Silesian Beskids, spread along the Vistula valley between the peaks of Czantoria Wielka and Równica. More than two centuries of spa tradition come together here with cable cars, a dense web of trails and the famous pyramid-shaped sanatoria on the slope of Równica.
What to know before you go
Ustroń is a mountain town and the only health resort in the Silesian Beskids, set in the Vistula valley at about 360 m a.s.l. between the two most popular peaks of the area: Czantoria Wielka (995 m) to the west and Równica (884 m) to the east. The town has some 16,000 inhabitants and received its municipal charter in 1956.
The healing tradition here goes back to the start of the 19th century, when baths were taken in water heated with red-hot slag from the local forges. Today Ustroń treats above all with brine and peat mud, and its calling card is the Zawodzie district with its modernist cone-shaped sanatoria, popularly known as the pyramids, stepped up the slope of Równica.
Ustroń is also one of the best-equipped corners of the Beskids for visitors. A chairlift carries walkers up Czantoria, a metal viewing tower stands on the summit, and in summer there is a toboggan run and a mountain 'beach' with sun loungers. A network of waymarked trails, including the Main Beskid Trail, allows everything from valley strolls to full-day ridge walks.
Beyond the mountains it is worth visiting the Forest Park of Surprises with its falconry displays and free-roaming animals, the Ustroń Museum in the former forge management building, the amphitheatre in the spa park, and the intimate Maria Skalicka Collection Museum. Ustroń is a comfortable base all year round, including winter, when the surrounding slopes turn into ski runs.
Places you should not miss
The most important sights of the region, each with its own guide — how to get there, when to go, practical info.
Czantoria Wielka
The most popular peak above Ustroń (995 m) with a metal viewing tower on the Polish–Czech border.
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The Czantoria cable car
A four-seat chairlift up to the Stokłosica meadow, with a summer toboggan run and a mountain 'beach'.
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Równica
A wooded peak (884 m) above Ustroń with a meadow, a mountain hut and a paragliding launch site.
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The pyramid sanatoria in Zawodzie
Modernist cone-shaped sanatoria stepped into the slope of Równica — an icon of Polish post-war architecture.
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The Forest Park of Surprises
A park on the slope of Równica with free-roaming animals, a falconry and displays of birds of prey in flight.
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The Ustroń Museum
The town museum in the former management building of the Klemens forge, devoted to the history and ironworking of Ustroń.
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The Ustroń amphitheatre
An open-air stage in the spa park, in summer the centre of cultural life in the resort — concerts and festivals.
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The Maria Skalicka Collection Museum
An intimate museum of books and art with a collection of bookplates, prints and woodcuts, and an art gallery.
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Ustroń — spa town
A foothill spa in the Silesian Beskids: concentrated iodide-bromide brine, therapeutic peat and terraced sanatoria on the slope of Równica.
Read the guide →Do you run a property in Ustroń?
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List or submit a property →Ustroń in every season
The Beskid forests waking up and mild weather make for walks along the Vistula valley and first hikes up Równica and Czantoria, while the trails are still empty.
The peak of the season: the chairlift, the summer toboggan run and the mountain 'beach' on Czantoria, concerts in the amphitheatre and the full spa programme in Zawodzie.
Golden Beskid autumn gives the best views from the Czantoria tower and the Równica ridge, and the cooler days are a good time for a brine and mud cure.
The surrounding slopes turn into ski runs, the cable car carries skiers, and the sanatoria run at full strength outside the summer season too.
How to get there and what to know
- Getting there
- Ustroń lies on the S52 expressway (the former DK1) from Katowice and Bielsko-Biała towards Wisła and Cieszyn; it is about 30 km from Bielsko-Biała.
- By train
- The town has three railway stops (Ustroń, Ustroń Zdrój, Ustroń Polana) on the line from Katowice via Skoczów to Wisła Głębce.
- Parking
- Large paid car parks are at the bottom station of the Czantoria lift, in the Zawodzie district and along the road up Równica.
- The spa
- Brine and peat-mud treatments are offered by the sanatoria in Zawodzie; some are available commercially, without a national-health referral.
- Trails
- The Main Beskid Trail passes through Ustroń; the most popular goals are Czantoria Wielka (995 m) and Równica (884 m), both with viewpoints.
How far to the sights
Approximate straight-line distances from the centre of Ustroń — calculated from real coordinates. By road it is often further.
- The Ustroń Museum
- ~557 m from the centre Ustroń (as the crow flies)
- The Ustroń amphitheatre
- ~628 m from the centre Ustroń (as the crow flies)
- Ustroń — spa town
- ~743 m from the centre Ustroń (as the crow flies)
- The pyramid sanatoria in Zawodzie
- ~1,1 km from the centre Ustroń (as the crow flies)
- The Maria Skalicka Collection Museum
- ~1,2 km from the centre Ustroń (as the crow flies)
- The Forest Park of Surprises
- ~1,5 km from the centre Ustroń (as the crow flies)
- The Czantoria cable car
- ~2,8 km from the centre Ustroń (as the crow flies)
- Równica
- ~3,3 km from the centre Ustroń (as the crow flies)
- Czantoria Wielka
- ~4,6 km from the centre Ustroń (as the crow flies)
Where Ustroń is
Frequently asked questions — Ustroń
What is worth seeing in Ustroń?
Where can you find a place to stay in Ustroń?
How much does a place to stay in Ustroń cost?
Do you run a property in Ustroń?
Add it to the guide and reach people looking for exactly this region — direct contact with the guest, a standard listing with photos costs 250 zł a year, Premium 600 zł a year.
