The Low Beskids – healing water and green walking trails in the old land of the Lemko people.
What a wonderful scenery it is, even in the rain, with all the hues of green climbing up the hills, said Andrzej Stasiuk, the greatest enthusiast and ambassador of the Low Beskids and author of a collection of short stories, entitled Dukla, nominated for the Nike Literary Award.
This mountain range located at the outskirts of the Western Carpathians, constitutes the border with the Eastern Carpathians which begin in the Bieszczady. The Low Beskids link the Podkarpackie and Małopolskie Regions, running from the valleys of the Osława and Osławica to the valley of the Biały Dunajec. They have a reputation of the wildest Polish mountains. This land in the past was inhabited by the ethnic group of Lemko people. Travellers can encounter their traces, and in fact not only in the form of exhibits on display in the Museum of Lemko Culture in Zyndranowa.
The Low Beskids attract those who love untrodden paths and those wishing to escape noisy cities. Indeed, they will find an ideal refuge at the foot of Mount Liwocz, in the vicinity of the tiny villages hidden in the forests of the Magura National Park. From the scenic tower on top of Mount Cergowa (716 m), the highest summit in the area, they can look towards the Dukla Pass (and the border crossing in Barwinek), which witnessed the bloodiest battle on Polish soil during World War II. Tourist trails in the Low Beskids lead to places of great battles, relics of old villages and to lovely Greek Catholic churches, as well as historical landmarks related to oil industry, dating from the time when exploration of these mountains was started by Ignacy Łukasiewicz, who also invented the kerosene lamp.
Along the trails there are caves and such unique places as the Devil's Stone near Folusz. There are rare species of fauna and flora, and healing mineral waters in Rymanów-Zdrój and Iwonicz-Zdrój.
All this means that a hiking trip in the Low Beskids may be a real adventure. In the late summer you can also get the flavour of this region during the Trailing of the Sheep Festival in Nowy Łupków near Komańcza when shepherds bring their herds down from the mountains. On this occasion you simply must try the delicious sheep cheese at the fair.