Visiting the Tri-Nation Point

During our mini-VT Meet in Tychy, we, Matt, Urszula, Ali, Co, my wife and I, drove towards the Tri-Nation Point – a place where the borders of three countries meet: Poland, the Czech Republic and Slolvakia.
Jaworzynka was the last Polish village on the way to the well-known sight. We decided to make a short stopover and to enjoy the views from the hill.

Jaworzynka is a village in Istebna Community, Cieszyn County of Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. The village is in Silesian Beskid mountain range, near to the borders with the Czech Republic and Slovakia, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia.

Visiting the Regional Folklore Museum, Jaworzynka

We managed to visit “Na Grapie” Regional Museum in Jaworzynka, although it was a museum day off. I simply saw that several kids were entering the door and decided totry entering the museum as well asking for a chance to have a museum tour. The museum guide kindly agreed, and we visited all the halls and premises of the museum.

The museum was founded in 1993. The memorial plaque attached to the wall of the museum reads that Jerzy Rucki (1919-2001) was the museum founder. He was a poet, a writer and a great lover of Cieszyn Silesia. Jerzy Rucki was born in Jaworzynka. During the World War II he found himself in Switzerland, where he spent the rest of his life, recalling his beloved mountains. He wrote stories and poems about Jaworzynka, using the archaic dialect of Istebnian highlanders. His rich legacy includes books of poems, collections of memoirs and the museum itself.

The village name derived from sycamore tree ( in Polish: jawor) and is a diminutive form of the tree name.
The village residents celebrated the 400th anniversary of their village in 2021.

Visiting the Regional Folklore Museum, Jaworzynka

The museum displays an authentic collection of artifacts representing the former life of local highlanders, their traditional activities: agriculture and smithery. There are also many embroidered articles here. The traditional style embroidery is represented. There is also a traditional old wooden cottage with a stove (there was no chimney), a smithy workshop and a stable.

Visiting the Regional Folklore Museum, Jaworzynka

We saw original highlanders’ costumes and works of local artists, including the wonderful wooden high reliefs representing the scenes from the village life.

Visiting the Regional Folklore Museum, Jaworzynka

The museum staff organizes workshops of traditional crafts. Visitors learn how to make butter in a special churn, how to manufacture traditional leather footwear called “kyrpce” or how to make a basket out of spruce roots.
Two regional amateur performance groups are connected with the museum: “Mali Zgrapianie” ensemble and “Zgrapianie” singing group. Their vivid performances based on traditional dances, games, and rituals are presented during occasional events.
We were surprised to know that there are several guesthouses in Jaworzynka.

The Tri-Nation Point

The Tri-Nation Point is a place where the borders of three countries meet: Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is a starting point of 541 km of Slovak-Polish border and 251 km of Slovak-Czech border. Such point is not the only one on the map of Europe.

The Polish-Czech-Slovakian Tri-Nation Point is on confluence of the Lužická Nisa River and the Oldřichovský Brook.
There is a symbolic triangular obelisk on each of the three sides of this point, a restaurant on the Czech side and a hotel under construction on the Polish side. The Slovak point and the roads leading to it from Slovakia are still under construction.

Visiting the Polish obelisk at the Tri-Nation Point

Visiting the Czech obelisk at the Tri-Nation Point

Visiting the Slovakian obelisk at the Tri-Nation Point

According to the story on the Czech side information board, this mountainous area stretches from popular Jablunkov area in the north, to the distinctive hill country of Wallachia and its main city, Vsetin to the south.

The main crest of the Moravian-Silesian Beskydy winds from Velky — Polom (1069 m) to Radhot (1129). All in all, there are 22 peaks higher than 1000 m above sea level. The towering Lysa Hora – Bald Mountain (1323 m high) - is the highest in the range.
The Beskyds Protected Landscape Area covers 1160 km . This area has ideal conditions for recreation both in summer and in winter.
The Radhost Mountain and the mountain pass at Pustevny Mountain are the most popular destinations here. You can take a chair lifts up to the Pustevny Peak (“Hermitage Peak”) and to Javorovy Peak “Sycamore Peak”).
There are larger ski facilities at Pustevny, Velky Polom, Grdii, Bumbalka, Lysa Hora, Visalaje, Solaii, Velké Karlovice, and Bila.
The summer season draws visitors to Baska and Olesna Reservoirs.

There are many historical sites in the area, including rustic wooden churches at Guty, Prasiva, Bila and Javorovy.
There are other fascinating places in the northern foothills of the Beskyds:

• the town and castle in Hukvaldy;
• the home of composer Leos Jana¢ek;
• the urban monument reserve in Stramberk (the Sipka Caves, the museum of artist Zdenék Burian in Stramberk);
• the technological museum in Kopfivnice.

Observation towers on Bila Hora in Koprivnice, Cantorie and the famous Stramberk Tower offer a terrific view of the countryside and of the mountains. Therefore, the visit to this place requires a week or so since the sights are so numerous.

On our way back, we also paid a visit to the Czech village of Hrcava, where we saw St.Peter and St.Paul's Church, the post-office and the village council, and had a pint of real Czech beer at the local pub.

Visiting the village of Hrcava, Czech Republic

The church foundation stone.

St.Peter and St.Paul's Church, Hrcava, Czech Republic

Real draft Czech beer "Radegast" at Hospudka U Sikory, Hrcava.