Białka lies in the valley of the Skawica River, along the road to Zawoja. The chapel, church, wayside shrine and cholera cemetery add various historical points of reference to this geographical setting. Two scales are useful for planning your trip: Białka as a place in its own right and the wider municipality of Maków Podhalański. The buildings and historical sites are part of the local perspective; the marked hiking trails relate to the municipality.
Valley village and municipal area
Białka is one of six villages in the municipality of Maków Podhalański. The municipality also includes the town of Maków Podhalański and the villages of Grzechynia, Juszczyn, Kojszówka, Wieprzec and Żarnówka. The town and villages together form the wider regional setting, while Białka should be considered as a single place. Five marked PTTK hiking trails run through the municipal area. If you would like to include a hike in your stay, check the precise route of the trail you select. The number of trails describes the municipal-level context; for planning your day, the route of the specific trail is what matters. Białka’s location along the road to Zawoja answers a different question from the choice of a hiking trail.
Chapel, church and wayside shrine
The brick chapel from the 19th century has a small bell turret on its roof. A roof turret is a small tower-like structure on a roof; here, it is one of the chapel’s distinctive features. The brick Church of the Protection of Families of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Najświętszej Maryi Panny Opiekunki Rodzin) was built in 1985. Its main altar contains a copy of the image of Our Lady of Maków (Matki Boskiej Makowskiej). There is also a stone wayside shrine dating from 1865 at Rola Madejowa in Białka. The buildings can be compared by their distinct features: a roof turret, an image in the altar, and a stone wayside shrine with an exact date. Their dates also offer different points of reference: the chapel is placed in the 19th century, while the wayside shrine and church are dated to 1865 and 1985, respectively.
Historical traces
The first mention of Białka dates from 1564, when Starosta Stanisław Wolski recorded the place during an inspection of the Lanckorona starosty. This date marks its first mention, not necessarily the year the village was founded. It should therefore be distinguished from the construction dates: 1865 refers to the wayside shrine, 1985 to the construction of the church, while the chapel is dated generally to the 19th century. Białka also has a cholera cemetery, adding another historical site to the religious buildings.
Accommodation and practical planning
The “Zadoil” motel is located at Białka 552 and has 28 overnight places. There is a playground at the M. Kopernik Primary School (Szkoła Podstawowa im. M. Kopernika), at Białka 334. If you would like to include it in your day’s plans, check locally whether it is currently in operation. This way, you can inquire about the specific accommodation and consider the playground separately in your plans.
Discover more destinations: Krzeszów, Sucha Beskidzka, Grzechynia, Lachy, Zembrzyce, Lachowice, Bienkówka, Kurów.
Return to the main travel overview: Sucha.
