The hostel is situated under the Groń of John Paul II peak in the Beskid Andrychowski, in the eastern part of the Beskid Mały. The current name of the peak (formerly Jaworzyna) was informally given in 1981 at the initiative of an activists of the Wadowice PTTK branch, and has officially been in use since 1st January 2004. It is the only peak in the world named after the Polish Pope. Karol Wojtyła often hiked to the top of Jaworzyna and the nearby Leskowiec, and often stayed in the hostel, also as a bishop.
The hostel is misleadingly called "Pod Leskowcem" e.g. under the Leskowiec mountain, which lies near the peak. However, during the construction of the hostel, the present Groń of John Paul II was called Leskowiec. An error crept into the cartographic documents of Austrian surveyors who were drawing maps of the area before the World War I, and the nearby Beskid peak was then called Leskowiec, and the appropriate Leskowiec was called Jaworzyna. The error remained, and over the years people got used to the new names.
The hostel was built at the initiative ofactivists of the Wadowice PTT branch, straight after the creation of their circle in 1926. But it was not until the spring of 1932 that they managed to buy a part of the pasture under the Jaworzyna peak. The construction of the building lasted only a few months and as soon as on 3rd September of the same year, it was officially opened, and on 1st November the inauguration of the first ski season took place.
The construction of the hostel was personally supervised by the then President of the Wadowice PTT branch - Czeslaw Panczakiewicz, after whom the hostel was named on the 70-year anniversary in 2002.
Originally, the facility was a quite small cabin on foundations. However, it was the first hostel in this part of the Beskid Mały and due to the great interest of tourists, it quickly needed to be expanded.
During World War II, the building was taken over by Beskiden-Verein, and guests were no longer hosted there. At that time, it was Jan Targosz who was taking care of the building, and when in 1945 it was to be burned by German troops, the housekeeper offered them moonshine and they decided not to burn it.
In recent years, the building was completely renovated and expanded, thanks to which it now meets tourists' increasing demands, and because of John Paul II's pilgrimage movement to Groń, it has become one of the most popular facilities in this part of the Beskid Mountains.
At present, the hostel offers 32 beds in 3-, 4- and multi-person rooms. PTTK discounts are accepted, and there is a special offer for holders of the Voluntary Blood Donor Card. The housekeepers can offer their guests home-made meals. Summer and winter camps, as well as New Year Eve parties are also organised there. A nearby ski lift is an additional attraction.
Contact details:
Address: Schronisko Górskie PTTK na Leskowcu
34-206 Krzeszów
Phone number: 033 872 16 94, 0-606 743 880
schroniskoleskowiec@gmail.com
www.leskowiec.pttk.pl
Halina i Jan Lizak are the housekeepers of the hostel.
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