Zawoja

Oldest Mentions and Ownership

The origins of Zawoja are connected with the migrations of Vlach shepherds, who cleared forests and grazed sheep in the Skawica river valley. For a long time, these areas did not have the status of an independent village and were treated as the upper part of neighboring Skawica. The first documented mention of Zawoja as a separate settlement dates back to 1646, from the inspection documents of the Lanckorona starosta. The name of the village probably comes from the Daco-Romanian word 'zavoiu', meaning a wetland forest over a steep river bend. For centuries, Zawoja was part of the royal estates. Over time, it became the property of the Habsburgs, and in 1924 Karol Stefan Habsburg sold these lands to the Polish Academy of Learning, which initiated its development as a tourist center.

Events and Spatial Changes

Zawoja is characterized by a chain spatial layout typical for Vlach settlements. Buildings stretch for kilometers along the Skawica river valley, and the lands of individual farms extend in strips from the river up to the higher slopes. In the 19th century, small industry developed in the village – iron forges, sawmills, fulling mills, and watermills operated here. In 1847, the village was struck by a tragic epidemic of typhus and cholera. The turn of the 19th and 20th centuries brought the transformation of Zawoja into a popular summer resort. Numerous villas and boarding houses were built at that time. In 1954, the Babia Góra National Park was established here to protect the unique nature of the highest peak of the Western Beskids.

The Robber's Name

According to local folk tales, the name of the village Zawoja may derive from the word 'zabój' (murder/killing), referring to robbers who allegedly hid in the inaccessible local forests at the foot of Babia Góra and attacked merchants. Another folk etymology connects the name with 'zawoje', or characteristic headscarves once worn by local women.

As told by: Local legends and folk etymologies