Babia Góra – a mountain massif in the Babia Góra Range belonging to the Beskid Żywiecki in the Western Beskids (according to Slovak terminology, these are the Oravské Beskydy Mountains). The highest peak is Diablak (1724 m asl, „Devil’s Peak”), often also called Babia Góra, like the entire massif.
It is the highest peak of the Western Beskids and, apart from the Tatra Mountains, the highest peak in Poland, the second most prominent (after Śnieżka).
It is included in the Crown of Polish Mountains.
The height and prominence of the Babia Góra massif resulted in it being called the Queen of the Beskids in the 19th century. Due to the very changeable weather, it was also called the Mother of Bad Weather.
The Polish border with Slovakia runs through the peak, which offers a beautiful panorama of the Tatra Mountains, Beskids, Sudetes, and, in good weather, the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. There is a stone altar, an obelisk commemorating John Paul II and Joseph Habsburg and a figure of Our Lady Queen of Babia Góra.
To protect against the strong wind, a stone wall was built here.
Babia Góra is the only massif in the Polish Beskids with high-mountain features.
In 1954, the Babia Góra National Park was established in the Babia Góra massif (together with the Diablak peak). In recognition of its valuable natural values, Babia Góra National Park was included on January 17, 1977 by UNESCO on the list of world biosphere reserves.
The higher parts of the massif are known for very changeable and capricious weather, which has caused many strays and accidents, including fatal ones, among tourists and skiers. In summer, violent storms on its peak are particularly dangerous, in winter – snow hurricanes, there is an avalanche risk in some parts of the hiking trails, and strong winds often blow on exposed peaks and passes.
