The history of the Skalka chalet

The most impressive ridge of the Těšín Beskydy mountains on the Moravian-Slovak border is Velký Polom, which is visible from a long distance on routes approaching the Jablunkov pass. Smaller ridges run off the main ridge to the west, north, north-east and south-east, into the Lomná valley, Mosty u Jablunkova and the Kysuce river basin. To the north-east is the peak of Skalka, reaching a height of 932 m above sea level.

In 1924, the Czechoslovak Tourist Club – the national hikers’ organization – built a shelter for hikers below the summit of Velký Polom. The Český Těšín section of the German hikers’ organization ‘Beskidenverein’ then drew up plans to build its own shelter right next to the Czech one. However, they eventually changed the location, building the chalet 2 kilometres away on a south-facing meadow below the summit of Skalka.
Building work began in the spring of 1928, and the chalet was opened on 7 October in the same year. It was a large timber building with three floors including a stone-built basement and loft space. The ground floor housed a restaurant and kitchen, while the upper floors had 12 guest rooms, 3 communal bunk-rooms with 60 beds, and the same number of emergency beds. The basement contained storage areas for provisions and skis, a drying room and a bathroom. The chalet had electricity and a piped water supply. It remained open even during the Second World War, and at the end of the occupation was used to billet German soldiers. After the war it passed into the ownership of the Czechoslovak Tourist Club (Beskydy Area). From October 1994 the chalet underwent reconstruction, and it was scheduled to open to the public in February 1998, offering a restaurant and accommodation.
However, on Wednesday 7 January 1998, the chalet was completely destroyed by fire (causes unknown). Nobody was there at the time, and the fire was spotted by a hiker who happened to be passing and immediately called the fire brigade. The first fire engine reached the chalet 40 minutes later, by which time the roof had collapsed and the entire building was engulfed in flames. Skalka and the surrounding area lay under 15 cm of snow, so the chalet was difficult for the fire engines to reach. Eventually, the fire brigade managed to save some small outbuildings including the new boiler room. Thanks to the immense generosity of volunteers and hikers, the municipal authority in Mosty u Jablunkova and the town’s former mayor, other organizations and many other private donors, a new chalet was built. The restaurant was opened for Christmas 1999; the accommodation part was completed later, together with some finishing touches. The new building was constructed on the original foundations. It is a brick structure clad with timber, making it a perfect copy of the original wooden building of 1928.