Obiekty sakralne przy Głównym Szlaku Beskidzkim

Sacred sites along the Main Beskidy Trail Sacred sites are a characteristic element of the Polish Carpathians. They are investigated by numerous art historians, ethnographers and also tourists who take a great interest in them. In the mountains, sacred sites are often situated on hiking trails. The purpose of this article is to present the results of an inventory of sacred sites along the Main Beskidy Trail, and classify areas through which the trail runs. The Main Beskidy Trail is the longest tourist trail in Poland, which connects Ustroń in the Silesian Beskid Mountains and Wołosate in the Western area of the Bieszczady Mountains. 181 sacred sites were classified using criteria specified by U. Janicka-Krzywda and changed by the authors. Numerous factors have a great influence on today’s location of sacred sites on The Main Beskidy Trail. The most important factors are : settlement distribution, population density, history of the region, religious affiliation of its inhabitants, and the tourist attractiveness of a given place