Kasina Wielka. 2023-08-05
PKP Kasina Wielka. 2023 year.
Geographic coordinates: 49.719N 20.151E, elevation 570 m.
Kasina Wielka.
Kasina Wielka is a town in Poland, located in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in the Limanowa District, in the Mszana Dolna Commune. The village is a place with dispersed buildings, inhabited by about 2,800 people, mainly highlanders. Kasina Wielka is located in the Beskid Wyspowy, at an altitude of 480 - 660 m above sea level. The following mountains are nearby: Lubogoszcz, Śnieżnica, Ćwilne and Góra Wierzmanowska. The Kasinianka River, which is a tributary of the Raba River, flows through the village. The inhabitants live mainly from tourism.
Kasina Wielka was already mentioned in the Middle Ages, in the 14th century. It was first mentioned in 1398 as Kassyna. The name evolved to take the name of Kasina Wielka in 1680. The name of the village comes from the name of the acid that causes the pickling process. The name of the village was taken from the name of the river Kasina, because the village was founded later than the river received its name. The beginnings of the Kasina village are related to the activities of the Cistercian order from Szczyrzyc, who received land donations in this area during the times of Bolesław the Chaste.
Kasina Wielka is very attractive for tourists. Hiking and cycling trails run through the village. There are ski lifts here, the longest of which is a chairlift (1,300 m) on the western slope of Mount Śnieżnica. There is a historic wooden church of Saint Mary Magdalene from 1678. There is a war cemetery from the Great World War period here. There is a shrine in the Mogiła clearing from the period of World War II, made of the turret of a Polish Vickers tank, destroyed in the fighting of the defensive war in September 1939. At the top of Mount Lubomir, in 2007, the Tadeusz Banachiewicz Astronomical Observatory was launched. The observatory was built on the site of a former facility of this type and is open to the public. Accommodation for tourists is provided by agritourism farms and guest rooms.
Kasina Wielka is popular among film directors. The following films were shot here: "Katyn", "Karol. The Man Who Became Pope”, “Wołyń” and others.
Kasina Wielka is associated with sports champion Justyna Kowalczyk (born in 1983), a cross-country skier, Olympic champion and multi-medallist, World Championship champion and multi-medallist, four-time winner of the World Cup in cross-country skiing.
PKP Kasina Wielka.
The railway station (currently a passenger stop) is one of the highest stations in Poland, 570 m above sea level. But not the highest. Kasina Wielka is even ahead of the Zakopane railway station. The highest located railway passenger stop in Poland is Polana Jakuszycka, which is at an altitude of 878 m (other sources say 886 m) above sea level, located in the Szklarska Poręba Jakuszyce district in the Lower Silesian Voivodship.
The railway in Kasina Wielka was launched in 1884 as part of the Galician Transversal Railway. In the same year, a typical Austrian railway station was commissioned in Kasina Wielka. Currently (2023) there are guest rooms (apartments) in the building. In addition, two railway signal boxes and a back-up building with toilets were built.
In 1995, the Kasina Wielka railway station was downgraded to a passenger stop.
Over 70 kilometers long route, Railway line No. 104; between Chabówka - Nowy Sącz by a typical mountain route, thanks to which you can admire the beautiful views in this area. Line No. 104 has a length of 76.076 km. Only short sections from Chabowka and Nowy Sącz are electrified. On May 28, 1986, the Nowy Sącz – Marcinkowice section was electrified. On May 21, 1993, the section between Chabówka and Rabka Zdrój was electrified. In the 1990s, fast trains from Tarnów to Zakopane were hauled by diesel locomotives. Usually ST43 locomotives. Freight traffic on the route was stopped in 2000, and regular passenger traffic in 2004. Only occasional trains and RETRO trains remain.
Since the trail is single-track, there is a passing loop in Kasina Wielka. Originally there were three tracks and now there are two. There are no typical platforms at the station. You board the train from the rails.
In the period 2015 - 2022, RETRO tourist trains ran from Chabówka to Kasina Wielka. Trains ran during holidays; on Saturdays and Sundays. Due to the renovation of line No. 104, RETRO trains were directed to the Chabówka - Jordanów route.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman