Zwardoń

Zwardoń
Village
Catholic church
Zwardoń
Coordinates: 49°31′N 18°59′E / 49.517°N 18.983°E / 49.517; 18.983
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Silesian
County	Żywiec
Gmina	Rajcza
Elevation	690 m (2,260 ft)
Population	1,000

Zwardoń [ˈzvardɔɲ] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Rajcza, within Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in the Zywiec Beskids mountain range in southern Poland, on the border with Slovakia. It lies approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) west of Rajcza, 25 km (16 mi) south-west of Żywiec, and 82 km (51 mi) south of the regional capital Katowice. The village is mostly known for mountain tourism and as a border crossing point. In 1884, a railway line to Čadca was opened. Even though Zwardoń lies in Silesian Voivodeship, it historically belongs to Lesser Poland. The village has a population of approximately 1,000.

Zwardoń, located at the elevation of 690 meters above sea level, is placed between three mountain passes - Przysłop, Zwardońska and Graniczne. Until 1975, the village was administratively tied with Kraków and Lesser Poland. In 1975 - 1999, it belonged to Bielsko-Biala Voivodeship, and after the territorial reform of Poland in 1999, it became part of Silesian Voivodeship, even though historically it does not belong to Silesia. Zwardoń has a rail station along the historic Galician Transversal Railway, which connects Żywiec and other Polish cities with Slovakian town of Zilina, and further on, Vienna. Since the construction of the line, Zwardoń has been a border station, and the crossing was closed down in 2007, due to Schengen Agreement. The village is also located on the Expressway S69, which goes from Bielsko-Biała to Slovakia.