Old Castle in Żywiec

The Co-Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, (Polish: Konkatedra Narodzenia Najświętszej Maryi Panny), also called Żywiec Cathedral, is the main Catholic religious building in the city of Żywiec, Poland, and the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Bielsko–Żywiec. In 1470 the church was built in Gothic style and became a parish. In the sixteenth century the church was extended twice with the support of the Komorowski family, once owner of Żywiec. The first expansion took place between 1515 and 1542, with the extension of the chancel and nave. On October 9, 1547, the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Kraków with the title of the "Nativity of the Virgin Mary and St. Lawrence Martyr" in honor of the Extension Promoter church, Lawrence Komorowski. The subsequent expansion was carried out in the years 1582 to 1583 still focused on the ship, with the addition of a square tower, the Italian architect Giovanni Ricci. The church was elevated to the co-cathedral of the Diocese of Bielsko–Żywiec, simultaneously with the erection of the new diocese on March 25, 1992, with the Bull "Totus Tuus Poloniae populus" of Pope John Paul II.

Żywiec (Polish pronunciation: [ˈʐɨvjɛts], German: Saybusch) is a town on the River Soła in southern Poland with 31,194 inhabitants (2019). It is situated within the Silesian Voivodeship, near the Żywiec Lake and Żywiec Landscape Park, one of the eight protected areas in the voivodeship. Historically, the town has been part of the Lesser Poland region and is the capital of the Żywiecczyzna region, which is ethnically part of the Goral Lands.The 551231 Żywiec planetoid is named after the town.

Żywiec County (Polish: powiat żywiecki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and only town is Żywiec, which lies 64 kilometres (40 mi) south of the regional capital Katowice. The county covers an area of 1,039.96 square kilometres (401.5 sq mi). As of 2019 its total population is 152,877, out of which the population of Żywiec is 31,194 and the rural population is 121,683. The county includes part of the protected area known as Żywiec Landscape Park.

Żywiec Lake (Polish: Jezioro Żywieckie) is a reservoir on the Soła river in southern Poland, near the town of Żywiec. It was created in 1966, when several villages in the area, such as Zarzecze, Tresna, Zadziel and Old Żywiec were flooded following the construction of a dam. The lake has the area of around 10 square kilometres, and the earth-filled dam is 39 metres high and 310 metres long. The maximum depth of the lake is 26.8 metres (88 ft), and the average depth is 8.6 metres (28 ft). Near the dam there is a hydro-electric power plant with the capacity of 21 megawatts (28,000 hp). Żywiec Lake is used mostly for tourist purposes, to regulate the flow of water, and to protect the area from flooding. On November 15, 1978, at 5 a.m., two Autosan PKS buses, in a 15-minute interval, skidded while driving along the lake, and fell into icy water. The buses were carrying coal miners to work at Brzeszcze coal mine. Thirty people died, and nine survived. This tragedy is commemorated by a plaque near the bridge.

Żywiec Basin (Polish: Kotlina Żywiecka) is a lowland, located in southern Poland, between the Little Beskids to the north, Silesian Beskids to the west, Żywiec Beskids to the south and east, and Maków Beskids to the east. It has the size of around 320 km2 (120 sq mi). It is centered on the confluences of the rivers Koszarawa and Żylica with Soła close to the town of Żywiec, whence the name of the basin is derived from.

Trzebinia [tʂɛˈbiɲa] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Świnna, in Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is about 5 kilometres (3 miles) south of Żywiec and 69 kilometres (43 miles) south of the regional capital Katowice.

Zarzecze [zaˈʐɛt͡ʂɛ] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Łodygowice, within Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 2 kilometres (1 mi) south-east of Łodygowice, 5 km (3 mi) north-west of Żywiec, and 61 km (38 mi) south of the regional capital Katowice.

Bierna [ˈbjɛrna] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Łodygowice, within Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 2 kilometres (1 mi) south-east of Łodygowice, 5 km (3 mi) north-west of Żywiec, and 61 km (38 mi) south of the regional capital Katowice.

Tresna [ˈtrɛsna] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Czernichów, within Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of Czernichów, 5 km (3 mi) north of Żywiec, and 60 km (37 mi) south of the regional capital Katowice.

Pietrzykowice [pjɛtʂɨkɔˈvit͡sɛ] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Łodygowice, within Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 5 kilometres (3 mi) south of Łodygowice, 5 km (3 mi) west of Żywiec, and 64 km (40 mi) south of the regional capital Katowice. It is one of the oldest villages in Żywiec Basin. It was established in the 13th century, and in the early 14th century belonged to the Cistercian monastery in Rudy.

The Świnna rail crash, also known as Jeleśnia runaway train, was a runaway train accident involving two passenger trains on Skawina – Żywiec railway line 97 in Poland on 19 December 2005. The brakes in passenger train running from Sucha Beskidzka to Żywiec stopped operating after it entered the steep sloped section of line, reaching speed of 90 km/h and creating the threat of head-on collision with another passenger train, going in opposite direction from Żywiec to Sucha Beskidzka. Due to coordinated efforts of train dispatcher at Jeleśnia station and crew of both trains, the trains eventually collided in a controlled manner in Świnna, Silesian Voivodeship, just outside Żywiec. 2 members of train crews and 6 passengers were injured.

Wieprz (Polish: [ˈvjɛpʂ] , lit. '"Boar"') is a village in Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Radziechowy-Wieprz. It lies approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) south of Żywiec and 70 km (43 mi) south of the regional capital Katowice. It is one of the oldest villages in Żywiec Basin. It was first mentioned in Liber beneficiorum (1470-1480) as Wyeprze Maior and Wyeprze Minor.