An Enchanting Mountain Town in the Tatras (Zakopane)

Member Name: Praskipark

Product:	Zakopane
Date:	13/10/08 (167 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Something for everybody, friendly and eccentric mountain people,

Disadvantages: Road a bit hectic when travelling from Krakow

Zakapone is a town situated in the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland and is one of my favourite places to visit. The town has something very special even though over the years it has changed drastically. It has nature, folklore, as well as an array of entertainment options - a unique combination of tradition and modernity. Getting to Zakopane by car can be quite a challenge, especially in the skiing season when the narrow road from Krakow becomes an unending traffic jam. Parking places can be difficult to find in Zakopane during the season. It is easier and less stressful to take a train or bus that run several times a day from Krakow.

Highlanders (Mountain People)
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Zakopane is famous for its native highlanders, their unique customs and their music. You can tell a real highlander by his tight woollen leggings, embroidered around the waist and ankles, his black hat and his decorative ciupaga (Polish axe-shaped) climbing stick. Zakopane's residents make a living from tourism; they are famously hospitable and extremely open, speaking in a dialect so different in accent and vocabulary from everyday Polish, that even a native Pole finds it difficult to understand.

Krupowki Street is famous throughout Poland for its opportunities to go shopping, eat, listen to music, and generally spend money. While Zakopane is one of the most expensive places in Poland, some tourists spend their time parading up and down Krupowki Street (main shopping street) rather than tramping the hills. Shopping is every bit as much the Zakopane experience as hiking and skiing. There are several cheap restaurants, stalls selling mass produced authentic folk art and if you walk down to the lower end of the street near the Gubalowka funicular you will find even more goods for sale ( wooden spoons, hand-knitted, itchy woollen socks, whole sheepskins, wooden chess sets and sheeps cheese) but remember to bargain or you may end up paying a lot more. Although, slightly tacky, I find it great fun especially when the artists come to town, lined - up with easels ready to paint charactertures and landscapes in the most vivid of colours. The highlanders meanwhile are busy making, rather than spending money,offering sleigh rides to nearby valleys in the winter, and "green" rides in horse-drawn carriages in the summer.

Whole families take part in the tourist trade. Young children stand by the side of the road, advertising accommodation, while the women cook and the men deal with transport and organise excursions. In Zakopane, the tourist is King.

Many Years Ago
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Zakopane, as a tourist destination, was first discovered by artists and lovers of mountain climbing. In the early 1870's, many tourists visited annually. They were usually the urban intelligentsia of Poland. They flocked to Zakopane in droves to get away from Warsaw and Krakow. Fashionable spas and bohemian artists' colonies suddenly sprung up. The newcomers invented a style of villas that better suited their needs than the 'locals' humble wooden huts and congratulated themselves on participating in the last unspoilt remnant of authentic Polish culture. They would stay in Zakopane until autumn, as the long journey by highland cab took two days, discouraging tourists from shorter stays.

Everything changed on one sunny day in 1899, when the first train departed from Zakopane train station to Chabowka. Zakopane ceased to be cut off from the world, and increasing numbers of people began visiting. This was the beginning of bohemian Zakopane. Artists, who in the early 20th century often suffered from tuberculosis, used to spend many months in Zakopane.

It was the famous physician Tytus Chalubinski who promoted the fashion among the intelligentsia for visiting the Tatra Mountains. Poets and musicians came for treatment for tuberculosis, depression, even melancholia. Poets of the early 20th century found their inspiration here. It was also here that the painters Kazimierz Przerwa Tetmajer, Jan Kasprowicz and Leopold Staff created their impressionistic, poetic landscapes. Sightseeing tours of Zakopane and the Tatra mountains reveal the places that once inspired these artists.

The Zakopane Style
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The oldest historical monuments in Zakopane date back to the mid 19th century. Although the buildings were not as grand as Krakow's and sometimes visitors from the city were sometimes disappointed, tourists were still able to see, and still can, something original and special, including the highlander buildings along Koscieliska Street, and one of the most beautiful wooden sacred buildings in Poland, the Chapel on Jaszczurowka. The chapel was built during 1847-51 before the influx of outsiders arrived. It is very beautiful inside but unfortunately there is always a queue of people waiting to go in. The best time to visit is early morning when the sleepy dew is still on the ground and the cloud is low. There is a sacred silence always throughout the valley. It's crowded cemetry contains many early Zakopane enthusiasts, including Witkiewicz, inventor of the Zakopane style.

His villas, though their interiors are usually not open to the public, are worth walking around to see, especially the influential Dom Pod Jedlami (House of the Firs) built during 1896-7. Every detail of the house and furnishings was designed by Witkiewicz or his collaborators as part of an organic whole. Over a dozen historic Zakopane - style buildings still exist, designed by Witkiewicz. A visit to the Witkacy Theatre is recommended as the building is very attractive and the setting is picturesque. The theatre which was named after Witkiewicz, was founded in the1980's at the initiative of young actors, enjoys great popularity and is famous for its hospitality.

Today, Zakopane features a variety of architectural styles, both traditional and modern, folksy and industrial. In the oldest districts, you can stil find old, wooden highland cottages. In areas like Kuznice and Koziniec, several 19th century brick buildings recall the epoch of Tatran metallurgy. The centre of Zakopane has 'spa style' historic houses. Twentieth century brick houses represent various styles from eclecticism through art nouveau, modernism and functionalism to post-modernism.

Sports
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Along with summer and winter hiking tours, Zakopane is a paradise for skiers and snowboarders. In about 1906, skiing arrived in the sleepy village of Zakopane, creating a whole new industry for the region. The first hardy tourists to try the sport in Poland had to hike three hours up the mountain in order to slide back down using a single stick between their legs as a brake. It was not until the 1930's that ski lifts came into use here. By the 1950's it had become a mass market sport and a major source of income for the town. In the 1970's it became a winter sports capital, ski-jumping competitions took place here almost every week, and this continues today.

Of all the sports practised here, skiing has the largest number of enthusiasts and although Zakopane is famous in Poland for skiing, it may leave some foreign visitors underwhelmed. In spite of boasting the largest number of lifts in the country, the runs are short and overcrowded by most European standards although, fans of skiing contests marvel over the area of the Podhale Tatra mountains. In recent times Italy and Slovakia have become more attractive for Polish skiers.

On hot summer days, asphalt racing routes above the Krokiew nappe are used for training. This is a good idea for skiers who want to stay fit.


For the More Adventurous Types
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In the summer months, Zakopane experiences an invasion of extreme sports lovers. Mountain biking was once banned in the Tatra Mountains National Park, but several routes have now opened. If you visit the main tourist office in the town they will have a list of routes available. A crash helmet and pads are mandatory and a little courage would also help.

The National Park also accommodates fans of paragliding. Training for beginners takes place on the slopes of Nosal and Gubalowka.

For the less foolhardy, there is the opportunity to soar above the Tatra mountains in a small Wilga plane.

All details including prices can be obtained from the tourist office in the National Park or in the town of Zakopane.

Tatra Cuisine
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A trip into the mountains has to be highlighted by a visit to one of the highland restaurants if only to taste the delicious sheep cheeses. One of the most popular dishes with Poles is the kwasnica z zeberkami sour (sauerkraut) soup with ribs, moskole potato pancakes, and trout with garlic in butter. It can get very cold up in hills and the locals have a drink(vodka based) which is known to warm you up immediately. It is a special secret recipe and known to restore your energy and optimism. Usually in the highland bars and restaurants traditional highland music is played to restore good humour also. (or so the locals say).

Zakopane's musicians play both traditional songs and compromise between old and modern times from the Zbojnicki highland robbers' folk dance, to jazz and reggae. After a good meal and a spot of music, remember to try the delicious oscypek smoked cheese. The taste of the cheese depends on the grass and the taste of the milk. So oscypek from different pastures will have different tastes. This makes the cheese easy to fake. In the market, there are painted, soaked and dyed oscypek cheeses on sale. It is well known that the old, market women think of all kinds of tricks. I have been told by some friends that instead of smoking, small cheeses are soaked in coffee to give them colour. So my advice is to always check to see if they smell of smoke before buying. A real oscypek from sheep milk is a true delicacy. It will keep fresh for several months, so a stock from Zakopane will last ages.

The best way to eat the cheese is firstly cut the cheese into slices and brown on a very hot pan or grill. Do not add oil. These cheeses do not run while being baked. They are really delicious served with fresh bread. Alternatively, slice uncooked, and eat with a glass of vodka.

To Conclude
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In Zakopane everything is changing: highlanders throw jackets over their national dress, drive Zakopane britzkas (horse-drawn carriage), and sell highlander burgers. Tradition mixes with kitsch: inns offer old Polish cabbage with peas and cola. Although every year Zakopane experiences an invasion of tourists, you can still witness here the genuine highland mentality. One doesn't become a Polish highlander in a day. The highlander's identity is passed on from familiy to family and has done for decades. In Zakopane, known families have streets named after them. Although they live almost exclusively on tourism, their character hasn't changed. Only the life has changed: it's faster and perhaps for this reason shorter. A lot of the old people still have 'hard roots'. They enjoy excellent health because they have led a more peaceful life. In Zakopane don't be surprised if you see an 80 year old ski-instructor or a hand glider soaring above the Tatras. It's that kind of place - full of wonderful eccentric locals.

Summary: A Fantastic Location for Skiiing Hiking, Shopping. Eating and Having Fun!