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About Zakopane
Zakopane is Poland's premier centre of mountain hiking and skiing. Although its local population is only about 30,000, Zakopane is visited by a staggering 2 million tourists a year. Situated in the Malopolska Voivodship, in the southern part of the Podhale region, Zakopane lies at the feet of the Tatra Mountains the only alpine mountain range in this part of Europe. Zakopane lies in big glen between the main Tatra range and Gubalowka Hill.
Zakopane is Poland's highest town: its municipal region extending from 750 to 1000 m above sea level. The highest peak in the area of the town is Mt. Swinica which is 2301 metres above sea level, with the highest peak in the whole of the Polish Tatras, Mt. Rysy, reaching 2499 m above sea level. The central point of the town - the crossroads of Krupowki St. and Kosciuszki St. are 838 m above sea level.
The very first documents mentioning Zakopane come from the 17th century, and describe the Zakopisko glade. Its later history was connected with the development of mining and metallurgy industries and then with the progress of health service and tourism. It gradually evolved from a little village to the region's health-resort and ultimately a reasonable-sized town, named the winter capital of Poland.
There are plenty of museums in the town, the most significant and oldest being The Tatra Museum. There is also the Natural History Museum of Tatra National Park and biographical museums of famous Polish artists, among them great composer Karol Szymanowski, the poet Jan Kasprowicz, and the artist Wladyslaw Hasior.
Tourists can visit numerous exhibitions and local craft and fine art galleries. There are also several artistic schools and, most famously, The Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz Theatre.
Mountain Culture is explored in The Tatra Folk Centre. Zakopane has become something of a mecca for mountain culture beyond Poland's borders, with the folk culture of mountaineers from all continents being celebrated at the annual International Festival of Highland Folklore every September.
In Zakopane the newspaper Tygodnik Podhalanski (The Podhale Weekly) is published every Thursday. It is distributed all over the Podhale region and even among the Polish citizens of Chicago. There is also a local broadcasting station, Radio Alex (FM 72,26 and 105,2 Mhz).
About Poland Positioned at the centre of Europe, Poland has known turbulent and violent, as well as prosperous times. There have been periods of independence as well as periods of domination by other countries. Several million Polish people, half of them Jews, died in World War II.
In 1989 Poland became the first of the eastern European countries to overthrow Communist rule, following years of demonstrations, strikes and underground political movement led by the Trades Union movement Solidarity. Despite strong Russian objections, Poland joined Nato in 1999 and has been formally invited to join the EU in 2004.
Poland has achieved some success in creating a market economy and attracting foreign investment. However, unemployment is high and incomes and growth low. The huge farming sector is unwieldy and very inefficient, many farms still retaining their medieval land divisions into inefficient, long strips. In spite of this, Poland's agricultural output is greater than that of Great Britain, France and Italy combined, which is why future EU subsidy levels have been a major area of controversy. Corruption has been singled out by the European Commission as a particularly major problem which must be urgently addressed, as well as the necessity to improve border controls.
The Roman Catholic church, a very strong force in Polish life, has expressed concern that modern lifestyles are corrupting moral values. The church has been involved in heated debates over issues such as worship in schools and abortion. | |
| Facts & figures |
Population: 39 million
Capital: Warsaw
Major language: Polish
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 68 years (men), 77 years (women)
Monetary unit: 1 zloty = 100 groszy
Main exports: Machinery and transport equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals
Average annual income: US $11,300
Internet domain: .pl
International dialling code: +48
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 | | "I would suggest you to buy tourist trails maps sold in kiosks/library in Zakopane and surroundings .They are for most of them in polish and english language.Otherwise, there are websites like www.tpn.pl or others,where you can get and print maps.If you need any other info about your future coming and about accomodation, please do feel free to ask again on info@ogrodygorskie.pl .I would be happy to help" | Lorek
Poland
Jun.10.2010
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "Hi, we would like to hill waking in the mointains .Could you suggest the best map or book to buy.
" | Billy Coyle
United Kingdom
Jun.07.2010
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "Hi John, most of the bars have not prepared anything for the World Cup as mostly because Poland team will not be part of this World Cup. But some may decide in few weeks to install screen in their bar/restaurant.Otherwise, there is the bar/restaurant SPORT CORNER which for sure will show the World cup matches.
Also, if you are looking for comfy accomodations at affordable price for all 8 of you for your coming in June, please do contact us on info@ogrodygorskie.pl
" | Adamek
Poland
May.26.2010
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "8 of us will be hiking in June, any advice for a good bar to watch World Cup games " | John
United Kingdom
May.22.2010
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Hello,do feel free to contact us if you are looking to get any information about Zakopane,also if you need advices or help to book comfortable accomodation and transfers to/from the airport;our email address: info@ogrodygorskie.pl " | Adamek
Poland
May.09.2010
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Me too I know a lot of mountains in Europe mostly.
Now about Zakopane:there is less snow but it is possible to ski on some Kasprowy slopes(check out www.pkl.pl)
spring is there but everybody's mind is on Tragical loss of 96 polish persons on president plane crash.God bless forever Poland and their people!" | Adamek
Poland
Apr.14.2010
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "i really know a lot of mountans
" | jackie
United States
Apr.13.2010
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "Latest info on Zakopane: Snow is back , it has fallen at bottom hill at least 10 cm of fresh snow since 12 hours, so a lot more on slope and high mountain.It should snow few days more according to weather forecast.But will it be enough to have ski slopes reopened and have good ski conditions a sthe temperaature is about 3 on bottom hill.Check websites like nosal.pl, pkl.pl, szymoszkowa.pl ...to be sure that slopes may be opened for skiing." | Lorek
Poland
Apr.06.2010
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "Let me assure - no snow now. Still the mountains look beautiful and are good for walking." | Robin
United Kingdom
Apr.03.2010
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "Of course, I am not GOD to affirm you that there will be a lot of snow in April and very good ski conditions but however, Zakopane is made of so many slopes that you can find your delights in (Kasprowy) and around Zakopane(Bialka, bukowina, male ciche, Jurgow...and Slovakia slopes nearby).For your information, the snow was disappearing for 1 week with 10 degre temperature by day, and today, it has fallen 30 cm grounds since morning.Let 's hopeit will last.If you have any wonder about accomodation, please do feel free to conatct me by replying to this review.i check regularly.Bye now " | lorek
Poland
Mar.05.2010
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "I have been to Zak a few times skiing usualy Feb time, this year we are looking to visit April 9th Ive heard the ski lifts are all open but not sure about the snow- can anyone tell me if its worth coming out then to ski ie Bialka / Kasprowi " | Nigel
United Kingdom
Mar.01.2010
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "To get to Morskie Oko from Zakopane, you have to go to Palenica Bialczanska, where a huge car park is situated. The best idea is to take the PKS bus (which in the high season runs several times a day; the journey takes about 50 minutes), the mini bus (bus stops are situated near the PKS Coach and PKP Railway Stations; 35 minutes) or a car. From here the tourist may either access Morskie Oko on foot walking a tiring distance of eight kilometres or take a horse-drawn carriage (in summer) / a sleigh (in winter). " | valdek
Poland
Feb.11.2010
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Are you able to assist by giving directions to Morskie Oko since i've been unable to find directions on http://en.mappy.com/ or a map" | Denis Maingard
South Africa
Feb.03.2010
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "hi, i hear the markets in zakopane are well worth a visit. does anyone know if they are on all the time - due to visit 8 Feb. thanks" | Mary
United Kingdom
Jan.31.2010
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "I have been to Zak several times, brilliant place. There used to be a great flea market on a small plaza just off Krupowki,near a small park, it wasn't there on the last couple of visits. Does any one KNOW if it has moved or just ceased to be?" | michael
United Kingdom
Jan.28.2010
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "Hello Darren, do you have any idea in which kind of shop that Magda is working?Clothes, drugstore, restaurant...?Did she finish work at about 23.00 on that 8/01 or was she at bus station on a day off?I would like to help you but need more info from your side if possible.
" | LOREK
Poland
Jan.25.2010
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "i met a great girl , magda, at midnight on 8th of jan at bus station, but i gave her wrong phone number ,,she works in a small shop .. can anyone hepl me get my correct number to her" | darren power
Ireland
Jan.10.2010
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "this page is wierd" | fransis
United States
Jan.01.2010
rates this page 1/5 |
| | "I offer help with plane transfers, accomodation in Zakopane, ski lessons, mountain guiding and other services. Don't hesitate to contact me." | Zakopane Info
Poland
Dec.22.2009
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "we went to zakopane early last year and we had a good time exploring the town and gubalowka hill even if only for a day" | george a
United Kingdom
Nov.07.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "we went to zakopane early last year and we had a good time exploring the town and gubalowka hill even if only for a day" | george a
United Kingdom
Nov.07.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "I offer ski instructing for beginners and advanced skiers. Slopes in and around Zakopane. As a ski-instructor I help with arranging ski buses, ski rental and other services. In case of worse weather or simply for a day off I'll take you for hiking in the Tatra Mountains - I am a mountain guide, as well. sts73@o2.pl" | Skiing in Zakopane
Poland
Oct.23.2009
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "I would recommend anyone to get the Zakopane Life city map and Zakopane Life trails or paths map before starting any visit around.And if you need comfy accomodation at affordable price, contact us after visiting www.ogrodygorskie.pl . As well, if you need any information about your future visit at Zakopane, please do feel free to contact us.We would be pleased to answer and help you.See you soon" |
United States
Aug.28.2009
rates this page 5/5
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| | "helo, me lydié from polski. me loves zakopane, i born here. my schol is good and i has many good friends. nice places to come and many happy lovey peoples to meet. hope my can see you soon, i am mayors child. my is 15years. loves lydié
PS. zakopane is 'superb' for the skii" | Lydié
Poland
Mar.25.2009
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "hi there i will be in zakopane this sunday first march and i will like to know polish woman...sunday i will be in mac donald at 7 pm..
kisses" | ROSS
Italy
Feb.27.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "hi does anyone know a ania-schiele-slowinska she from warszawa she a relation to me anyone knows her send me please her e-mail address thank you" | karl schiele
United Kingdom
Feb.27.2009
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "hi my name is karl my dad and grandad are from zakopane my grandad was famous in the 2nd world war he flew the supermarine spitfire sqt tadeusz schiele 308 squard he also an anthor he written blisko nieba and wspinaczki po churmach he lived at 8 w piaseckiego zakopane. anyone whos family knew him or even seen to e-mail on my address l never got to see him l did get to see his grave he buried with his father kazimerz which is my dads name also. my great grand father was a twin aleksander they where from warszawa but buried in zakopane and had 7 other brothers feliks,piotr,pawel,ryszarsd,jerzy,arkadiusz," | karl schiele
United Kingdom
Feb.27.2009
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "Eh I lieve in Poland and i must tell you true, in my country politic situations is not good, so our touristic is in low level." | Elsiv
Poland
Feb.22.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Zakopane is a wonderful place for a skiing holiday - nosal very good for begginers with english and polish speaking instructors' Not much english spoke there but we manage to get by and it doesn,t spoil the holiday at all - travelled with a group of people aged from 9yrs - 48yrs (including teenagers)
and everyone enjoyed it. Bset to book indepently it works out a lot cheaper when you 'do it yourself'" | Diane Handley
United Kingdom
Feb.22.2009
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "How cold is it in Zakopane in mid Feb? What type clothes do i need to bring a.for walking around the town day/night?
b. skiing(beginner)?
Also are there laser bank machines?" | KELSEY
Ireland
Jan.31.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | ""What are Zakopanes slopes like for a complete beginner?
Are there green slopes?
Are instructors English speaking?
Is it a good for kids?
Phew! lots of questions! Thanks ;-)
" | Emily
Ireland
Jan.08.2009
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Hi all, Only back from Zakopane for the New Year and I fell in love with the place, Ideal for a winter holiday and I have heard the same for a summer holiday, :-) hopefully soon.. would recommend it to anyone. food,people everything was great. " | Julie
Ireland
Jan.07.2009
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "Was in Zakopane end Jan 2008. Went with a group sking and has a great time. Planning on going again - Can anyone tell me when the school holidays are in Jan/Feb 2008 ? Also if anyone knows nice Hostels / Hotels in the town centre please send me details brendan.murray@intel.com" | Brendan i
Ireland
Nov.06.2008
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "Hi, I stayed in a lovely modern apartament in Zakopane that I would definately recommend. Close to the city centre and close to the ski lifts. I had a lovely time, Zakopane is a really beautiful place to spend not only in winter but in summer too. I have the owers email address... holmarta@interia.pl for anyone visiting." | Basia
Australia
Oct.14.2008
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "Hope to go skiing for new years. Is the snow good in zakopane this time of year? " | Elaine
Ireland
Sep.11.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "IM GOING OUT TO ZAKOPANNE ON 20 SEPT ON A HIKING TRIP THE ALL IRELAND FOOTBALL FINAL IS ON THE NEXT DAY DOES ANY ONE KNOW OF ANY BARS WERE I COULD WATCH THE GAME? CHEERS." | MICKY
Ireland
Sep.05.2008
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "Freddie, dress well, if you're going to visit the high mountains, the temperature falls downto about 0 deg. Celcius (don't forget heavy duty shoes)... if you intend to walk up and down Krupówki (general shopping alley) casual shoes and a raincoat is enough :-) I'm visiting Zakopane this weekend - can't wait!" | michal
United States
Sep.02.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "My first trip to Zakopane, Poland region. Should I dress for Winter, from NYC need to know" | Freddie
United States
Aug.19.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "My dad was born in Poland and came to the USA in the 1930's. I have never visited Poland but hope to someday. My question, where can I find the traditional shoes made in Zakopane? Thanks." | Elona Gentile
United States
Aug.10.2008
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "wonderful place! Have been in search of the white stuff for some time now and everywhere we have booked disappointed us with either no snow or an abysmal few piles of sludge. NOT ZAKOPANE though. Wow, excellent, Knee deep in the stuff and my grandaughter loved it too. Bought a wonderful warm leather hat for hubby from one of the huge array of little kiosky type shops that line the main street. Well recommended and will return as we love Krakow as well. Go, it's beautiful." | jane abbott
United Kingdom
Aug.10.2008
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "does marc from ireland have an email address going to krakow 9th august would like to email him" | dave
Ireland
Jul.28.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "I anyone needs any help planning their trip. Where ever it be in Poland, please feel free to call me on 0048501541212. I'm an Irish guy that's been living in Poland 12yrs now, and Irish guys like to help. P.S next few weeks should be fairly cold in Zakopane. But this Polish winter has proved one of the warmest on record for some years. " | Marc
Poland
Mar.09.2008
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "Great place, love it.. Friendly and nice. Well worth going winter or summer." | Scott
United Kingdom
Mar.03.2008
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "Been 10 times now. Summer and winter. Take our dog in summer. Usually camp in summer - try gazdowka chalets. Awesome in winter. Off back on Thursday. No snow though at minute.
Where can i pre book a kulig - altius have not repsonded to me despite 5 phonecalls and 7 emails" | Emma Hamilton
United Kingdom
Feb.26.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Does anybody know of any cute cabins in Zakopane with a view of the mountains to stay in during the summer? I would like it to be close to the mountains (for hiking) and not far from the centre. Thank you." | Natalie
United States
Feb.22.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "the only reason i first went to poland was my job. to be honest i did not want to go i had the idea in my head it was a grey dump of a place. how wrong i was i fell in love with poland on my first trip some 150 visits later i love it even more." | villian
United Kingdom
Feb.12.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "hey kasra, i just3got back from zakopane snowboarding trip. the snow was quite sparce but it has been snowing since we got back and is pretty good now.
we flew to krakow airport with Central Wings and they aredoing some good deals now.
I wish i could go back out there now but have to wait until next year. One of the best holidays i ever had. i love the place so much! " | stevie
United Kingdom
Jan.30.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Hi,
Is there anybody who can help me for managing a trip for skiing to Zakopane?
is the weather good mid or late February for skiing??" | kasra
Netherlands
Jan.17.2008
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "Strona polska jest dosyc dobrze zrobiona ale moim zdaniem jezlei chcesz pojechac do zakopanego czy polski bardzo wazne jest pokazanie miasta i kraju widokowo
ludzie chca wiedziec gdzie jada,jst to troche trudno otworzyc i gdzie mozna pozyczyc auta ,jakie i za ile bo czesto jadac do polski porzyczamy auta w niemczech a dlaczego?. to tyle jestem urodzona zakopianka i do polsi jezdze co 2a lata ale polski internet nie dziala zbyt dobrze dlatego korzystamy z serwisu niemiec bo szybcie latwiej taniej a dlaczego? my tez mamy duze mozliwosci. " | HALINA SUZANSKI
Australia
Jan.07.2008
rates this page 2/5 |
| | " I have a hand carved chess set in my
possession, with the name carved inside
Pauset I am having trouble with the last
name it looks like Szcrerbol. Any Help?" | Dolores Gatward
United States
Dec.11.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
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