Zakopane is one of the most recognized places in Poland. This is for sure due to its unique ambiance and combination of mountain tourist centre ? gate to Tatra Mountains and place cultivating old traditions. What is more since the 19th century Zakopane is also the beloved town of Polish artists ? writers, painters, poets ? some of the most significant people have made their way here, were inspired and left their own influence on this exceptional place. There is a famous cemetery ? called Pęksowe Brzyzko, where almost all the tombs are unique works of art. Many of them were created in the studio of sculptor Wladyslaw Hasior. Many famous Poles were buried at Peksowe Brzyzko; e.g., Witkacy – writer and painter, Stanislaw Marusarz and Helena Marusarzówna – masters of skiing, Kornel Makuszynski – poet, Wladyslaw Orkan – writer, Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer – poet, and Tytus Chalubinski – doctor, lover of nature, and popularizer of Zakopane. The oldest church in Zakopane is situated in front of the cemetery.
But the most of all, what attracts in Zakopane and whole Podhale region is the incredibly rich and living traditional culture of the Highlanders: the Górale. See a wedding procession filmed in Zakopane during one of our Forefathers Traces Tours.
Here, in Zakopane, just walking on the main street you will see wooden houses with beautiful, elaborate woodcarvings, you will see the people in their regional clothes walking to the church for a wedding or some holiday. Here you can taste the smoked cheese (oscypek) made from sheep’s milk in the same style as a hundred years ago. If you know Polish language you can capture the accent and dialect from here which is used in everyday conversations. And the combinations of these three faces of Zakopane is causing the millions of visitors to fall in love with this town immediately!
We will have dinner in one of the restaurants with Goral folklore music:
During our trip we will have occasion to see the old part of Zakopane with traditional houses, wooden chapel and already mentioned cemetery. We will see the Willa Koliba, the magnificent example of the architecture style created by Stanisław Witkiewicz. Finally we will take a funicular train up the Gubałówka mountain to admire the commanding views of the Tatra Mountains and the Zakopane panorama in the valley below. Finally we will wander through the local market at the foot of Gubałówka to see, smell, taste and touch local products from all over the region.
We will also try to show you the beautiful surroundings of the Podhale region, including Chochołów, a unique village or ?living museum? comprised almost exclusively of the original Polish Góral highlanders’ wooden houses.
And this is the hotel website where we will be staying for 3 nights in Zakopane area: Redyk Hotel.