Zakopane, Poland

Zakopane is the mountain region of Poland. These mountains are not the highest in Europe, or anything. But they are steep, they look rugged. And they are capped with snow year round, which adds immeasurably, in my opinion, to the grace that mountains can bring to a landscape.


History

Up until the early 17th century, the region where Zakopane is was inhabited by pastoral families, but a smelting plant opened the region up to increased population, and more job diversity. It was taken from Poland and absorbed into Austria.

It began to attract more and more people, including the first summer vacationers in the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1873, the Tatra Society, and they made a concerted effort to open up accessibility to the Tatra Mountains, this beginning Zakopane's status as a "health resort" kind of a place. It began to attract more and more attention. The natural beauty of the place, at the base of the ruggedly majestic Tatra Mountains, coupled with an ever growing reputation as a health resort, attracted more and more people, particularly artists. Zakopane remains a magnet for artists right up to the present day.

During the German occupation, Poles were prohibited from access to Zakopane, as it became a resting place for German troops. After World War II, the Communists also tried to utilize the reputation of Zakopane as a health resort, opening up numerous places for people to get well. They wanted Zakopane to be accessible to everyone. Some of these buildings are now hotels, but they have been privatized - a sign of the times, as capitalism took over in Poland as it did in so many other places.


My Visit to Zakopane

Personally, I love to travel as much as possible. See new things, do new things. Explore regions completely foreign to you.

When I found out that we were heading towards the mountains of Zakopane, I really got excited. The last time I was in such a mountain region, where the mountains are tall enough that they are crowned with snow year round, it would have been in the Pacific Northwest, and that trip was well over ten years ago!

So, yes, I was excited!

We arrived fairly late, and had trouble finding the hotel. It was too dark, and too cloudy (it was raining, if I am remembering correctly), for us to catch a real glimpse of the surrounding mountains). There was not much to do but call it a night, and get ready for the next day.

But the next day was cloudy and rainy, and it remained largely overcast for our short stay in Zakopane.

Zakopane itself is an attractive enough city. You could tell that it was more modern than, say, Krakow. But still, it was attractive. it gave out on views of the surrounding mountains, although again, the clouds really cloaked the mountains on this day, so you could really not make out the full extent of the mountains. That was unfortunate, because the mountains, both from the pictures that I saw, as well as what glimpses I did get, really are spectacular!

We walked up and down the main artery, strolling the town and taking in the sites. Stopped at a place for a bite to eat and some coffee. The rain finally stopped, but the day was still quite overcast.

One way or another, we had to make the most of it. We were only here for the day. Not even the full day, either. So, rain or shine, our visit had to be now.

We crossed over until we reached the base of Gubalowka, a hill to the northwest of Zakopane's town centre, which offers a funicular to the top of the hill to obtain a better view of the surrounding mountains.

Unfortunately, it started raining again. Hell, it was absolutely pouring! Plus, with the higher altitude, it was chillier, by far. At some point, I could see my breath!

The rain did stop, and the weather became actually quite a bit more accommodating, although it was still far too overcast to truly get a great view of the surrounding mountaintops.

I had a feeling that the clouds would dissipate, but we were on a schedule. Gubalowka has some little shops and restaurants, as well as smaller vendors and other fun activities. Plus, there are some scenic lookout spots of the surrounding mountains, although these were, unfortunately, cloaked in heavy clouds that made the scene dramatic at times later on, but which simply looked like fog as thick as pea soup while we were at the top of Gubalowka. The top of the mountain was enjoyable, but we eventually headed back down. Basia kept mentioning how, when she had come here the last time, the weather was beautiful, and it was clear, so she was offered an incredible view.

Needless to say, hearing her say this, so I knew just what I was missing out on, was indeed a thrill.

Our time at Zakopane was pretty much up. we had spent half a day there, if that. But we had to be at her home by that evening, and it was rainy. It is a lonbg drive, too - it took the better part of five to six hours.

So unfortunately, Zakopane did not quite pan out as ideally as we would have liked. Yet, it was beautiful, what I saw. And also, right at the end, as we were leaving, the clouds did lift, and we were finally graced with a view of the rugged, snow-capped peaks. In fact, the peaks breaking through the thick clouds made for quite a view, and they are captured, at least in part, in some of the pictures down below.

The pictures include some of the surrounding areas  particularly the top ones. Then, there are some pictures of the village of Zakopane itself. Finally, there are the rather dramatic looking pictures of the mountains slowly revealing themselves, breaking through the fog, if you will. It was beautiful, and although I may have missed, at least for this trip, the pleasure of an expansive view of the mountain range and the surrounding area, it was nonetheless a real pleasure and privilege to even get a glimpse of the snow collected at the tops of the peaks, finally coming into view as the clouds slowly lifted.

I think that I might have made mention of my love of pictures of how the rain can make the streets of a city so much more romantic, if you will. But this is even more the case on cobblestone! 

We had to stop on some country back road and allow the sheep to cross. You're not in New Jersey anymore.