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Zakopane has plenty to do, or you can do nothing at all
By Ellen Creager
Detroit Free Press
Published on Sunday, Sep 07, 2008
ZAKOPANE, POLAND: If you look up, you'll see him.
Above the town, a craggy mountain peak forms the remarkably accurate outline of a sleeping man. The Sleeping Knight, the legend goes, will awake from his slumber if trouble comes and rise to save Zakopane.
Which is definitely not necessary at the moment.
In this alpine mecca, affluent summer crowds stroll the busy streets. Tourists pile onto a funicular that goes up to a scenic lookout. In town, families shop for balloons and sweets, leather shoes and salty cheese. They sit in cafes and hike the alpine trails and spend money on everything from spa treatments to folk dinners.
Americans might not have heard of Zakopane (ZAK-o-pan-eh), but the mountain resort town has been a favorite ''Little Switzerland'' piece of Poland forever — or at least since the 1800s — visited by everyone from movie stars to Vladimir Lenin to Sir Edmund Hillary.
Think of it as kind of a Polish Aspen.
Two hours south of Krakow and near the border with Slovakia, Zakopane is known for its great skiing and signature wooden chalets seen nowhere else in the world — plain pine faded to brown, with steep roofs and gingerbread decorations. The feeling here is a bit Slavic and a bit Austrian, mainly because Austria occupied this part of Poland in the 19th century.
Zakopane, which means ''hidden place,'' is treasured by Poles for its folk culture and stunning beauty. It is in the Tatra Mountains, the highest range in the
Carpathians.
Many Poles who emigrated to Detroit in the early 20th century were from this southern region of Poland, called Malopolska (''Little Poland''). They brought along their colorful costumes, food and customs, which Americans think of today as traditionally Polish.
Classic Zakopane highlander dress for men is a pair of tan breeches decorated with embroidery, a white shirt and a round black hat. Women wear brilliantly colored flowered peasant dresses and brightly colored scarves.
Of course, the costumes are now mainly worn for tourists and on special occasions.
Moving forward
And Zakopane is taking more steps away from its quaint past.
The European Union, to which Poland belongs, is putting millions into this region to improve roads and tourism infrastructure by 2013 (in fact, the two-hour drive between Krakow and Zakopane is a bit longer than usual because the highway is being widened and improved).
There is even talk of putting an airport near Zakopane within five years, which would open it up to more travelers who might never have heard of the place.
If that happens, the Sleeping Knight can keep right on snoozing on his pleasant mountaintop.
Here are 10 must-see charms of Zakopane:
1. Walk Krupowski Street and the local market. Find locally made handicrafts in the little stalls. The main drag is a typical mountain resort shopping district with a combination of art galleries, tacky gift shops, expensive sports shops like Nike and Salomon and lots of cafes. One craft I recommend buying: Zakopane-made wooden boxes.
2. Try the cheese. The local Oscypek cheese — a rubbery, very salty, ewe's milk cheese, which, if you ask me, is an acquired taste, is super popular with Poles, who say it goes well with beer.
3. Take the funicular or cable car to the top of Mount Gubalowka (a seven- to eight-minute ride). The view from the top is excellent, and you can walk, hike, or participate in a number of kitschy things like ATV driving, carriage rides or sledding on an alpine slide.
4. Appreciate the cool architecture. Stroll around town and see the distinctive and photogenic peaks of the Zakopane homes and buildings. The only funny thing is that many of these early 20th-century chalets have satellite dishes perched on their exteriors.
5. Visit the Tatra Museum. Located right downtown on Krupowski Street, it's a good place to get a primer on local folk culture, folk art and flora and fauna. The museum (http://www.muzeumtatrzanskie.com.pl) is open daily and costs 7 zlotys (about $3.50).
6. People-watch. Tourists from Poland, Russia, Germany and various Eastern Europe nations all vacation here — not that you can tell one from another, because these days, all tourists dress alike, even the Americans.
7. Go hiking. Consult any local sports shop or hotel, and they can hook you up with ideas for hiking, which can range from an easy two-hour stroll to high-intensity mountain climbing.
8. See the Sleeping Knight. Yes, you could do a three-hour hike up to Mount Giewont to get close to the snoozing giant, but most visitors appreciate his profile from a cushy distance while strolling downtown.
9. Eat interesting and hearty local highlander food. Sauerkraut soup, red cabbage, pork knuckles, lamb sausage and fried trout are among the options.
10. Catch a festival. You might be lucky enough to be in Zakopane during the big International Highland Folk Festival, when highlanders from all over the region gather for singing, dancing, contests, art shows and lots of eating each August. The ski jumping world cup competition comes to Zakopane Jan. 15-17.
If this all sounds exhausting, most Poles who come to Zakopane just relax and enjoy, said Sofia Wyroba, manager of the Hotel Belvedere, a 6-year-old, 174-room, chalet-style resort with a view of the Tatras. Hotel Belvedere has a spa that attracts many an exhausted Pole. Too calm? The resort also has night bowling and a disco.
''In the summer, we get more people from England, America and China,'' she said. ''In winter, we get traditional Polish and Russian visitors.''
No matter who they are, ''everybody wants to rest; just rest, eat good food, take a bicycle, relax, have recreation,'' she said. ''It is a very special place.''
ZAKOPANE, POLAND: If you look up, you'll see him.
Get the full article here.
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