Zakopane, town (1992 est. pop. 28,600), Małopolskie prov., S Poland, at the foot of the Tatra Mts. A leading health resort and winter sports center, Zakopane was the site of the world skiing championship competitions in 1929 and 1939.

Zakopane is a town in southern Poland with some 28,000 inhabitants (2004), situated in Lesser Poland Province since 1999 (in 1975–98, it was part of Nowy Sącz Province). The town, a place of Góral culture and informally known as "the winter capital of Poland," lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, the only alpine mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains.

Location

Zakopane lies in a large valley between the Tatra Mountains and Gubałówka Hill. It is the most important Polish center of mountaineering and skiing, and is visited annually by some three million tourists. The most important alpine skiing locations are Kasprowy Wierch, Nosal and Gubałówka Hill.

Zakopane has the highest elevation (800-1,000 m) of any town in Poland. The central point of the town is at the junction of Krupówki and Kościuszko Streets.

History

The earliest documents mentioning Zakopane date to the 17th century, describing a glade named Zakopisko. In 1676 it was a village of 43 inhabitants. In 1824, together with a section of the Tatra Mountains, it was sold to the Homola family.

Zakopane's further history was connected with the development of the mining and metallurgy industries in the region — in the 19th century, it was the largest center for metallurgy in Galicia — and later with that of tourism. It grew greatly over the 19th century, as more and more people were attracted by its salubrious climate, and soon developed from a small village into a climatic health resort of 3,000 inhabitants (1889).

Rail service to Zakopane began on October 1, 1899.

During World War II, Zakopane served as an important Polish underground staging point between Poland and Hungary.

In March 1940, representatives of the Soviet NKVD and German Gestapo met for one week in Zakopane's Villa Tadeusz, to coordinate the pacification of resistance in Poland.

Sports

Zakopane hosted the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 1929, 1939 and 1962; the winter Universiades in 1956, 1993 and 2001; the biathlon World Championship; several ski jumping world cups; and several Nordic combined, Nordic and Alpine European Cups.

It was an unsuccessful candidate city for the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2011 World Ski Championships, but remains in the running to host the latter competition in 2013.

Twin cities

• Saint-Dié-des-Vosges (France)
• San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina)

Notable structures

• Zakopane-Gubałówka transmitter
• Wielka Krokiew ski jumping ramp
• Kasprowy Wierch cable car

Notable residents

• Jan Bachleda-Curus, Olympian. The Bachleda and Pawlica families are the two oldest families in Zakopane.
• Tytus Chałubiński physician
• Olga Drahonowska-Małkowska, one of the founders of Scouting movement in Poland
• Władysław Hasior, sculptor
• Jan Kasprowicz, poet, playwright
• Kornel Makuszyński, children's writer
• Jan Marusarz, Olympian
• Stanisław Marusarz, Olympian
• Władysław Orkan
• Jan Pawlica, Olympian
• Karol Szymanowski, composer. His house in Zakopane, the Villa Atma, is now a museum dedicated to the composer.
• Stanisław Witkiewicz
• Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (Witkacy), playwright, novelist, philosopher, photographer and painter
• Mariusz Zaruski mountaineer and yachtsman
• Jerzy Żuławski, poet, writer

Notable visitors

• Mieczysław Karłowicz
• Serge Lifar
• Emil Młynarski
• Bolesław Prus
• Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer
• Artur Rubinstein
• Henryk Sienkiewicz
• Krystyna Skarbek
• Maria Skłodowska-Curie
• Stefan Żeromski

Gallery

Notes

References

• Stanisław Kasztelowicz and Stanisław Eile, Stefan Żeromski: kalendarz życia i twórczości (Stefan Żeromski: A Calendar of His Life and Work), Kraków, Wydawnictwo Literackie, 1961.
• Krystyna Tokarzówna and Stanisław Fita, Bolesław Prus, 1847–1912: Kalendarz życia i twórczości (Bolesław Prus, 1847–1912: A Calendar of His Life and Work), edited by Zygmunt Szweykowski, Warsaw, Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1969.

External links

• Official Page (Local Municipality)
• Zakopane
• General information, available in Polish, English, German
• Zakopane ICT - Travel Guide
• Symphony No. 3 of Henryk Górecki using text found in a Gestapo cell in Zakopane.