Zakopane

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Zakopane
Zakopane - view from Gubałówka Hill (Tatra mountains in the background)
Zakopane - view from Gubałówka Hill (Tatra mountains in the background)
Coat of arms of Zakopane
Coat of arms
Zakopane is located in Poland
Zakopane
Zakopane
Coordinates: 49°18′N 19°57′E / 49.3°N 19.95°E / 49.3; 19.95
Country  Poland
Voivodeship Lesser Poland
County Tatra
Gmina Zakopane (urban gmina)
Established 17th century
Town rights 1933
Government
 - Mayor Janusz Majcher
Area
 - Total 84 km2 (32.4 sq mi)
Highest elevation 1,126 m (3,694 ft)
Lowest elevation 750 m (2,461 ft)
Population (2006)
 - Total 27,486
 - Density 327.2/km2 (847.5/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 34-500 to 34-504
Area code(s) +48 18
Car plates KTT
Website http://www.zakopane.eu

Zakopane [zakɔˈpanɛ] ( listen) 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.

Contents

[edit] 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.[1]

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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Sports

Zakopane hosted the 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 hosted the Alpine World Ski Championships in 1939, the first outside the Alps and the last official world championships prior to World War II.[2]

Zakopane recently made unsuccessful bids to host the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2011 and 2013 Alpine World Ski Championships.

[edit] Tourism

Zakopane
Koliba villa
Koliba villa
Interior of Koliba
Jaszczurówka Chapel

Zakopane's hiking trails and ski slopes make it a tourism mecca for all seasons. The downtown bustles with outdoor-wear shops, ski-rental stores, and oscypek stands.

To escape the crowds, one puts on a pair of hiking boots or rents a bike.

[edit] Twin cities

Zakopane participates in town twinning to foster international links.

[edit] Notable structures

[edit] Notable residents

See also: Category:People from Zakopane

[edit] Notable visitors

[edit] Gallery

Pod Jedlami villa

Szymanowski Museum at the Villa Atma

Zakopane at night

Zakopane - Gubałówka Hill ski run

Zakopane - Gubałówka Hill: a nursery ski run

Zakopane - Gubałówka Hill funicular entrance

Krupówki

Church of the Holy Family

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Seattle Times - Scenic Zakopane
  2. ^ "Alpine Skiweltmeisterschaft 1939 – Wikipedia" (in (German)). De.wikipedia.org. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine_Skiweltmeisterschaft_1939. Retrieved on 2009-05-06. 
  3. ^ Krystyna Tokarzówna and Stanisław Fita, Bolesław Prus, 1847–1912: Kalendarz życia i twórczości, pp. 178–79 and passim.
  4. ^ Stanisław Kasztelowicz and Stanisław Eile, Stefan Żeromski: kalendarz życia i twórczości, p. 18 and passim.

[edit] 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.

[edit] External links

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Coordinates: 49°18′N 19°58′E / 49.3°N 19.967°E / 49.3; 19.967


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Gminas of Tatra County
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Zakopane (urban gmina)
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