Zakopane City

Zakopane Medal is available from the vending machine at the Aqua Park!

Zakopane is the highest-located town in Poland. Within its administrative borders lies part of the Tatra Mountains, with the highest point being the summit of Świnica – 2,301 meters above sea level.

Zakopane is situated in the Podtatrzański Trench, bordered from the north by the Gubałówka Massif and from the south by the Tatras. As Kornel Makuszyński once wrote: “Giewont to the left, Gubałówka to the right, and in the middle, it pours.” Fortunately, that’s not entirely true.

HISTORY

The first settlers likely arrived in the 15th century. They cleared forest glades where the first settlements appeared. The name kopane (meaning “cleared”) likely gave rise to the name Zakopane. These early clearings belonged to families like the Gąsienicas, Topors, and Jarząbeks. A settlement charter for Zakopane, issued by King Michał Wiśniowiecki in 1670 (known from later descriptions), confirmed the rights of the villagers—allegedly granted earlier in 1578 by King Stefan Batory (though the original document has not been found). The earliest known original document mentioning “Zakopane” dates to 1615 and confirms the ownership of a glade called Zakopane by the Rubzdel family (likely a branch of the Gąsienicas).

The next stage of development was linked to mining. In the 19th and 20th centuries, iron ore was intensively mined, mainly from the slopes of Jaworzynka and Kościeliska Valleys. This led to the creation of Kuźnice – the then-center of Zakopane, home to a blast furnace and a manor owned by the Hungarian Homolacs family.

This was also the era of great Tatra explorers—scientists, mountaineers, tourists, poets, and romantic souls. By the late 19th century, Zakopane became a health resort specializing in the treatment of tuberculosis, a deadly disease at the time. Sanatoriums sprang up across Zakopane and nearby Kościelisko. Rest, mountain diets, and the so-called “żętyca cure” attracted many patients—among them were renowned writers, musicians, and artists. Politically, Galicia (where Zakopane was located) was poor but offered more freedom than other partitions. Zakopane, as Poland’s summer capital, became a cultural and artistic hub, where artistic, literary, and musical trends clashed with the highlander spirit, producing a unique blend.

Traveling to Zakopane wasn’t easy. From Kraków, it took two days by cart. That’s why the 1899 construction of the railway was revolutionary. The first train entered Zakopane triumphantly, despite protests by coachmen who reportedly blocked the tracks with their bare behinds… In the 1930s, the luxurious Luxtorpeda train covered the Kraków-Zakopane route in just 2 hours and 18 minutes. In 1933, Zakopane received city rights. The cable car to Kasprowy Wierch was built in under a year, making Zakopane one of the top ski resorts in Europe and earning it the title of Poland’s winter capital.

Today, Zakopane has about 27,000 residents. An estimated 1.5 million tourists visit the town annually.

The Center of the World

Rafał Malczewski (1892–1965), an outstanding painter, writer, and mountaineer, called interwar Zakopane “the center of the world.” This name stuck. It’s a one-of-a-kind place, shaped not only by its location at the foot of the Tatras but, above all, by people. Highlanders and newcomers—brilliant artists, scientists, and unique individuals—found inspiration and home here. Thanks to them, Zakopane now boasts many unique places, buildings, and monuments that form its special atmosphere.

Figures like Dr. Tytus Chałubiński, Dr. Andrzej Chramiec, Count Władysław Zamoyski, and Oswald Balzer helped shape the town. Frequent visitors and residents included Seweryn Goszczyński, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, Jan Kasprowicz, Kornel Makuszyński, Karol Szymanowski, Helena Modrzejewska, Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Wisława Szymborska, and many others.

Let’s visit Villa Oksza and discover Zakopane’s artistic atmosphere created by Witkacy, Rafał Malczewski, Zofia Stryjeńska, and Wojciech Brzega. Step into Villa Atma and feel the same garden ambiance as when Karol Szymanowski lived there. In the wooden interior of the old church on Kościeliska Street, listen closely—perhaps you’ll hear Fr. Józef Stolarczyk preaching his first sermon to the highlanders. At Kasprowy Wierch, gaze at the mountains just like Pope John Paul II, a frequent visitor. Walking the streets, stop by the Astoria Creative House—where Wisława Szymborska learned she had won the Nobel Prize. At Pęksowy Brzyzek Cemetery, find the graves of mountain guides, rescuers, artists, and couriers. Remember beautiful young Helena Marusarz, shot by the Gestapo before she could fulfill her skiing potential. Visit Sabala’s cottage—maybe you’ll hear a tale he once told Sienkiewicz or Chałubiński. Look at the pointed chapel in Jaszczurówka, surrounded by spruces—it’s easy to see why Stanisław Witkiewicz fell in love with highlander wooden architecture.

Discover Zakopane, which is still the center of our world!