Zakopane

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Zakopane - view from Gubałówka Hill (Tatra mountains in the background)


Zakopane

	(Coat of arms)


Basic Information
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lesser Poland
Population	29,360
Founded	1578
City rights	1933
Latitude Longitude	49°18' N 19°57' E
Area	8,4 km²
Agglomeration	-
Density	3495/km²
Area code	+48 18
Car plates	KTT
Twin towns	Poprad, Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, Siegen, Vysoké Tatry
Economy and Traffic
Administration
Mayor	Janusz Majcher
Municipal Website

Zakopane - Gubałówka Hill Funicular entrance

Zakopane - Gubałówka Hill Funicular

Zakopane (pronounce: [zako'panε]) is a town in southern Poland with approximately 28,000 inhabitants (2004), situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999 (it was previously in Nowy Sącz Voivodeship from 1975-1998). The town, called the Winter capital of Poland, lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the feet of the Tatra Mountains, which is the only alpine mountain range in the Carpathians.

1 Location and surroundings
2 History
3 Sports
4 Twin city
5 Notable structure
6 Notable residents
7 See also
8 Gallery
9 External links

[edit] Location and surroundings

Aerial view of Zakopane.

It lies in a big glen between the Tatra Mountains and Gubałówka Hill. Zakopane is the most important Polish centre of mountaineering and skiing, and is visited by about three million tourists annually. The most important alpine skiing points are Kasprowy Wierch, Nosal and Gubałówka Hill.

Zakopane has the highest elevation of any town in Poland; within its municipal region there exists a variation of 800-1000 m of altitude. The central point of the town is at the crosssroads of Krupówki and Kościuszki streets.

[edit] History

The earliest documents mentioning Zakopane date to the 17th century, describing a glade named Zakopisko. Its further history was connected with the development of the mining and metallurgy industries in the region, and later with the progress of tourism. Its growth has progressed greatly, from being a small village, into a climatic health resort.

In March 1940 representatives of NKVD and Gestapo met for one week in Zakopane, for the coordination of the pacification of resistance in Poland.