Zakopane - The Winter Capital of Poland
Promo sign concept 2013
Promo sign concept 2013
Zakopane is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a center of polish highlander culture and is known informally as "the winter capital of Poland". It is a popular destination for mountaineering, skiing, and tourism. The earliest documents mentioning Zakopane date to the 17th century, describing a glade called Zakopisko. In 1676 it was a village of 43 inhabitants. Zakopane became a center for the region's mining and metallurgy industries; in the 19th century, it was the largest center for metallurgy in Galicia. It expanded during the 19th century as the climateattracted more inhabitants. By 1889 it had developed from a small village into a climatic health resort of 3,000 inhabitants. Rail service to Zakopane began October 1, 1899.
International Festival of Highland Folklore is the most important cultural event organized in Zakopane every summer, since 1965. In the beginning, the folk groups were just a small element of a wide ranging programme. In September of 1965 four local groups performed on the stage of the Giewont cinema to great acclaim. The organizers realised that the success of these performances indicated a great interest in folklore and tradition, paving the way for a successful future attraction in Zakopane. And this is precisely what happened. In 1968, folk groups from other countries were invited to take part alongside their Polish counterparts, thus the first truly international festival was born. Initially all the folk groups competed in one single category and vied for one prize - the golden Highlanders axe
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. Zakopane made unsuccessful bids to host the 2006 Winter Olympics and the 2011 and 2013 Alpine World Ski Championships.
