Zakopane Culture

If you've had enough of all that monkeying about in the mountains then never fear as there's more than enough to get your teeth into back in Zakopane itself. Zakopane may not be the swishest ski-resort in Europe (Comrade Stalin had something of a hand in that), but it is the only one that can lay claim to having been the 'cultural capital' of its nation.

True, things have moved on a bit since the golden age, but there are enough echoes of that era to merit a good ferret around Zakopane's museums and galleries. Over the years this little highland town has provided a home for more artists than you could possibly imagine. The greatest Polish composer of the twentieth century century made his home here (Karol Szymanowski) as did the greatest artist (Witkacy) not forgetting the best-loved childrens author (Karol Makuszynski). And that's just the tip of ice-berg. Often these artists wove Highland motifs and legends into their work, whilst the local folk architecture spawned the celebrated 'Zakopane Style'. But enough hype - it's time to go and check it all out for yourselves!