Poland | Zakopane

The Tatra Mountain Village of Zakopane

The picturesque Sub-Carpathian town of Zakopane is nestled into a bucolic valley at the base of the rugged High Tatra mountains and Gubalowka Hill, in the Podhale region of south-western Poland.

This mountainous region was first settled in during the Middle Ages, with its inhabitants representing a melting pot of Polish, German, Gypsy, Hungarian, and Slovakian cultures.

Zakopane Folk Art & Customs

Despite the rapid growth that has taken place since the fall of Communism in 1988, Zakopane has managed to maintain its traditional customs, folklore, and folk arts and crafts.

Neurmanesque Stone Church in the heart of Zakopane

Wood is the traditional building material and a plentiful resource in the Podhal region, and the "Zakopane style" of architecture with its signature motifs of intricately carved decorations is an indigenous creation of the region.

During Religious and school holidays it is still possible to see Zakopane's local highlanders dressed in their traditional embroidered woolen costumes with their characteristic parzenica motifs.

The men of Zakopane wear a brightly-colored sleeveless woolen waistcoat called a serdak that is held closed with a fancy leather belt, and round hats that are embellished with a crown decoration. Zakopane women wear brightly-colored embroidered skirts with intricate floral patterns, and brightly colored floral headdresses.