Snowbound Tatras [antikvár]

In February 1962, the International Ski Association (FIS) is promoting a meeting in Zakopane for the third time and the World Ski Championships for the second. This sports and tourist liigh-mountain resort is sitnated in a picturesque valley at the foot of the Polish Tatras at a height of 900- 1,000 metres above sea level. This locality, the ancient home of Poland's highlanders (Górale) has a style of building all its own. Spreading in a sweeping arc over the broad valley, it has gradually in the last 150 years developed first into a holiday centre, then a health resort and finally a headquarters for tourism, skiing and mountaineering with over 600,000 visitors yearly. Among the hundreds of modern villás, pensions, and sanatoriums, primitive Góral crofts and cottages built in the age-old régiónál style can still be seen. An unusual feature is alsó provided by the many modern honses made out of gránité, brick and timber in the style of the Góral chalets. The whole region of the Rocky Podhale on the Polish side of the Tatras has to this day preserved its originál folk-ways. Everywhere in the villages that dot the hills and in Zakopane itself distinctive examples of the traditional art and native folk-culture can be found in the form of sculpture and building, costumes, dance, music, song and fascinating ritual. Zakopane is the largest high mountain tourist and sports centre in north central Europe. In summer and winter alike it is visited by thousands of holidaymakers, skiers, mountaineers and convalescents from Poland and abroad. As a result of the terrible devastatiors of the country by the Nazis the prime necessity in Poland was to cover the expenditures for reconstruction and expansion of towns, industry, agriculture and mining; nevertheless in recent years Zakopane has been nndertaking a huge development and modernization program of its sports, tourist and hotel facilities. Dozens of new villás, rest-homes and hotels have mushroomed over the resort's rambling area. In the heart of the mountains, large hostels have been built with modern interiors in a régiónál style that blends perfectly with the surrounding landscape. Funiculars, cable-railways and skilifts operate on the popidar tourist routes and skiing slopes. The Mountain Volunteer Rescue Service (GOPR) set up over fifty years ago in Zakopane and disposing of modern rescue eqidpment keeps an unbroken watch over thesafety ofhikers, skiers and climbers. Zakopane is the handiest take-ojf point in the Polish Tatras. This enclave of rock has an unusual configuration rarely met with in other ranges in the world. Over a comparatively small area of 1,000 sq. km one can see hundreds of sheer savagely weathered, towering crags, rock pinnacles, threatening overhangs, deepfalling valleys. The Tatras with their gránité crests reaching a height of about 2,660 metres have gained a reputation for somé of the most exciting climbs in the world.