1936 On the Continent

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    In the Christmas period and during winter sports competitions it is safer to book rooms in advance, through the “Orbis” or any travel office.
    In the summer one may be fairly sure of finding good accommodation without making previous arrangements.
The Tatra
    Zakopane is the starting-point of excursions into the Tatra Mountains, which are certainly one of the most picturesque and attractive parts of Poland. It is seldom necessary to engage a professional guide, as in most cases acquaintances from the hotel will be willing and glad to show things to the foreigner. Besides, there are many beautiful valleys and climbs in the Tatra which are near Zakopane and so safe that all save complete invalids can enjoy them on their own, adding the thrill of exploration to the other joys of mountaineering.
    If it is a matter of going in for high climbing on an Alpine scale, the Towarzystwo Tatrzanskie, which is the Alpine Club of Poland, will advise and help enquirers. The headquarters of the “T.T.” also houses the museum of the Tatra, which is a source of much interesting information on local folk-lore.
    The highlanders of the Tatra are a strongly individualised tribe—they wear a peculiar garb, and have customs of their own, partly inspired by traditions handed down from the time when highway robbery was an honoured profession among mountaineers. Of course, these traditional customs do not include the actual practice of this long-lost art, but merely wild songs, tomahawk dances and other harmless manifestations of high spirits. Speaking of art, it should be said that Zakopane has a style which is quite original and is expressed in architecture, wood carvings, glass paintings, carpet weaving, and in practically every other sphere of life. The Museum of the “T.T.” contains many valuable specimens of the peasants’ artistic craftsmanship.
Joys of Zakopane
    Summer in Zakopane is very sunny, but never hot—there is always a chance of a dip in one of the High Tatra lakes, ice cold, but so clear that the rocky bottom is visible even at a depth of over twenty feet. For those who prefer something warmer there are swimming baths, and one of them, at Jaszczurówka, is fed by a natural hot spring which possesses valuable radio-active properties. If that is not hot enough for the visitor, there are many bars and cafés, more or less on the Warsaw model, with the artistic type well represented.
    The beauty of the Tatra landscapes and the well-developed aesthetic sense of its people have been attracting numerous artists since Zakopane was “discovered” to the public only about fifty years ago. They have set a fashion, and the gay cafés of Zakopane still have a slightly Bohemian atmosphere.
    In the winter, dancing is the recognised warming-up method, and is said to be far more popular than all the other sports together.
    There are many tourist inns in the mountains, more Spartan as the altitude increases; the best known is on the Hala Gsienicowa, at some 4,500 feet above sea-level, where it is possible to establish temporary headquarters for several days of climbing or ski-ing. The new funicular to the Kasprowy saves the tourist several hours of somewhat strenuous climbing which was formerly necessary.
    It is now possible to ascend to an altitude of about 5,000 feet in sixteen minutes. The excursion can start at the point where the less trained members of former parties used to declare that they’ve had enough of it. The advantages of the funicular for down-slope ski-ing are obvious, although the natives indignantly denounce it as a superfluous and unsporting luxury. To climb to 6,000 feet with the planks on their backs is quite easy for them. The winter championships at Zakopane are a feature of its life and well worth seeing. The jumps are particularly good, as can be seen from the performance of the Zakopane champion, Marusarz, at the last Olympic Games, where he proved himself to be only second to some of the Scandinavians. The President of the Republic and practically all the personalities of the country are usually present and the town assumes a festive aspect for several weeks. All the winter sports so far invented are included in the programme, together with horse races and snow-track motor racing, etc.
The Ski Train
    Zakopane becomes almost the capital of Poland during championships week and nobody in the town moves about otherwise than on skies, even if the goal of his journey be no farther than Trzaska or