Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains

Zakopane and the Tatra MountainsThe history and customs of Podhale

Anna Marszałek, Justyna Sroka, Agnieszka Zając

Introduction

The project shows pictures of the winter capital of Poland, Zakopane, the Tatra mountain region of Podhale and its inhabitants górals. It focuses on the culture of the Tatra mountain region and presents its customs and legends.

Zakopane is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, near the border with Slovakia. The town has an elevation of 838 meters above the sea level. Zakopane can be easily reached from Kraków, which is about two and a half hours away.

Zakopane in the 19th and in the 21st century:

Zakopane was founded as a small village in the 16th century. It expanded in the 19th century when it developed into a climatic health resort of 3,000 inhabitants. Nowadays is has a population of about 28,000 (2004). Zakopane is a centre of góral culture and is known informally as "the winter capital of Poland.” It is a popular destination for mountaineering, skiing, and tourism.

Fashion for Zakopane

Helena Modrzejewska In the second half of the 19th century Zakopane became a popular destination for many famous people. The list of notable residents of the town includes such people as a world-known actress - Helena Modrzejewska and a Nobel prize winner - Henryk Sienkiewicz.

The beauty of the mountains in paintings

The beautiful landscape of the Podhale region inspired many artists. Leon Wyczółkowski, who was one of the leading artists of the modernist Polish art, painted dramatic mountain landscapes. The pictures show Morskie Oko, a famous lake in the Tatra Mountains and the Giewont massif at sunset.

Walery Radzikowski, a co-founder of the Polish Tatra Society, was another artist connected with Zakopane. He started to paint the landscapes of the mountains in 1861. Moreover, Radzikowski published and illustrated guidebooks for mountaineers. Some of his paintings depict the beginnings of tourism in the Tatra mountains.

Karol Szymanowski, Harnasie

The góral legends and culture was an inspiration for a famous Polish composer, Karol Szymanowski. In 1923-1931 he composed a ballet-pantomime Harnasie. It is based on a legend of a love story between a robber (Harnaś) and a beautiful girl.

Zakopane Style Architecture

Zakopane distinguishes itself by its unique architecture. The synthesis of the style was created by Stanisław Witkiewicz, an acknowledged art critic, architect and writer. Zakopane style combines traditional góral decorations with art nouveau motives.

Zakopane as a sport centre

Nowadays, Zakopane is an important tourist centre and thousands of people from Poland and abroad are attracted to its beautiful surroundings. The town is also known as the winter sports centre, most notably thanks to ski jumping world cups. Wielka Krokiew is Poland’s most famous ski jump.

Wedding customs and outfits of the contemporary górals

The Wedding Day

The newlyweds are highlanders (górals) and they come from Leśnica – Groń which lies approximately 14 km north-east of Zakopane, and 74 km south of Kraków.

Pytace (Polish pytać-to ask)

The first distinctive custom is the role of the bride and bridegroom’s friends, who are called pytace (from Polish pytać – to ask). In the past they used to visit every house in the village and invite people to the wedding. Nowadays, they ride on horseback through the village and sing that the bride is leaving her home so that everyone in the village knows this. They are a kind of masters of ceremony. They sing and they ride in front of the bride and bridegroom to the church.

Parents bless their children

Bartłomiej’s father is wearing a traditional outfit. He blesses his son. This custom is supposed to bring the newlyweds happiness and show that parents approve of their marriage. In the right corner Izabela’s parents bless the couple.

Parents welcome the newlyweds with bread and salt

Parents welcome their children with bread and salt. Bread symbolizes wisdom, fertility, and hospitability. Salt is connected with respect and permanence. In the right corner we can see the custom of drinking from glasses which are later thrown in the air. If the glasses break, the couple will be happy in their marriage.

Ocepiny

Ocepiny. Starościna (the bride’s godmother) has to give vodka and food (bananas, chocolates, sausages) to pytace, which is a kind of a ransom. They sing funny songs and want to take as much as possible.

Górals’ traditional outfit Men’s outfit:  Kapelusz – a black felt hat

with shells and a feather Cucha – a cloak with an

embroidery Portki – trousers made of

woollen cloth, they have a distinctive highlanders’ motif – parzenica.

Koszula – a white linen shirt

Pas – a very wide belt with studs

Kierpce – shoes tied to legs with straps

Górals’ traditional outfit Women’s outfit: Korale- a red necklace Gorset – a flowery corset

made of velvet, tied with a red ribbon

Kierpce – shoes made of leather

Spódnica – a flowery pleated skirt

Koszula – a white linen shirt

Variations on górals’ outfit

Modern outfits, very fashionable nowadays: a black shirt, a yellow corset, a blue ribbon.

Variations on górals’ outfit

The day after the wedding day: the newlyweds are wearing modern outfits with traditional motives. The bride is wearing a modern dress with a highlander motif – parzenica. The corset is tied with a red ribbon. Izabela is wearing red earrings and a red necklace. The bridegroom is wearing modern trousers but the shirt has a traditional parzenica embroidered on it.

In conclusion, górals try to preserve their customs and culture, especially on important occasions. Nevertheless, their outfits change because of modern trends and fashions.

The legends of the Tatra Mountains

Janosik, the Polish Robin Hood

Janosik was a robber, who with a group of friends plundered, robbed and burnt the houses of the rich. He was said to operate on both sides of the Tatra Mountains, Polish and Slovak and hide out in the forests at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. However, according to the legend, he never harmed the poor in any way; on the contrary, he gave them money and gifts.

Folk tales present Janosik as a hero who had supernatural powers given to him by three witches whom he had met when he was young. Once seeing his extraordinary courage, they decided to make him the most famous robber in the whole history, and they gave him magical objects: an alpenstock , a shirt and a belt. Janosik always had the three gifts with him, for this reason he escaped many traps. However, he was betrayed by a girl whom he often visited and was captured. She craftily destroyed the witches’ gifts and then denounced the helpless Janosik to the soldiers.

The legend of Bolesław and his knights

When King Boleslaw the Brave (Chrobry) died (11th century), Poland lost a very able and brave ruler, one who had united its lands and created a really great and powerful country. But is Boleslaw dead for ever? Some say ‘no’ and they tell a legend about Boleslaw and his Knights.

They say that Boleslaw and his Knights who fought with him for the country went into a mountain near Zakopane called Giewont. This mountain forms part of the Tatra mountain range, and its shape, as seen from a certain angle looks like a body of a Sleeping Knight. According to the legend, within the mountain there is a huge dark cavern where King Boleslaw and his Knights sleep. They are mounted on horses, with their swords and lances beside them. And if Poland needs them in the time of great danger, then someone must awake them, and they will ride forward to serve their country.  But once they have gone forward, they will never return.

Director: Wojciech Solarz

Year: 1994

Production (country):

Telewizja Polska SA (POLSKA)

Genre: fiction; drama

Producer: Filmcontract Ltd.; Telewizja Polska

LEGENDA TATR (THE

LEGENDS OF THE TATRA

MOUNTAINS)

The screenplay based on the

motives of Na Skalnym

Podhalu stories by Kazimierz

Przerwa-Tetmajer. The film is a

compendium of legends and

folk traditions of the Podhale

region. It is an attempt to

make a collective portrait of

górals and their culture.

The Legends of the Tatra Mountains (1994)

Discussion 1. Describe a region of your country which has

its own specific culture? 

2. Are the wedding customs shown in the presentation similar to those in your country? What are the differences?

3. Do you know any legends or folk tales connected with some region of your country? 

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakopane

http://www.dobreschronisko.pl/zakopane-historia-i-rozwoj-miasta,d36,a26

http://z-ne.pl/s,menu,1760,historia_-_zakopane.html

http://z-ne.pl/s,doc,21549,2,1760,,,.html

http://www.turystyka.ezakopane.pl/historia.html

http://www.pinakoteka.zascianek.pl/Wyczolkowski/Wyczolkowski_5.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Wycz%C3%B3%C5%82kowski

http://www.pinakoteka.zascianek.pl/Eljasz_Radzikowski/Eljasz_Radzikowski_bio.htm

http://www.culture.pl/baza-muzyka-pelna-tresc/-/eo_event_asset_publisher/eAN5/content/karol-szymanowski-harnasie-op-55

http://www.lifebeyondtourism.org/blog/cultural-heritage/regional-architecture-in-poland-zakopane-style-otherwise-witkiewicz-style/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakopane_Style_architecture

http://www.krykiet.com/janosik_robin_hood.htm

http://www.summitpost.org/giewont/153793

http://sales.tvp.pl/en/katalog/fabula/film-kinowy/legenda-tatr