Zakopane ist the biggest city in the Polish mountains and also has the highest location above sea level. It has a population of approximately 25,000 and is located 750 to 1000 meters above sea level. It is only 90 km away from Cracow and belongs to the most popular tourist destinations in Poland, both in winter and in summer. Zakopane used to be a small village until the end of the 19th century when it was discovered and made famous by artists. Soon it became the fashionable place for holidays for everyone wanting to visit the Tatra Mountains. Typical of Zakopane is the wooden architecture, the folklore of the tribe of the Gorale and the regional specialities, such as the Oscypek cheese (smoked sheep cheese). The townscape has not only been shaped by the wooden architecture of the Gorale-tribe, but also by the architect Stanislaw Witkiewicz who added the by now so typical art nouveau elements.

The Polish capital of winter sports is visited by some 3 million tourists every year. The biggest attraction is, of course, skiing. The ski infrastructure (lifts, ropeways, snow guns etc.), though already extensive, is constantly developed further. Here you can find slopes of every degree of difficulty: from flat and easy ones for the beginners up to steep and dangerous ones for professional skiers. At present there are over 50 slopes to choose from. The most popular ones are on the hill Kasprowy Wierch, in Goryczkowy and Gasienicowy basins, on the hill Gubalowka as well as on the meadow Szymoszkowa Polana and the hill Nosal. The neighbour towns also offer good conditions for winter sports. These include first of all Poronin, Bukowina Tatrzanska and Bialka Tatrzanska. Zakopane is also a place where important sport events are organised, the most popular among them the annual Ski Jumping Grand Prix.