Krupówki Street, Zakopane

Krupówki is Zakopane's main street and the town's central axis. The name comes from the old Krupówki clearing. The street starts at the junction with Nowotarska and Kościeliska streets and runs for over a kilometre to the south-east, gently uphill all the way, to the junction with Zamoyskiego Street and 3 Maja Avenue. The crossing of Krupówki and Kościuszki Street is regarded as the centre of town. Krupówki originally grew up as a road linked to the ironworks in Kuźnice; today it is a pedestrian street closed to cars and even bicycles. In the tourist and ski seasons it is always busy.

The street got its present look after a reconstruction begun in 1992 to a design by the architects Maciej Krawczyński and Andrzej Orłowski. The paving was laid in patterns of black basalt, grey granite and red concrete setts, and slanting lamps shaped like crosiers were set on granite plinths, along with benches and other street furniture. At the time the rebuilding was controversial among residents and visitors, but today this is how everyone knows Krupówki. From some points on the street you can see Gubałówka and the Tatras, above all Giewont.

What to see

Most buildings on Krupówki are shops, restaurants, hotels and pharmacies, but many listed monuments survive among them:

• The Holy Family Church with its churchyard and fence (no. 1a) — at the start of the street.
• The Tatra Museum (no. 10) — a masonry building in the Zakopane style and the best place to learn about the history and culture of Podhale.
• Villa "Staszeczkówka" (no. 3, now the Hotel Sabała), the former School of Wood Industry (no. 8), "Dworzec Tatrzański" (no. 12), the "Bazar Polski" house (no. 41), and the villas "Poraj" (no. 50), "Kasprowy Wierch" (no. 50b) and "Zośka" (no. 77).
• The Hotel "Morskie Oko" — where Witkacy began his stage career, Helena Modrzejewska performed, and Jerzy Żuławski founded a literary cabaret.
• The Mariusz Zaruski Tourist House — on a side lane; nearby are the head office of Polskie Koleje Linowe, which runs the Gubałówka funicular and the Kasprowy Wierch cable car, and the cab rank.

For many visitors Krupówki is above all about atmosphere: a ride in a horse-drawn cab, souvenirs, highland music and smoked sheep's cheese at the stalls near the lower end of the street. Bear in mind that genuine highland crafts are sold alongside mass-produced souvenirs, so look around before you buy.

Practical information

Krupówki is right in the centre of town, a few minutes' walk from the bus and railway stations. The street is pedestrian, so leave the car in one of the paid car parks in the centre. Access is free at all hours. The street goes uphill, but the slope is gentle and the paving even — the walk suits families with pushchairs too. To avoid crowds, come in the morning; in the evening, when the lamps come on, the street has a completely different mood. Walking the whole length takes 20–30 minutes, and with the museum and stops, half a day.

Nearby

At the lower end of the street is the Tatra Museum, and round the corner on Kościeliska Street the old church and Pęksowy Brzyzek cemetery and Villa Koliba. Close by is the lower station of the funicular up Gubałówka, and a few hundred metres away Villa Atma with the Szymanowski museum.

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