To become an inhabitant of Zakopane?
Briefly about real estate, work, realities of life – advice for those who dream of moving.
Many people visiting Zakopane – whether it’s for the first stay or for the next one – just see daylight. So, they were wasting their life in the city, in the crowds, the noise, enjoying just a square with one bench and a few rickety trees. And yet – real life is here in the mountains. How wonderful it is to get up in the morning and go to the mountain trail, which starts a quarter of an hour walk from our home. How beautiful to be able to taking from windows pictures of Orla Perc (the highest part of mountains visible from Zakopane), once at sunrise, another time at sunset. How delicious it is to go to the inn for dinner with a real highlander band and cheerful service in regional costumes, instead of to the network “restaurant” in the shopping gallery. Fresh air, peace and intimate climate of a small town – life passes throughout the year like on vacation.
Some people get the idea so deep into the heart that they decide to make it happen. From here, in Zakopane, we will meet people practically from all over Poland among the city’s permanent residents. And even from other countries. Is this a good decision? How do you live in this city – different than other? Is it possible to move here for life and not to miss what has been left? A lot depends on our expectations, profession, financial opportunities at the start, family situation. Below is a brief summary of the most important issues that anyone who is considering moving to Podhale will come to face. And it is better to consider them before we order a removal van with a crew and we will throw the notice on the desk of our boss.
First of all – what do you do?
Unless we have successfully become the heirs of a great fortune, or we do not have regular income, for example from renting a property – the first topic we will face will be finding a job. This is waiting equally for visitors and locals mainly in tourism, gastronomy and trade. Let’s not delude that the salaries will be comparable to those in a big city, the positions to be filled are usually the lowest level of the employee hierarchy. You work hard here, in a 12-hour system, it does not pay to commute to the residents of nearby towns for only 8 hours. An employment contract is rare, employers prefer free-for-task agreements. If we want to work at the City Hall, Poviat Starosty, or the Zakopane Cultural Center … it’s time to modify your dreams. Such positions are for locals, usually associated with famous highland clans. And no papers, qualifications or recommendations will change that. Similarly, we can forget about the position at the school, library, museum – priority is always given to “theirs”. There are a few jobs in Zakopane, f.ex. in accounting or services in the private sector, and there we can look for happiness. We can also try to open the business ourselves and employ local people. There are people who succeed in this art, but let us not hide it, they face some reluctance of the locals and they cannot count on kindness or tenderness at auctions. And who lives in Zakopane well? Representatives of free professions, performed remotely. And those who sometimes have to go on business trips to another city. Inhabitants of Zakopane say that nothing helps to love Zakopane more than to leave the city from time to time, at least for a few days.
Second – where do you want to live?
Purchase or rental? Honestly, before we put a lot of money in buying land and real estate in Zakopane or the surrounding area – and the prices are high here – it’s worth taking a closer look at the city. Stay here for two or four years. Start with renting. Finding a flat will not be easy, because the long-term rental market is minimal, even symbolic. Owners are more profitable to rent an apartment for single weekends or weeks. Modern apartments are also, but so expensive that you certainly will not be able to afford it as a novice receptionist or waiter. It is somewhat easier to find a room, sometimes the job offers also include accommodation – in this case, let’s not set ourselves on luxury. If we are lucky, we will live in an apartment separated from a larger villa, where there will be a garden, nature right outside the window. Unfortunately, there may also be tourists in the neighboring rooms, not always silent. Maybe we can also find a flat in the block – but then our housing conditions will not differ much from those in the big city and we do not have a “holiday” climate. In both cases, you can talk about happiness when you get to a well-heated house, preferably with ecological geothermal energy, not a crude oil oven, which a diligent owner will only let you ignite during the most severe frosts. Or electric oven, which use will consume most of the earnings.
Third – what climate do you honestly like?
It can be said without any exaggeration that Zakopane lies in a climate zone other than the center of the country. Spring vegetation is usually at least a month late, heavy snowfalls get locals angry in May, but they do not surprise. The advantage is very dry air in the winter and rare winds, and when it is, it is a warm “halny” blowing from the mountains. Paradoxically, it’s less cold at -15 in Zakopane than at -2 in Warsaw. It is best in winter, instead of standing at stops, to move everywhere on foot, and then we will unbutton the jacket and take off the scarf – wading in the snow on the sidewalks will warm us up too much. Summers are sometimes hot, but also very rainy, the weather changes dynamically. Certainly you have to reckon with the sharp sun, the sun operates here more than in the lowlands. And with low pressure, which in many causes evokes drowsiness and headaches. In general, however, the climate is acceptable. If only we can give up impractical urban clothes for decent waterproof shoes with thick soles, down jackets and loose, insulated trousers instead of skinny jeans revealing the ankles.
Fourth – how much do you value privacy?
Zakopane is small. It has many advantages, if we live with the locals in harmony. News spreads quickly, gossip too, so when we enter into a conflict with someone, we automatically gain much more enemies – which we do not even know, but they already know about us. On the other hand, it’s great to enter a museum, shop or cafe and be remembered by the staff, have a friendly chat. One thing is certain, it is very difficult for an immigrant to get involved with representatives of the highland minority. We will never become its full members. Even if we were dressed up in a regional costume from head to toe, we learned the dialect and build a wooden house – we will not get any appreciation. We will always be strangers and the sooner we accept this fact, the better it will be our life in Podhale. Highlanders are worth respecting, and then they respect us, but there is no point in pretending to be indigenous people.
Fifth – can you live without metropolitan attractions?
Currently, the city is at the transition stage, the ambitions of the local authorities are slowly taking away its intimate character thanks to New Year’s Eve for 80,000 guests, investments like big holiday complexes, or permits to replace traditional wooden buildings with concrete apartment buildings. Still, there are no attractions typical for a big city. The shopping mall is indeed there, but it still has no great centers, we do not find typical chain stores there. There is also no nightlife, clubs and pubs open until morning, with the exception of one discotheque Morskie Oko, occupied by not very polite youth. There is also no cultural offer with urban sprawl. In cinemas, we will not find all the titles that come to screens in big cities, the permanent theater is one, classical music concerts take place practically only during summer festivals, in the remainder of the year these are individual events. Exhibitions in the municipal gallery are most often presenting works of local artists, thematically related to the mountains, local tradition – we do not find here avant-garde installations or works of famous foreign artists. If we can live without all of this, or we have the willingness to travel often to Cracow or Katowice and there to catch up in the big city life – we will easily survive in Zakopane and nothing will be lacking.
Sixth – can you live in the rhythm of seasons?
In Zakopane, time is divided into “in season” and “after season”. It means “congestion” and “emptiness”. In the season, the locals would be hid to the mouse hole. They avoid Krupowki, restaurants, popular tourist places, shopping when there are 40 minutes queuing to the cash register. On the other hand, they benefit from much more frequent bus travels, longer opening hours of various facilities. And – they count profits. Anyone who has a guest house here, or rooms to rent, (meaning a large part of the population), in the high season subordinates his life to tourists – panders to them, supplies, organizes. The lowest level employees, mentioned above, working in gastronomy, trade or services enjoy slightly less. Yes, they have a few more hours of work in arrangement, but these hours are filled with very intense work, often on the edge of the body’s ability and strength. Otherwise “after the season”. It is easy to meet friends on the street or in a cafe in an empty city, no queues in shops, you can drive without thinking which way to avoid traffic jams. Above all, you can enjoy the peace and quiet. Tourists are coming here – but only those connoisseurs, lovers of in-between seasons, slowed pace and lack of organized attractions, such as festivals, runs or other mass events. Many locals emphasize that they like Zakopane the most at this time, and those who can – flee from here to the famous long May or August weekend. Let the tourists have fun, welcome, welcome, but it is better not to watch this closely.
Seventh – how is your condition?
It is impossible to hide, in Zakopane it will often be uphill. Literally and figuratively. The terrain will force everyone to clamber on the hills. Sidewalks untouched in winter with a shovel and not sprinkled with salt also toughen leg muscles and coordination of movements when we defend ourselves against falling. Smog can knacker out people with a sensitive respiratory system, and about long-term effects … it’s better not to think. From lighter themes – it’s better to come to terms with the fact that we will not find here the favorite brand of tea, pesto or oil. The assortment in stores is similar, but not the same as in big cities. If you count on comfort every minute of your life – think carefully whether you can live here. Locals are tough, do not complain when they have to get the car out of the snowdrift, stay 40 minutes in the rain waiting for a bus, spend the night in the dark and in the cold when the strong mountain wind again will cause a power failure.
Eighth – so why to live here?
Exactly. From the above paragraphs, it vaguely inspire horror . So why consider moving to Zakopane at all? Just to enjoy nature, mountains, relax from the pace of a big city. If someone has lost their identity and the meaning of life, running like a hamster in a spinning wheel for money, which was hardly enough for living in a big city – he will find it back here. In Zakopane, you can learn that it does not matter how many pairs of shoes you have in the closet – it’s important who you meet when walking down a street or mountain trail. Life under the mountains teaches minimalism, giving up trivial whims. It also teaches us to pay more attention to our symbiosis with nature, instead of the constant struggle to subjugate it, as happens in big cities. Here, you can also learn respect for people who are perhaps less educated and world-wide than us, but who can fight adversities while maintaining a sense of dignity and hope.
Is this an option for a lifetime?
Maybe for some, yes. Those who will find themselves in the local community. Who will find any job near the Tatras to live with dignity, will gain friends and acquaintances, also among indigenous highlanders. This factor, human, in practice determines everything else. Having something to live on, even if only modestly, having close persons around you – you can live even in Greenland. Everything is possible to survive – the strong wind, and the crowd on the unpaved sidewalk, and the lack of favorite oil in the store, and not very sophisticated cultural offer. It can be really difficult when we give over our learned profession of scientist or artist to do a simple job in a hotel or shop. When we fail to meet people at a similar intellectual, mental level, with similar priorities. Then we will feel what the loneliness of a stranger is. Dependent on the contact via the Internet and phone with old friends – in the end we will miss them. Then, do not be afraid to turn back. Years or months spent in Zakopane will not be taken away from us. When we close our eyes for a moment on a busy street, we will see instead of the ugly, angular skyscrapers, peaks – Swinica, or Giewont. Our healthy condition, fortitude of soul and body we will not lose so quickly. Returning to the Tatras for holidays, we will always be better informed than other tourists, we will use more of the stay. So do not hesitate to try it when nothing is holding us in the place where we live now. Zakopane can be a great stop in your life. But let’s not be afraid to give up when it turns out that it is not for us. Let’s just plan our steps and investments with caution, so as not to become a prisoner of inadequate decisions. We wish everyone who dreams of being an inhabitant of Zakopane, just luck. Remember, it favors the brave people.
Anna Markiewicz
