Poland: Kraków and Zakopane, the Tatra Mountains

Zakopane, a mountain town nestled at the foot of the Tatras and nicknamed since the 19th century Poland's "winter capital," owes its architectural fame to the Zakopane Style, a movement born in the late 19th century under the impetus of architect Stanisław Witkiewicz, who drew on the traditional wooden chalets of the Podhale highland region to create an entire decorative style, today recognised as one of the earliest conscious attempts at a Polish national architecture. The Tatras, Poland's only alpine range, peak at Mount Rysy at two thousand five hundred metres and offer a striking contrast with the plains that make up most of Polish territory.