Tatra County

Tatra County (Pol. powiat tatrzański) is one of 19 land counties of Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It covers an area of 471.6 km², with the population of over 67,000 people, the population density is 142.8 p/km². The county's administrative centre is Zakopane, being not only the largest settlement at the foot of Tatra Mountains, but one of the largest centres of ski tourism in Poland. Tatra County came into being on January 1, 1999 as a result of an administrative reform.

Tatra National Park is located on the territory of Tatra County, meanwhile, its considerable part is situated within the administrative boundaries of Zakopane. In southern direction, the protected areas stretch along Slovakia. The National park was opened in 1954 on the area of 22,000 hectares to protect the unique mountain landscapes of Tatra mountains. In 1993 Tatra National Park together with Slovakian Tatra National Park gained the status of biosphere reserve and were enlisted into UNESCO's World Heritage List. Rysy mountain, the highest peak in Poland, is situated on the territory of the National Park, its height is 2,499 m above sea level. There are around 650 caves in the park, Wielka Sniezna cave system is the longest (around 18 km) and the deepest (up to 814 m) in Poland. There are several streams on the territory of the park, the park has over 30 mountain lakes, the largest one is Sea Eye lake (Morskie oko) covering the area of 0.349 km². The highest waterfall within Tatra National Park is Wielka Siklawa, 70 m high.

The geographical location of the county contributes to the development of mountain tourism. The largest centres of winter entertainment industries are Bukowina Tatrzańska, Białka Tatrzańska and Zakopane. Here are the following tourist centres:

Bukowina Tatrzańska:

• Wierch Olczański ski lift
• Halny ski lift
• Zwyrtlik ski lift
• Ku Dolinie ski lift
• Mały Kasprowy ski lift
• Na Wysokim Wierchu ski lift
• Niedźwiadek ski lift
• Pod Trafem ski lift
• Przy Kolibie ski lift
• Rusiński ski resort
• Turnia ski lift
• Szymkówka ski lift

Białka Tatrzańska:

• Banya ski resort
• Wysoki Wierch ski lift
• Zebra ski lift, Białka Tatrzańska
• Litwinka-Grapa ski resort
• Kaniówka ski resort
• Kotelnica ski resort

Zakopane:

• Herenda ski resort
• Gąsienicowa ski lift
• Goryczkowa ski lift
• Gubalówka ski lift
• Kasprowy Wierch ski lift
• Kotelnica ski lift
• Nosal ski resort
• Polana Szymkówka ski resort

Other:

• Witów-SKI ski resort, Witów
• Galica ski lift, Małe Ciche
• Zgorzelisko ski lift, Małe Ciche
• Kulach ski lift, Małe Ciche
• Małe Ciche ski lift, Małe Ciche
• Panorama ski lift, Małe Ciche
• Murzacichle ski resort, Murzacichle
• Galicowa Grapa ski lift, Poronin
• Kabanówka ski
• Pod Nosalem ski lift, Poronin
• Stasikówka ski lift, Poronin
• Kozinec SKI ski resort, Czarna Góra
• Jurgów SKI ski lifts, Jurgów