5 things you never knew about Kasprowy Wierch

Kasprowy Wierch is not just about the cable car and skiing. This mountain has its own history, its own secrets and its own records. Here are a few facts you can impress your friends with whilst queuing for the cable car.

1. Built at breakneck speed (1936)

Imagine that today, building such a cable car would probably take about 10 years (permits, environmentalists, tenders). Before the war? They did it in 227 days. People worked in three shifts, materials were carried up on their backs (and later by the first, working cable car). It was a sensation on a global scale. The cable car began operating in 1936 and changed Zakopane forever.

2. The highest building in Poland

The building of the IMGW Meteorological Observatory on the summit of Kasprowy is the highest permanently inhabited building in the country (1,987 m above sea level). Meteorologists work there, monitoring the weather 24/7. Sometimes, when winter cuts off the road, they have to stay there longer than planned. The winds blowing here sometimes exceed 280 km/h!

3. A bell on Kasprowy?

Yes. If you walk a short distance towards Sucha Przełęcz, you will see a bell. It is a memento of Pope John Paul II’s planned visit. The bell was to ring as the Pope flew past in a helicopter or rode up on the cable car. Ultimately, the visit to the summit did not take place (the Pope only visited Morskie Oko and the Jarząbcza Valley), but the bell remained.

4. The Holy Grail of Skiing

For skiers, Kasprowy is the only place in Poland with an alpine character. The runs in the Gąsienicowy and Goryczkowy cirques are not artificially snowed (apart from the lower sections). You ski here exclusively on natural snow. This means that conditions can be tough (“concrete”, moguls, ice), but the atmosphere is unbeatable. The season often lasts here until May (skiing over the May bank holiday? That’s the norm here).

5. Kasprowy or Giewont?

Many people confuse these mountains when looking from Zakopane. Kasprowy is the one ‘tucked away’ further back, with a visible building on the summit. Giewont is the one with the cross, closer to the town. Interestingly, Kasprowy is almost 100 metres higher (1,987 m) than Giewont (1,894 m), although from below it appears the other way round due to perspective.

Want to see it for yourself? Check out the trail description for Kasprowy Wierch and head up!