Warsaw Voice - At the Source

By Michal Jeziorski
1 September 2004

Krynica-Zdrój is one of Poland’s best known resorts and a frequent tourist destination. It attracts visitors with its medicinal waters, beautiful landscape and numerous cultural events.

Hiking enthusiasts will appreciate the area’s numerous tourist trails. Spa patients will take advantage of the benefits of medicinal waters, and those interested in sports can use mountain bike trails and winter snowboard runs. Many cultural events also await visitors.

■ Krynica spa
Historically, the development of Krynica was closely associated with the discovery of the medicinal properties of the local mineral springs in the 17th century. The career of the spa began in earnest with the construction of the Small House in 1794, which housed the resort’s first baths from 1804. Krynica’s heyday as a spa began in 1856 thanks to Józef Dietl, a professor of the Jagiellonian University in Cracow who is considered the father of Polish balneology. Beginning in 1858, therapeutic mud baths were offered in Krynica, and Dietl’s followers contributed to the technical development of the resort. New spa facilities were built, including the Old Mineral Baths, Old Therapeutic Mud Baths, Spa House, the Main Pump Room with a promenade, numerous guesthouses and the Larch Theater.

The medicinal properties of these mineral waters are still of prime interest to medicine. Krynica currently offers 23 mineral water sources, including seven used for direct consumption and the production of bottled water. The remaining intakes supply mineral water for inhalation and procedures such as mineral/acid-carbon baths in treatment points available in the New Mineral Baths and some sanitariums. The Krynica spa, based on natural treatment and resources, offers a wide range of electric, light and water therapy procedures as supporting and supplementary treatment.

■ Meeting nature
Numerous trails and tourist routes invite strollers and hikers, and there is also an attractive path for mountain bikes. The Beskidy mountain forests are home to many animals including the European red and roe deer. The three largest European predators also live here: the brown bear, the wolf and the largest European cat—the lynx.
Krynica is also one of Poland’s largest winter sports centers for downhill and cross-country skiing and snowboarding.

An undoubted attraction are the gondola lift and cable railway. The gondola lift to Jaworzyna Krynicka is the longest lift of this kind in Poland. It can carry 1,400 passengers per hour and its spacious six-person cabins ensure comfort and safety. The 2,211-meter line ends at the top of Jaworzyna Krynicka (1,114 m above sea level), commanding a beautiful view of Beskidy landscapes. The cable railway to Parkowa Mountain in Krynica starts right next to the Krynica promenade. The upper station is on top of Parkowa Mountain (732 m above sea level), a distance of 642 m.