Vocabulary

peak	surround	landscape
icy	line (3)	spectacular
air	line (3)	take a stroll
invite	material	atmosphere (2)
slice	replace	wonderful
chalet	wooden	draw/drew/drawn (3)
venue	pleasant	take it seriously
roof	area (3)	Art Nouveau
style	board (2)	movement (2)
villa	pointed	build/built/built
guide	host (2)	make/made/made
screw	feature	know/knew/known
nail	heart (3)	competition
eave	carriage	ride/rode/riden
fairly	region	buy/bought/bought
reveal	line up	specialty (2)
local	explain	eat/ate/eaten
shape	aromatic	panorama
pan	outskirt	decoration
carve	on offer	handicraft
fry	tavern	bowl over
silicon	wild (2)	on display
slope	warm up	highlights
hearty	authentic	hospitality
plenty	spot (3)	look forward to

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

A magical landscape of peaks surround Zakopane in the high Tatra mountains. The icy temperatures in the clear mountain air make the region a favorite with lovers of winter sports.

Around three million people visit Zakopane every year. The town is called Poland’s winter capital.

At its heart, Krupowki Street lined with stores and restaurants invites tourists take a stroll.

Male Visitor, One: “We come here every year. It’s relaxing. You can stroll around. Other winter resorts don’t have the atmosphere that they do here.

Female Visitor, Two: “I love the mountains in the summer. But I wanted to come and see them in the winter and I’m bowled over. What a great feeling; it’s wonderful;

A pleasant way to view the cultural highlights of Zakopane is from a horse-drawn carriage.

The typical architecture of the region is known as Zakopane-style. The small wooden chalet-like houses feature high pointed roofs, eaves and decorations influenced by the Art Nouveau movement.

One of the oldest buildings in the town is the villa Koliebe built in the 1890s. Today it houses a museum of regional architecture. Tradition is taken very seriously in Zakopane.

Bartek Chornik, City Guide: “the houses are made entirely of wood. No nails or screws were used. There beautiful buildings made of natural wood. They’re healthy and ecologically friendly houses.

Zakopane is known throughout Europe as a sports venue. It regularly hosts skiing competitions. The mountain Krupowki Vierge is just under 2,000 meters high with a spectacular panoramic view of the area. A ride on the popular cable car reveals the wild landscape of the high Tatras.

Back down on Krupowki Street people are lining up to buy a local specialty: asipek, a smoked cheese made from salted sheep’s milk. The decorative shape is typical of the Tatras. The saleswoman explains how it’s eaten in Zakopane.

Renata Chudoba, Saleswoman: “The smoked cheese is very aromatic; it tastes best on slices of bread, but you can fry it in a pan.”

On the outskirts of the town, local handicrafts are on offer. The artistic carvings are known throughout Poland, and are on display in many churches and museums. Wood is the typical material of the region it’s part of our tradition.

Regina Dziedziak, Saleswoman: “I use lots of wooden boards when I cook. Okay you’ll have to replace them fairly often, but it’s a natural product not some kind of plastic like silicone.”

As night falls, the bars and restaurants on Krupowki Street are great places to warm up. One hot spot is Karczma, the Polish word for tavern. It offers not only hearty food but folk music. It’s the perfect place to experience authentic Polish hospitality.

Tavern Customer, Female: “I come from the mountains. This is our life.”

Tavern Owner: “A lot of people come here for the music, and when it stops the day ends here in Zakopane.”

But there’s always the next day to look forward to especially in the winter with plenty of snow and fun on the slopes.

 

 

Questions

1. Zakopane, Poland is a seaside, beach resort town. True or false? Is it popular among tourists?

2. Do they recommend a bus tour of the city?

3. Are the buildings new and modern, or old and traditional? Are the made of bricks or wood?

4. Zakopane serves only a tourist venue. Is this right or wrong?

5. What can people buy in the local shops?

6. Which is better, traditional spoons and boards, or new, modern ones?

7. Restaurants only serve food. Is this correct or incorrect?

 

A. There are mountain resorts in my region or country. Yes or no?

B. Are there folk or ethnographic villages? Where can you see traditional buildings and culture?

C. What is the most popular or visited town or city in your country?

D. What will happen in the future?

E. People should preserve or revive traditional culture. What do you think?